Senior Department Science

Trinity School

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Welcome to Senior Science

As a department our role is to introduce and promote the study of Science and inspire students to become the Scientists of the future. Those joining the school at KS3 or KS4 will inevitably have a wide range of scientific and academic experiences and skills. It is therefore important that the courses have scope to challenge the most able, whilst making science accessible to the less able, ensuring that the students develop cognitive, practical and written skills including ICT. While learning and undertaking activities in science at KS3 and KS4 students will be given the opportunity to become:

• Successful learners who enjoy learning make progress and achieve
• Confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
• Responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.

The department has the following aims at the core of its teaching -

• To fire students’ curiosity about phenomena in the world around them and offer opportunities to find explanations for these
• To encourage students to link direct practical experience with scientific ideas often historical in nature
• To use experimentation and modelling to develop and evaluate explanations and to encourage critical and creative thought
• To encourage students to discover how scientific ideas contribute to technological change – affecting industry, business and medicine and improving quality of life
• To encourage students to question and discuss issues that may affect their own lives, the directions of societies and the future of the world.

The Key Stage 3 Curriculum

When delivering the KS3 curriculum the following topics are taught and within each topic the key processes and concepts covered are given in outline:

Energy, electricity and forces

1. energy can be transferred usefully, stored, or dissipated, but cannot be created or destroyed
2. forces are interactions between objects and can affect their shape and motion
3. electric current in circuits can produce a variety of effects.

Chemical and material behaviour

1. the particle model provides explanations for the different physical properties and behaviour of matter
2. elements consist of atoms that combine together in chemical reactions to form compounds
3. elements and compounds show characteristic chemical properties and patterns in their behaviour

Organisms, behaviour and health

1. life processes are supported by the organisation of cells into tissues, organs and body systems
2. the human reproductive cycle includes adolescence, fertilisation and foetal development
3. conception, growth, development, behaviour and health can be affected by diet, drugs and disease
4. all living things show variation, can be classified and are interdependent, interacting with each other and their environment
5. behaviour is influenced by internal and external factors and can be investigated and measured.

The environment, Earth and universe

1. geological activity is caused by chemical and physical processes
2. astronomy and space science provide insight into the nature and observed motions of the sun, moon, stars, planets and other celestial bodies
3. human activity and natural processes can lead to changes in the environment

Extra Curricular

A range of extracurricular clubs are available run by members of the department both Science based and others. Mr Jarrold offers a GCSE astronomy course which has a 100% pass rate since its inception. Dr Treacy runs a popular Science support group aswell as Mrs Poulet-Bowden supporting students with coursework and homework. Other activities on offer include a running group with Mrs Jones and study with Ms. Thompson. In the summer term there is also a gardening club run by Ms. Thompson and a Green Team run by the technicians who deal with recycling and school environmental areas.

The department runs a range of educational trips, visits and talks to enrich the science curriculum. These include trips to the WH2OSE WATER Science Fair at Paignton Zoo, the Norman Lockyer observatory and a range of ecology field trips. There are also visits from scientists like the recent Forensic science workshops attended by all Year 11 students. The department runs an active Science & Engineering week with competitions, quizzes and a Science Newsletter where all students are encouraged to engage in discussion and are given the opportunity to make contributions online about science related issues.

Exam Results

SATs

The departments KS3 SATS results have been consistently excellent with large numbers of students achieving above their predicted levels. When compared against levels predicted by MidYIS the Science levels are very significantly better than those that one would expect and also consistently better than those in the other core subjects.

GCSEs

Key Stage 4 results show a similar pattern (to SATs results above) with the vast majority of students achieving well above their predicted grades in both the Double award and Separate Science options.

Science Department Staff
Mr Darrel Jones Head of Science & 9DJ Tutor	Dr Alan Treacy Teacher of Science	Mr Peter Jarrold Teacher of Science & 13PJ Form Tutor
	Mr Lawrence Coen Teacher of Science, Senior Teacher & 12LC Tutor	Ms Alex Thompson Teacher of Science
	Mrs Ann Jones Teacher of Science	Mr John Turner Teacher of Science & Data & Assessment Manager
	Mrs Jackie Jones Science Technician
	Science Department Video See Mr Jones on Trinityschool.tv !

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