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Physics

Science Curriculum Intent 

 The Science curriculum aims to provide ALL learners with: 

-a broad and balanced education, exploring ideas that have clear links to real-world applications; 

-experiences to allow them to understand and explain the world around them; 

-an environment with stimuli to challenge and develop their skills and knowledge; 

-the confidence to be inquisitive and to approach challenges both calmly and logically, basing their conclusions on the evidence at hand. 

The Science Faculty has set out a spiralling, yet ever-evolving curriculum where ideas are consistently revisited and logically linked to current learning. Connections between topics and subjects are clear, ensuring pupils have a broader understanding of the content being studied, helping them to make remarkable progress within the subject. This approach requires effective collaboration across departments within the school, ensuring cross-curricular links are drawn upon, and reinforced, resulting in a holistic, whole school approach to learning.    

As a result of this approach we aim to inspire a significant proportion of our cohort to study sciences beyond GCSE, and to foster the curiosity and confidence in all learners to ask “why?” when faced with the unknown and to actively seek and discover the answer. 

Year 7 and Year 8 Physics

Physics has been developed to help students develop the key skills and content required for their GCSE.

In Year 7 students will study units on Light, sound and Energy. In Year 8 students will move on and study energy and Electricity, Magnetism and, finally, pressure and moments.

Each unit includes investigative techniques, which are the stepping stones for GCSE when students are required to plan, record, analyse and evaluate. Each unit is assessed with students being given targets on how to improve. At the end of Year 7 and 8 students are assessed on the topics they have studied for the year.  

Years 9,10 and 11 GCSE Physics 

We follow OCR Gateway Physics A (9-1) J249 specification. The course aims to introduce students to the key concepts of Physics, integrating theory with practical skills. It helps students develop their knowledge of scientific methodology and their conceptual understanding of Physics and how this can be applied to the world around them.

The course is split into nine units taught over three years, with two final exam papers sat in Year 11. To help students prepare for these exams the department has end of unit mocks, with each mock building up until the mocks are the style and length of their final GCSE exams. The practical content is now incorporated into the exams, so students are given opportunities to plan, record, analyse and evaluate these required practicals.