The curriculum focuses on Biology, Chemistry, and Physics and gives students the knowledge, practical skills, and problem-solving abilities they need to succeed in a changing world. We carefully plan our curriculum to help all students grow in confidence and ability, whether they are working towards GCSEs, technical courses, or further study.

We are committed to delivering an ambitious curriculum that challenges and inspires all students, regardless of their starting points. By setting high expectations, offering stretch and challenge, and providing access to rich and engaging content, we ensure that every student can achieve their full potential and make meaningful progress.

Our curriculum is designed to spiral and interleave new content with previously learned material. This approach allows students to revisit and consolidate their knowledge, address and correct misconceptions, and build a deeper understanding over time. By reinforcing the "Big Ideas" in science—such as the particle model, energy, and interdependence—students develop curiosity and inquisitiveness about the world around them. These key concepts are woven throughout the curriculum, helping students make meaningful connections across topics and disciplines.

Through hands-on experiments and real-life examples, students learn to analyse, test ideas, and solve problems. These skills prepare them for exams and help them to understand and tackle issues like climate change, genetic engineering, and sustainable energy.

By building curiosity, resilience, and a commitment to lifelong learning, we aim to inspire all students to see the importance of science in their lives and the world around them.

	Big Idea                (bold = key concepts)	Description
Biology	The Cell	All living organisms are made of cells, which carry out  biological processes to maintain life.
	Transport	Substances are exchanged, into, out of and within organisms. The mechanisms and processes which allow this to happen are essential to life.
	The Interdependence	Living things do not exist in isolation. Every individual relies on other organisms for everything to do with its survival.
	The Gene	All life is dependant on a coded sequence of information that determines every characteristic, fundamentally underlying its ability to survive.
	Organisation	Organisms are organised into organ systems, which are essential for survival
	Bioenergetics	All life is dependant on a number of biochemical reactions.
Chemisty	Atomic Structure	All matter is made from tiny particles called atoms
	Bonding	Atoms can interact with each other to form chemical bonds. These substances can have different properties to the elements that made them
	Chemical reactions	In a chemical reaction chemical bonds are broken and formed.
	Amount of subtance	Chemists need to work out the precise amount of substances that they are working with
Physics	Particle Theory	The physical properties of substance are dependant on the behaviour of tiny particles.
	Energy	There is a fixed amount of energy in the Universe, which can be transferred between different stores.
	Forces	When a force acts upon an object it can change the objects speed, direction or shape.
	Waves	Energy can be transferred between stores via waves.
	Space	Our planet is part of a Universe which contains billions of other celestial bodies
	Electricity	The flow of charge particles is known as electricity.
Working scientifically -               The Scientific Process		Scientists develop a hypothesis and then design, implement and write up a reliable and valid experiment to test this hypothesis.

Year 7

Biology:

1. How our body works: Covers human anatomy and physiology basics, focusing on body systems and their functions.
2. The Cell: Introduces students to basic cell structure, functions, and key concepts through practical activities and feedback loops.
3. Plants and Ecosystems: Focuses on plant biology and ecosystem dynamics, exploring interactions between organisms and their environments.

Chemistry:

1. Separating Mixtures: Covers techniques for separating different mixtures, including practical experiments.
2. Atoms, Elements & Compounds: Explores basic chemistry principles, distinguishing between atoms, elements, and compounds.
3. Chemical Reactions: Discusses different types of chemical reactions and includes practical activities.
4. Acids & Alkalis: Investigates the properties and reactions of acids and alkalis through experiments and theoretical lessons.

Physics:

1. Particles and Energy: Students explore different forms of energy, how energy is stored and transferred, and the principle of energy conservation.
2. Introduction to Forces: Covers the basic concept of forces, differences between mass and weight, and the application of Newton’s First Law including friction.
3. Static Electricity and Magnetism: Introduces magnetism, electric charge, static electricity, and how to create simple electromagnets using electric currents.
4. Sound and Light: Explains how waves transfer energy, the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves, and the uses and properties of sound.

Year 8

Biology:

1. Human Lifespan: Discusses stages of human development from infancy through adulthood, exploring biological changes and health.
2. Controlling the Body: Examines how the human body maintains internal balance and control via nervous and hormonal systems.
3. Biological Balance: Delves deeper into body systems, emphasizing interrelations and physiological processes.
4. Ideas on Evolution: Introduces evolutionary biology concepts, exploring adaptation, natural selection, and species diversity.

Chemistry:

1. Periodic Table: Focuses on how elements are organised in the periodic table, and the properties of some key groups of elements.
2. Reactivity Series & Energetics: Examines reactivity of metals and energy changes in chemical reactions.
3. Earth & Climate: Looks at Earth's geological features, climate change, and related chemical processes.
4. Neutralisation Investigations: Expands understanding of neutralisation reactions, involving more detailed investigations and practical activities.

