Science

CURRICULUM INTENT

We aim to inspire a passion for science to enable the next generation of scientists to have Sackville students among them. Our spiral curriculum builds both knowledge and skills as topics are revisited over a carefully constructed 7 year plan which is built into a well planned and sequenced scheme of learning. We have a big focus in getting to know our students and forging those vital relationships, proven to be a key factor in the achievement of our students. As a department we are proud of our professional thinking around pedagogical and cognitive research and, crucially, what works best in science.  

CURRICULUM RATIONALE

We have huge ambitions for our students in science.  We want to see that they are reaching their true potential as scientists both with curriculum knowledge and their ability to make judgements about decisions in their own lives concerning the impact of relevant scientific developments. Of course our ambition extends far beyond the curriculum, we want our students to leave with enquiring minds and the ability to think critically to solve problems. 

Transition work to ensure students can grasp the next stage of their learning has been built in and extra curricular activities inspire and link different core ideas together from biology, chemistry and physics.

We firmly believe that every child, no matter their background or ability should be able to flourish in science.  Adaptive teaching is an integrated part of our tool kit and we use invaluable information from the year and SEND teams to help us ensure our lessons are appropriate for all.

We consciously make sure that we ensure the cognitive load is appropriate to the class we are teaching, retrieval practice is frequently and regularly used and we review our use of Rosenshine’s principles over the year.  All of these strategies contribute to a feeling of success for our students and give them the motivation to achieve their potential.

CURRICULUM MAPS

Year 7 Curriculum Map	Year 8 Curriculum Map	Year 9 Curriculum Map	Year 10 Curriculum Map	Year 11 Curriculum Map

STAFF CONTACTS

Curriculum Team Leader for Science – Dr Jenny Owen