Subject overview KS4 & KS5 - Science
Curriculum aims of the subject
The aims of the science department are to promote and encourage the natural curiosity of students in
explaining the world around them. We strive to develop the skills needed for scientific enquiry and to enable
students to question the validity of scientific claims made by the media. We want students to understand the
powerful, but provisional nature of scientific knowledge and an understanding that science is always
developing.
The subject at KS4
At KS4 students begin studying for the GCSE’s in science. We develop their understanding of the principles
covered in KS3, taking key themes and fundamental ideas to a higher level. They develop their understanding
of working scientifically and of the provisional nature of scientific knowledge, looking closely at the
difference between a theory and fact. By the end of KS4 all students will have a secure understanding of the
fundamental ideas of science.
The subject at KS5
Students can choose to take their science studies further at KS5 and to pursue A levels in the traditional
sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) or as a vocational course through BTEC level 3 applied science. In all
courses their scientific knowledge is enhanced and their working scientifically skills developed to enable
them to enter many diverse careers. Work is much more independent at KS5 and thinking skills are
developed further to ensure that students can think critically and deeply about scientific issues and
developments.
Main SMSC links and how you promote British cultural values
The science department develops students’ social, moral and cultural values through a discussion of ethics
and the moral questions that scientific developments can raise. We explore what it means to be British,
through an examination of the contributions that UK scientists have made to global knowledge as well as
studies of issues within our own society including sustainability, food supply chains and biological
developments such as cloning and the use of stem cells.