Science

Intent statement

At the Mandeville School the Science Department teaches our students to build upon their natural curiosity about themselves and how their universe works. We aspire to ensure our students become informed and responsible members of the community who are able to make critical and well-informed decisions about their environment, society and the ever-changing role that Science has in their daily lives. Our intent is to instil a lifelong passion for Science, that will enable our students to use their learning of Scientific enquiry throughout their lives, whether in later education or in the professional World.

Science is important to our students because through the acquisition of skills and understanding of key principles students will have the opportunity to experience a challenging and diverse learning environment that allows them to take risks with their learning and develop their perseverance skills.

Links to the whole-school curriculum

The Science curriculum is aligned to the whole school Curriculum. The Science curriculum is designed to establish a kind community where everyone perseveres, achieves and flourishes; where we enable all the experience life to the full. In the Science department we maintain the Mandeville School Curriculum Principles:

A kind community through a curriculum that respects the diversity of our school, valuing our rich knowledge, history and experiences.

Perseverance and achievement through a curriculum that is well sequenced, developing understanding, building retention and leading to academic achievement. Firm foundations in a three-year key stage three provide grounding for success in Key Stage 4, Key Stage 5 and beyond.

Flourishing through a curriculum that nourishes personal development by giving students opportunities to explore their identity and grow their character. Students are equipped with knowledge of how to be healthy, sustain positive relationships and maintain wellbeing so as to have the information needed to be able to make an effective contribution to society.

Enabling students to experience life to the full through a curriculum that inspires and enriches them with meaningful knowledge and cultural capital. High aspirations mean students study a broad range of subjects in Key Stage 3 and have a variety of routes through Key Stage 4 and 5 which are challenging and aspirational.

In Key Stage Three we have 5 ‘big ideas’ (related to the national curriculum) which we study. These are…

1. All matter in the universe is made of particles which interact with each other to form all living and non-living materials
2. The total amount of energy in the universe is always the same as it cannot be created or destroyed but can only be transferred to a different store.
3. Organisms are organised on a cellular basis from single cell organism to more complex multi-cellular organisms with differentiated cells
4. The diversity of organisms is the result of evolution over time due to the minute changes in the genetic information passed down from one generation to the next
5. Discovering the cause or causes of phenomena through scientific investigation

Key Skills and Meaningful Knowledge by the end of Key Stage 3 in Science

By the end of Key Stage 3 we will have met our curriculum intent through the 5 big ideas of Mandeville Science so that students can know, understand and explain:

Big idea 1
a) The properties of different states of matter and how they interact with each other
b) Conservation of materials and of mass in chemical and physical changes
c) The effects of energy on the motion and spacing of particles .

Big idea 2
a) Comparing how a change in energy can affect final conditions within a closed system
b) That forces can make changes to an object depending on their size and direction
c) The similarities and differences between different types of waves.

Big idea 3
a) That cells are the fundamental unit of living organisms and the importance of how to observe, interpret and record the structures of different cells.
b) The stages of organisation within a multicellular organism with examples
c) Understand the importance of bioenergetics within organisms.

Big idea 4
a) The importance of the genome and how it interacts with the environment to show phenotypic variation
b) Genetic variation within an organism and how this is influenced by natural selection
c) The interactions and interdependencies of organisms within an ecosystem.

Big idea 5
a) The importance of asking questions and develop lines of enquiry based on experimental data and observations
b) The role of objectivity within Science and how accuracy, precision, repeatability and reproducibility play a role in this
c) Interpretation of observations and data to inform decisions.

Curriculum Map

 Curriculum Map Science KS3