SCIENCE

Biology | Chemistry | Physics

Department members:
Mr Keith Richardson (Curriculum Leader, Science College Director, Subject Leader Physics)
Mrs Ruth Bartlett (Subject Leader Chemistry)
Mrs Rhian Edwards (Subject Leader Biology - job share)
Mrs Elaine Newbold (Subject Leader Biology - job share)
Mrs Jennifer Collins (KS3 Science Coordinator)
Mrs Charlotte Doherty (Biology)
Mrs Bonita Kendall (Chemistry - maternity cover)
Mrs Cherylin Preston (Chemistry - maternity leave)
Dr Helen Wilks (Science, Chemistry - part time)

Science Support Staff:
Mrs Deena Willmott (Science Support Manager)
Mrs Maxine Gray (Senior Science Technician - job share)
Mrs Lorraine Green (Senior Science Technician - job share)
Mrs Wendy Riggall (Laboratory Assistant)
Mrs Diana Humphries (Laboratory Assistant)

Curriculum Aims

	To encourage all students to gain knowledge that will help them to make sense of the natural world, and which will allow them to decide whether claims made in the name of science are reasonable.
	To reveal the scientific world in an inspirational way so that students' curiosity and desire to learn about science is stimulated at all stages of their school careers.
	To provide a very sound foundation of knowledge and practical skill for those wishing to pursue a career in a scientific subject.
	To raise the awareness of all students about the huge variety of roles carried out by scientists in our society, and the exceptional importance of the work that highly qualified scientists do.
	To ensure that all students appreciate the connections between science and other parts of the curriculum, in particular the importance of mathematics in science, the importance of science in technology and the increasing dependence of scientific progress on ICT.
	To emphasise to all students that scientific discovery is a creative human activity and that the scientific knowledge owned by the human race has been won through the endeavours of scientists and thinkers from a wide ethnic background over a very long period of time.

Levels taught in the department:

In Years 7 and 8, students study science as a single subject, following a programme of study designed by the respective Heads of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Co-ordinator or Lower School Science that closely matches the National Curriculum but has been tailored to meet the specific and changing needs of all our students.

From Years 9 to 11, Biology, Chemistry and Physics are studied as separate subjects with specialist teachers.

Girls study for separate qualifications in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, following the AQA specifications. (http://web.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science.php)   They begin their Core Science units in Y9, taking examinations in January Y10, then Additional papers in January year 11 and the Further units in May/June of Y11.

Each subject award requires the completion of an Investigative Skills Assignment (ISA) which includes a written test which accounts for 25% of the final mark. Before taking a test, candidates undertake practical work relating to a topic under normal class conditions and, during their work, they collect data. They bring their data to the test. The written test is taken in a subsequent lesson but under examination conditions. Tests are externally set, but internally marked, using marking guidance provided by AQA. Each test will have questions relating to the candidate’s data and questions which relate to additional data provided in the question paper. 

Biology, Chemistry and Physics are all available at AS and A2 Levels, where they remain very popular choices. Click on the following hyperlinks to take you to information about the A-level courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

In addition to science lessons, there are various other opportunities to become involved in science throughout the school, including:

	Year 7 become involved in a Mission to Mars on a visit to the Space Centre in Leicester
	Science Club, run one lunchtime a week
	Biology fieldwork
	Year 12 and 13 students take part in 'Operation Wallacea', a two week ecology research project, which in June 2011 is based in Madagascar.

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BIOLOGY

Introduction
Biology is everything to do with living organisms: their variety, how they live in their habitats, their processes and the effect they have on each other and on humans. It is a huge subject because of the sheer number of different types of organism, ranging from microbes (viruses, bacteria etc) to the vast array of animals and plants which exist. Also, our knowledge of biological processes is expanding and so there are many different branches of biology which are being pursued: Immunology, Biochemistry and Genetic Engineering, to name but a few.

The beauty of the subject is that, often, we can see it all around us. We also have a natural desire to learn about ourselves. Little wonder then, that over time, people have tried to explain biological phenomena. Why do offspring both resemble and differ from their parents? How does disease spread and how might we control it? Why do we have blood and how does it keep circulating around the body? What are the best conditions for plant growth so that crops may be produced efficiently?

