Welcome to the Science Department
Students follow an in house scheme of work in Years 7 and 8 and have 6 lessons per week. Pupils will spend equal time studying Biology, Chemistry and Physics. In order to make links with GCSE the pupils are taught in discreet topics of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The scheme of work is designed to be investigation led so pupils acquire the necessary scientific skills for GCSE. Pupils are encouraged to complete challenging work so they secure ambitious rates of progress in lessons. The curriculum at Nottingham Free School follows the national curriculum and has been adapted so pupils have a sound understanding of the concepts they require for GCSE and A-level. The curriculum is constantly adapted to meet the changing demands of GCSE and A-Level. Homework is set twice a week and assessment occurs formatively in lessons, through end of unit tests and in examinations taken in January and May.
In Years 9 and 10 students follow the GCSE Triple Science course pathway which leads to 3 GCSE's or the GCSE Trilogy course pathway which leads to 2 GCSE's. Students have either 6 or 9 lessons per week depending on which course they are completing. The AQA scheme of work is followed and there are strong links to practical content in lessons in order to develop the scientific skills needed for GCSE. Lessons are challenging and the scheme of work is constantly adapted to meet the needs of all students. Homework is set once a week for each Science subject and assessments occur frequently in lessons, through end of unit tests but also in examinations taken in November (Year 9), January (Year 10), May (Year 9) and June (Year 10).
During science lessons pupils will have the opportunity to develop and learn many new skills including:
- Investigative skills through experiments
- Scientific enquiry by asking ‘why?’
- Numeracy: graph drawing, calculating the mean, completing scientific calculations
- Literacy: by writing up scientific experiments and explaining scientific concepts
- Evaluation skills as pupils examine their experiments and scientific theories