The science department at Sheffield Springs Academy is determined to provide an excellent science education that meets the National Curriculum, and follows the United Learning Curriculum through which all students can progress, achieve, and go on to succeed in life.
The department aims to develop student’s enthusiasm for knowledge and creativity to become scientists of tomorrow. Students at Sheffield Springs Academy will understand that science is developing subject, and they can have the ability and ambition to become the inventors, surgeons, engineers and scientists of the future. Students will gain powerful knowledge and a breadth of understanding which will allow them to become effective and respected members of their community, as well as global citizens. Students will understand and be confidently able to articulate that science is at the heart of everything.
Subject plans effectively provide a “big picture” of the subject by explicitly planning the year week by week to ensure that staff know exactly where there are in the curriculum. These plans also take into consideration split classes to ensure that all students finish topics at set times of the year to facilitate the revision and execution of mid-year and end of year assessments. The SSA roadmap sets out the route of how we organise KS3 and KS4, and these topics are meticulously sequenced to ensure students can build on prior knowledge.
At KS3 we have a Nebula stream of students who access a bespoke STEM curriculum aligned with KS4 triple science, taught by specialists. Within KS3, newly designed quizzes along with topic tests align with the standard demand that students would experience in KS4, In KS4, challenge is understood well in both the triple and combined science pathways, and tiers within those subjects. For example, HT triple science students will be pushed to complete higher level mathematical thinking, allowing them to access the highest grades in science. Foundation tier students have a focus on key concept knowledge recall and standard demand questions.
In KS3 we take a year-by-year approach to teaching the curriculum, all of which must be taught. The science roadmap ensures that topics are well sequenced, and students gain powerful knowledge that allows them to build blocks of content to develop and understand more complex activities and topics further in their journey at Springs. An example of this is that Y7 starts with ‘Particles’ in which we introduce the concept of diffusion. We have placed this unit here as an understanding of particle behaviour is fundamental to all three sciences, and movement in and out of cells requires an understanding of diffusion, which is taught in the second topic of ‘Cells’. This technique is also applied to KS4 where we introduce the concept of energy within KS3 prior to starting the KS4 topic of ‘Energy’. The prior knowledge needed for every lesson is checked within the ‘do now’ of every lesson to allow teachers to assess and reduce the cognitive load of students within the lesson.
Our curriculum is designed to provide challenge for all learners. The general principle is that the outcomes are the same for all students, but that the scaffolding is targeted to different students’ needs. The schemes of work in science split topics into rational individual lessons to allow students to build knowledge and ultimately progress. These individual lessons then identify smaller key learning outcomes within the SOW which build on prior knowledge of students. These smaller learning outcomes allow both students and teachers to focus on what is important and clarifies what is expected of students. Planning is structured using the I, we, you model to ensure components are set out in smaller step and set students up for success in independent work. In the science curriculum, we have several vertical concepts that appear in different units over the course of both KS3 and KS4. This ensures that students are exposed to content that allows them to build powerful knowledge to prepare them for future science topics in years above. In Y7 ‘Energy’ we introduce the idea that energy is transferred between stores. This concept is applied in Y8 ‘Electricity and Magnetism’ and developed further in KS4 ‘Energy’ where energy is quantified using formulae. Energy is also linked to ‘Forces in Action’ in Y9, as well as ‘Forces and Motion’ in KS4.
Our curriculum plans are fluid which allows us to adapt these as the year goes on should we need too. In science, we plan additional time in topics to accommodate suitable pause points and teacher led revision lessons prior to any summative assessment. We also effectively plan in recap lessons prior to any mid or end of year assessment that tackles misconceptions within each topic.
All lessons start with a ‘do now’ which are designed to help students remember long term so they can integrate new knowledge into larger ideas. Lessons are sequenced using the I, we, you model of planning. This ensures content is introduced and then modelled before students perform tasks with support and then independently. This allows teachers to set students up for success and only move onto independent tasks once students have grasped the core knowledge and skills needed for it.
All topics culminate in a planned topic test that aims to help pupils embed and use knowledge fluently. This enables teachers to identify misconceptions and inform future teaching. Sequencing ensures lessons build on the knowledge of the previous lessons and topics become more complex as you move through the topic. As example of this is in Y7 ‘cells’ where simple cells are introduced first, then lessons move on to specialised cells.
Topics within each year are sequenced to build on prior knowledge and develop students understanding. Fluency quizzes are used in both KS3 & 4 throughout the year and are intended to provide regular practice of the skills and core knowledge, as well as being a simple tool for teachers to identify gaps, informing future in-lesson interventions. Students begin KS3 by being introduced to the basic concepts of the three disciplines (particles, cells and energy) and develop their understanding by then completing more complex and detailed topics (reproduction, chemical reactions, and forces).