Science Faculty

Science affects every aspect of our daily lives; from electronic gadgets to the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the houses we live in and the medication we take. Future careers may be focussed on resolving man-made global problems such as climate change and increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Great Britain has a long and impressive history of being at the cutting edge of scientific thinking and we believe that the best way to prepare our students for continuing this into the future is to support them in developing a fundamental body of scientific knowledge, but also by nurturing a way of scientific thinking that encompasses all aspects of scientific investigation, by instilling a love of and curiosity for the subject and by developing an inquiring mind.

At Sponne we have an enthusiastic, forward-thinking science faculty with a focus on active learning. Our staff have high expectations of themselves, each other and our students. Our students experience a curriculum that is rich in practical activity and opportunities for scientific investigation to enhance the theory, which is taught by subject specialists.

Years 7 to 11

To implement a seamless route of the delivery of the science provision, we approach Science as a 5 year curriculum from Year 7 to 11.

From year 7 to year 11, the curriculum has been mapped according to three Big Ideas for each subject. This shows how topics are interlinked and how they spiral throughout the programme of study. The Big Ideas are shown here:

The Sponne Science Spirals show the topics involved in each of the Big Ideas in each subject:

Alongside learning science knowledge, students also develop their skills in working scientifically, in scientific literacy and numeracy as well as learning about scientific careers and how science affects the world around us.

In Year 7 and 8 students learn science using the Exploring Science (Pearson) platform. Year 7 has 7 hours and Year 8 has 6 hours per fortnight, in mixed ability classes.

In year 9 students continue their science learning using the Edexcel GCSE Pearson provision as a basis, and are taught in mixed ability sets. In year 9, students are taught 9 hours per fortnight; 3 hours per science subject.

In years 10 and 11 students are set based on ability and year half, and are taught 11 hours per fortnight; 4 hours each for Biology and Chemistry, 3 hours for Physics. Students will either study the Combined Science GCSE award or the Single Science GCSE award and we will work with the students to decide which option is best for them as they progress through years 10 and 11.

The three individual science subjects; Biology, Chemistry and Physics are taught, wherever possible, by subject specialists who, we feel, are best able to demonstrate a true depth of subject knowledge and who can enthuse students through a passion for their subject.

Sixth Form

There are A-levels in each of the three individual science subjects: Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as a BTec National Level 3 Extended Certificate in Applied Science with the following examination boards:

• Biology: AQA
• Chemistry: OCR Salters B
• Physics: OCR A
• BTec Applied Science National Level 3: Pearson

Science subjects are very popular at sixth form and our student results are outstanding.

Extra Activities

Students in Year 7 and 8 can take part in our weekly Science Club where students have the chance to take part in different science investigations.

We are a very supportive faculty and there are numerous regular and frequent interventions for students, which take place to support and guide our students should they require additional support.

We also present exciting assemblies during Science Week and run a career focussed sixth form science fayre for Yr12 scientists to give some post-16 hands-on science opportunities.