National Curriculum Aims

The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
• develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
• are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

KS3 Science

Overview of Curriculum

Our syllabus provides students with knowledge of individual concepts while developing the understanding to apply their knowledge to unfamiliar concepts. Using the ‘Big Ideas’ principle, the generalisations, principles and models which connect concepts are at the heart of our curriculum. We believe this is how students learn to see the world analytically, to explain phenomena and make predictions – all skills they need for their next stage of scientific learning.

A spiral design makes it easier for students to develop an understanding of a big idea by multiple interactions with the concepts within the idea. By connecting smaller ideas to more abstract ideas, students will be better prepared to apply these concepts when approaching an unfamiliar topic. Each big idea topic contains four smaller topics that build in complexity. For example ‘Waves’, topics are ordered from simpler, more concrete topics ‘Light’ and ‘Sound’, to more abstract ones ‘Wave properties’ and ‘Wave effects’. These have been created to avoid repetition, draw on various scientific skills and use different contexts.

Assessment Progress Map for KS3

Units of Work

See our Biology, Chemistry and Physics pages for GCSE and A Level sciences.