The school’s vision is modelled in the Science curriculum, where we believe in Igniting learning in our school community to develop potential and achieve Excellence. We believe all our students bravely rise to challenges and empower young people to be confident and show resilience. We strive to be Inclusive, value our diverse school community and celebrate our individuality and challenge inequal.

Our science curriculum intent is:

• Coherently plan, sequence, and adapt our curriculum to meet the unique needs of all our learners.
• Offer breadth of study at KS3 that is sequential in leading to study at GCSE level; all students will be stretched and challenged over 5 years, considering different starting points.
• Develop effective literacy and numeracy skills through digital technology creating learners who are confident and competent readers, writers, and speakers, with essential analytical skills needed for life.
• Embed a range of wider enrichment opportunities and experiences.
• Encompass the whole school core values through the science curriculum.

Curriculum implementation 

Our curriculum is implemented in a way that will ensure every individual achieves success. To deliver our aims, science lessons are taught by passionate and experienced subject specialists.

• In year 7 students are taught through a bespoke scheme of learning delivered in 6 hours per fortnight. The scheme begins with an introduction to science and working safely in a laboratory and then focuses on key concepts and big ideas in science such as cells, atoms, and forces. We actively support students using Activate AQA KS3 books.
• In year 8 students continue to follow a bespoke scheme based around STEM careers which builds on key concepts and hone their working scientific and investigative skills. They also could develop a more in-depth understanding of the history of science studying topics such as evolution and the Periodic Table of Elements. Students complete a transition test at the end of the KS3 Scheme to determine their readiness for KS4.
• Beginning in term one of Y9 and continuing into Y10 and 11 Key Stage 4 students follow the AQA syllabus. Combined science students are taught five one-hour lessons per week. Separate science students are taught seven hours in year 10 and five hours in year 11 per week delivered by a specialist teacher for each of the three disciplines: biology, chemistry, and physics.
•  We pay careful attention to the sequence of when knowledge is taught in science, and this is reviewed regularly so that students have a deep understanding of key concepts and are well prepared to access exam content. We constantly plan for students to strengthen their literacy and numeracy skills in a science context, and we ensure that students are given ample opportunity to apply both their knowledge and their skills through the required practical element of the GCSE course.

 To ensure that all learners can access the subject, we offer Combined Science and separate sciences. All students have full access to our Y9 foundation year which allows us the opportunity to see which students need additional support, and which need additional challenges whilst maintaining high expectations and aspirations for all. One of the most important features of the Science curriculum at CSFG is that it is fluid in nature. The curriculum is regularly adapted and updated to make sure that it ALWAYS meets the needs of the learners at the time. This combined with high-quality teaching and learning experiences helps us to implement our vision of a successful knowledge-engaged curriculum. We aim to foster a culture in which students are encouraged to objectively question the content, their understanding, and the purpose of what is being delivered. This is a vital skill in developing as a ‘scientist’, but also as an active member of a community.