Why Study Biology?
A knowledge of basic biology is essential, not just for exam success, but as a requisite for life. We need to understand how our bodies function and to be able to recognise signs when something is amiss. We should understand the importance of a good diet and know how to keep healthy. We need to appreciate aspects of hygiene and how disease may be spread and avoided. We must acknowledge the fact that we share our planet with other plants and animals and that there is a delicate balance between us all. Plants underpin the rest of life by providing the correct balance of gases in our atmosphere and by providing food directly or indirectly for other animals.

Modern biology is far-removed from the old days of "nature-study", worthy though that was. Today's students are grappling with demanding aspects of biochemistry, molecular genetics and physiology. An understanding of the subject provides the basis for medical and veterinary sciences, agriculture and the pharmaceutical, food and brewing industries.

There are countless examples of how biological research has benefited society, whether it be IVF techniques allowing a childless couple to become parents, or the development of disease resistant crops. Biological innovations, such as getting bacteria to produce human insulin for diabetics, would have astounded past generations; the future is bright for biological developments in years to come!

For information about Biology at A-level, please click here.

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CHEMISTRY

Introduction
Chemistry is about changing substances into different ones. Changes like this happen all the time and have done since the dawn of time. Chemical changes have played their essential part in the development of mankind and our modern world.

Plants grow and kick off food chains, rocks can be made to give up the metals locked inside them, crude oil can be changed into a whole host of substances including fuels, paints, medicines and plastics. All of these changes and countless others occur through chemical reactions.

Throughout history, there have always been some people driven to control chemical changes. In the earliest times, such knowledge was often jealously guarded and those practising Chemistry acquired either reverence as mystics in touch with the very essence of nature itself, or fear as evil beings in league with the devil.

The image of the alchemist desperately trying to make gold from cheap materials is well-known. They would have benefited from a GCSE in Chemistry which would have given them a stack of rules which we now use to guide us when working with chemicals. These rules allow us to predict with ever-increasing confidence how chemicals will behave and give us a framework in which to try and make completely new materials without wasting hundreds of years on a fruitless quest like some of our forebears.

Chemists at the cutting edge of knowledge are highly skilled individuals who bring their special abilities to bear on the challenge of making new materials which have particular properties. Such materials may be required in a wide range of different contexts from medicine to plastics, from paint to man-made fibre, from new fuels to materials for space exploration. The skilled chemist is a vital part of so many industries and technical organisations that qualifications in chemistry and the many related disciplines such as Chemical Engineering or Biochemistry make Chemistry an important and sometimes essential qualification for virtually any scientific or technological career.

For information about Chemistry at A-level, please click here.

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PHYSICS

Introduction

"The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility"
Albert Einstein 1936

Physics is firmly at the foundation of science, dealing directly with the rules that govern the Universe, and the particles from which everything is made. Physics really does try to explain how and sometimes why everything happens!

Physics is all around us. It is in the electric light you turn on in the morning, your reflection in the mirror, the bus you take to school, your wristwatch, mobile phone and CD player. It makes the sun shine every day, the stars shine every night and the moon continue in its orbit. It describes a rainbow and makes a ball follow the correct path to score a goal.

Physics is the science of matter, energy, space, and time. It describes the many forms of energy such as kinetic energy, electrical energy, and even mass (ever heard of E = mc2?) It describes the way energy can change from one form to another, how things move or why they don’t move and it is used to make all technology possible, from the simplest levers to the most complex modern electronics.

The Course
There are many fields of physics such as mechanics, electricity, heat, waves and nuclear physics which are all studied as part of the GCSE course. Girls are encouraged to pursue their own investigations to discover the inter-relationships in the world around them and to appreciate the ever increasing impact of scientific developments in their everyday world so that they are better able to make decisions about their futures.

Physics is the foundation of all the physical sciences, such as chemistry, material science, and geology and is important for so many other fields of human endeavour: biology, medicine, computing, engineering… the list goes on and on.

For information about Physics at A-level, please click here.

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