At Wilnecote School we provide all our students with both scientific knowledge and transferable lifelong skills.
We condense Key Stage 3 Science in to the first 2 years. We use this time to teach a strong foundation of key scientific concepts but also to develop the practical and investigative skills that will allow our students to fully access the GCSE content.
Year 7 and 8 classes are all ability groups with the class teacher differentiating their lessons to suit the needs of individual pupils.
In year 9 our students begin to study the course content for GCSE. This allows sufficient time to cover all required aspects of the three subject areas; Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
In year 10 students will have chosen to follow either the double award pathway or the separate sciences pathway. Those that opt for the double award route will follow the AQA Trilogy course and achieve a qualification which is equivalent to two GCSEs. Those that opt to follow the separate sciences pathway will achieve three separate GCSEs in each of the three sciences biology, chemistry and physics. Much of the content is common to both pathways and students study this in all ability groups.
Vision for Science at The Wilnecote School
Intent:
The KS3 curriculum is based on the Best Evidence Science Teaching research produced by York University and distributed through the STEM hub. The Curriculum has been mapped against their provision maps in order to ensure that conceptual content flows in an order which is supported by research and hence best enables the students to develop working models of a number of key areas.
Disciplinary knowledge is developed through a series of open-ended investigations in each unit. The intent is to ensure that students are able to access the required practical elements of the GCSE course with minimal teacher input, allowing for the development of independence and resilience as well as addressing content demands.
KS3 is divided into 6 topics in Y7 and Y8. These cut across traditional demarcations of biology, chemistry and physics and take an integrated approach. The intent is to develop knowledge which is transferred across the three disciplines at KS4 and so deepen understanding.
The KS4 curriculum follows more traditional routes. It is mapped across the three years. The Y9 course is designed to have a minimum of triple only content so all students have access to it equally and as such acts as a transition year between KS3 and KS4. Groups are all ability, based on the work of Dylan Williams et al and the Sutton trust tool kit, and triple science is open to all. The intent is to keep the curriculum as broad and as rich as possible for as many students as possible.
Delivery focuses on a “teach to the top” approach with scaffolded support for less able students; use of the Kagan approach to grouping – pods of 4 based on ability; teacher support for less able.
Implementation:
The KS3 curriculum does have a spiral nature to it. Subjects are sequenced in line with BEST research. In order to ensure sufficient time for extended investigations the KS3 course was mapped against the KS4 curriculum. Where there was overlap of specific taught content (Ohm’s law for example) this was delivered in the Y9 transition course while electronic circuits are taught practically. The priority in Y7 and Y8 is to develop disciplinary skills alongside the knowledge base.
Lessons are structured to allow for a clean and orderly start. Some are stand alone; some are part of a sequence and as such there will not always be a discreet starter or hook. DRICE principles are used for many of the activities as are the Challenging Misconceptions materials produced by the BEST team at York University.
Cognitive load theory has been employed in the structures of lessons, particularly practical work, in order to ensure students are able to access the lesson more easily and retain the information more readily. Teaching has also been audited against the EEF Improving Secondary Science research and a development plan produced. Teachers have elements of this built into their PM in order to link this work to CPD.
Workload has been reduced by planning jointly and centrally. All schemes are accessed through the One Drive and can be used as they stand or adapted to suit personal preference. All responsibility for resourcing has similarly been shared across the department. In order to ensure a consistent approach clear formats and structure have been agreed.
Long term retention is addressed through Educake quizzes, parachute activities and reflective starters such as “Starter for 10”.
Impact:
A similar approach is taken to assessment at both KS3 and KS4. Based on principles developed by PiXL, the department uses regular low tariff testing. Typically, a student will have a test every 4 to 7 lessons. Following assessment teachers analyses the results in order to identify areas of strength and those areas that need to be revisited. Additionally, students complete a self-assessment to identify areas of knowledge which are secure and areas which need to be revisited. Time is built into the curriculum plan in order to ensure that students are able to go back and secure the learning which has been identified as lacking.
In addition, students complete part of their PLC for that topic at each assessment point in order to develop a learning record of strengths and weaknesses. This is used as a template during going green weeks so that students can target those areas which need further development.
Formative assessment is used extensively in lessons. The department adheres to the principle of “no hands up” and questioning is targeted at particular students. Teachers are encouraged to use different questioning styles with the different students, depending on their need and ability.