Physics:

1. Forces in motion: Develops understanding of resultant forces, terminal velocity, and how forces combine and influence motion in two dimensions and in orbit.
2. Electricity: Covers static electricity, circuit components and diagrams, potential difference, and how electric current flows and is measured.
3. Space: Students learn about celestial objects, star formation and life cycles, measuring space distances, and theories about the origin of the universe.
4. Fuels Project: Examines the fuels we currently use and their advantages and disadvantages.

Year 9

Biology:

1. Living Structures: Explores fundamental biological organisation levels, emphasizing cells, tissues, organs, and systems.
2. Cell Biology: Explores cell structure, function, specialization, microscopy techniques, and mechanisms of substance transport like diffusion, osmosis, and active transport.
3. Plants and Ecosystems: Covers plant structure and physiology, photosynthesis, ecosystems interactions, biodiversity, ecological cycles, and human impacts on the environment including global warming and conservation methods.
4. Ecosystems: Examines plant anatomy and function, ecological interactions including transpiration, photosynthesis, biodiversity, the carbon and water cycles, and human impacts such as deforestation, global warming, and biodiversity conservation strategies.

Chemistry:

1. Atomic Structure: Covers atomic theory, structure, electron configuration, and periodicity.
2. Atmosphere: Examines Earth's atmospheric composition, historical changes, and environmental impact of combustion of fuels.
3. Separating Substances: Compares pure and impure substances and examines techniques and methods used in the separation of mixtures.
4. Chemical Changes – Acids and Metal Extraction: Introduction to chemical reactions, equations, and practical experiments involving the reactions of acids and the extraction of metals.

Physics:

1. Energy Flow: Examines different energy types, energy transfer, conservation, and efficiency.
2. State Shifts: Studies particle behaviour in solids, liquids, and gases, and changes of state.
3. Motion: Covers the principles of motion, speed, velocity, acceleration, and related calculations.
4. Forces Effects: Looks at forces and their effects, including Newton's laws and resultant forces.
5. Exploring Waves: Detailed exploration of wave properties, wave behaviour, and applications.

KS4

Biology

Year 10

1. Organs and Functions: Expands on organ systems, covering detailed physiological functions and interactions within organisms.
2. Infection and Response: Focuses on understanding pathogens and their transmission, comparing bacterial and viral infections, sexually transmitted diseases, malaria, natural bodily defences, immune responses including vaccination and herd immunity, and plant diseases like Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and Rose Black Spot.
3. Inheritance: Examines genetic variation, meiosis, inheritance patterns including genetic disorders, selective breeding, genetic engineering, natural selection, evolution evidence, classification, and evolutionary trees.

Year 11

1. Homeostasis: Describes how organisms maintain stable internal conditions, focusing on nervous and endocrine systems, control of blood glucose levels, diabetes management, puberty, menstrual cycles, contraception, IVF, and negative feedback mechanisms.
2. Once content has been delivered, students will revisit concepts and ideas taught from topics that were studied in Years7,8, 9 and 10.

Chemistry

Year 10

1. Bonding: Studies chemical bonding types including ionic, covalent, and metallic structures and the effect these have on properties of substances.
2. Chemical Changes: pH and Electrolysis: Further explores chemical reactions, emphasizing pH changes, electrolysis, oxidation, reduction, and practical applications.
3. Energy Changes: Investigates exothermic and endothermic reactions, energy profiles, and enthalpy changes.
4. Quantitative Chemistry: Involves calculations relating to chemical equations, moles, masses, and concentrations.
5. Using Resources: Looks at how Earth’s resources can be used sustainably, including water, extraction methods and recycling.

Year 11

1. Organic Chemistry: Introduces organic compounds, structures, reactions, and uses in daily life.
2. Rate of Chemical Reactions: Covers reaction kinetics, factors influencing reaction rates, and interpreting reaction data.
3. Once content has been delivered, students will revisit concepts and ideas taught from topics that were studied in Years7,8, 9 and 10.

Physics

Year 10

1. Atomic Structure and Radiation: Investigates atomic structure, radioactivity, nuclear decay, and safety measures.
2. Power Principles: Advanced concepts of energy, emphasizing practical calculations and energy sources.
3. Particle Pressure: Further insights into particle theory, with an emphasis on gas laws and particle behaviour.
4. Circuit Science: Detailed look at electric circuits, current, voltage, resistance, and energy transfer.

Year 11

1. Magnetism: Covers magnetic fields, electromagnetism, and their applications.
2. Advanced Forces: Advanced coverage of forces and motion, designed specifically for higher-tier students.
3. Once content has been delivered, students will revisit concepts and ideas taught from topics that were studied in Years 7,8, 9 and 10.