SCIENCE AT THE FRIARY SCHOOL
Thank you for your interest in this post. I hope the following will be helpful to you.
Staffing – requirements of the post
There will be 12 full time teaching staff from this September, ably supported by 3
technicians. All the teaching staff are well qualified, committed and willing to take part in
new initiatives. The whole department is involved in decision making, both through formal
departmental meetings and informal discussions. The school has a reputation for excellent
working relationships between staff; this is certainly the case in the science department.
We seek to appoint a person who will actively contribute to our pursuit of excellence.
Accommodation and Resources
The department occupies a single storey block comprising 8 laboratories, a preparation
room, a staff work/resources room, 3 store rooms, an audio visual recording room, a dark
room and one of the school computer suites.
The department enjoys generous funding. While textbooks are issued only to the sixth
form, class sets of various science books are available for all years.
The Science department has invested in presentation software for every year group. We
have one interactive white board while all the other labs have projectors connected to the
network and to audio visual equipment. In addition wireless network connections for use
with lap tops or iPads are present in all rooms; furthermore, data loggers, digital cameras,
digital microscopes and flexi cams are all available. ICT equipment is supported by a
technician.
The Curriculum
KS3
This is based largely on the Oxford ‘Science Works’ scheme. Pupils are taught in sets
based on ability from the spring term of Y7 onwards. In Y9 top achievers start the GCSE
Triple Science programme while the majority of pupils’ lessons continue the KS3
programme of study.
KS4
The department has opted to run the OCR Gateway Syllabus Core Science Scheme in
Y10, with Additional Science in Y11. Top achievers take all three separate sciences
continuing from their work in Y9. Pupils are grouped in four ability bands in Y10 and Y11.
The three sciences are taught separately by subject specialists. Additionally, some pupils
have the option of the BTEC Science course.
6th Form
The department continues to prove a very popular choice at A and AS level, with all three
sciences attracting large numbers. All three Sciences follow the AQA AS and A level
exams. In September 2012 we extended the range of options post-16 with the introduction
of the level 3 BTEC qualification.
Neil Carney
Head of Science