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Curriculum > Departments > Science
Subject Outline
Advances in scientific knowledge over the last few years have led to huge leaps in our
understanding of the world around us. Old theories, taught for many years in schools,
have been found to be false. In the Science department at Thomas Adams, we work as a
team and try to communicate to pupils the excitement of the scientific world they live in,
where new discoveries are being made each week. At the same time, we train them to
investigate their ideas using the scientific method. Right from the start we instil
understanding of what constitutes a fair test. Our aim is to encourage questioning about
the world they live in. We develop the skills they need to carry out investigations safely.
We are, after all, producing the geneticists, microbiologists, chemists, physicists and
engineers of the future!
The course is divided into two Key Stages:
In Key Stage 3, (Years 7, 8 and 9), pupils have three hours of science per week.
In Year 8 we set them into groups of roughly the same ability.
In Year 9 pupils take an external examination (SATs) in the summer.
In Key Stage 4, (Years 10 and 11), pupils have five hours of science per week. They
follow a two year course leading to a double award GCSE qualification. We teach the OCR
Co-ordinated Science course, Syllabus B (Staged Assessment). All pupils have equal
numbers of lessons in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
At the end of Year 10 there is a 1½ hour GCSE examination. This counts for 25% of their
final grade.
At the end of Year 11, there are three one hour examinations, one in Biology, Chemistry
and Physics. Together these exams count for 55% of the final grade.
The remaining 20% of the grade is for coursework investigations performed during the
second year of the course.
At the end of Year 11, pupils gain a double Science GCSE grade, eg. A*A*, or AA or BB
etc.
At Adams College the department offers 'A' levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
What PARENTS can do:
It is of tremendous help to the pupils if you help with their studies. This might mean
rummaging in the kitchen cupboards for household items to test for pH (their acidity). It
could mean allowing them to get all the tins and packets of food out in the kitchen to look
at the labels - then put them back in the wrong place. It might mean looking at your fuel
bills and answering questions about the level of insulation in your loft. It might even mean
supplying samples of soil, or woodlice, from your back garden!
Whatever it is, you may be assured that this is so that the pupils relate the theory they
learn to the real world they live in. Science is about the real world. What they learn isn't
just for examinations - it's meant to make them aware of the world around them; to value
it and to look after it properly.
What PUPILS can do:
We hope you will come to lessons with an open mind, prepared to think, work and handle
apparatus. You should be prepared to contribute your own ideas in class discussions.
In short, we expect you to be prepared to develop as an Adams scientist.
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