The national curriculum for KS4 science changed in 2006 and is changing again for 2011. There are 2 main routes of progression through Science in KS4: GCSE and Edexcel BTEC.
From 2010, pupils will study a 3 year KS4 having completed KS3 in only 2 years. This was accredited in a recent department inspection which found Science to have many “outstanding” features including the curriculum and standards.
Pupils now study either:
OCR 21st Century Science leading to at least two GCSE’s in science. The courses are designed to be appropriate for pupils’ ability, though still cover aspects of biology, chemistry and physics. Pupils will be allowed to study at their own pace and the modular style examinations allow the exams to be spread throughout KS4.
· Courses offered include:
· GCSE Core Science (Yr 9)
· GCSE Additional Science (Yr 10)
· GCSE Additional Applied Science (Yr 10)
· GCSE Triple science over 3 years (Yr 9 – 11)
Coursework and controlled assessment are core parts of the courses, but are centered on scientific skills and investigation. Pupils completing GCSE in Yr 10 will study alternate Science qualifications in Yr 11 so that they build a portfolio / suite of qualifications.
Pupils can be provided with work books and practice papers and revision books are available for the price of £3.50.
Pupils who do not follow the GCSE route of progression commence studying a 2 year BTEC course in yr 9. This is called BTEC First certificate in science. Following this, pupils can study the BTEC Diploma (Yr 11) or study alternate Science qualifications in Yr 11 once again building a portfolio / suite of qualifications.
· BTEC Courses include:
· BTEC First certificate in Applied Science (equivalent to 2 X GCSE grades)
· BTEC First Diploma in Applied science (equivalent to 4 X GCSE grades)
BTEC courses do not involve exams but instead regularly have assessment scenarios for which pupils complete a range of assignments ranging from Pass (c grade) to distinction (A grade)
The shared work area contains target sheets and help sheets for all topics of the courses as well as on-line e-learning resources. All work is also placed on Talmos and useful web sites are also highlighted. Revision and homework is regularly set and the websites SAM learning / Skoool can be used for additional revision / homework.