SCIENCE
We have designed and developed our Science curriculum offer to challenge and stretch our students. We aim for all students to leave school with the Science knowledge needed to navigate everyday life, and our subject offer provides ample opportunity for real-world application. At Cranbury College, we aim for all students in Year 11 to leave with a minimum of two Science GCSEs and multiple AQA Unit Awards. Cranbury College follows the National Curriculum for Science and enables students to gain Unit Awards alongside this. We aim for students to become well-rounded individuals who have gained essential skills that will enable them to thrive and succeed both academically and personally.
All students, on entry to Cranbury College, and throughout their stay, are profiled for prior attainment and gaps in their knowledge. Whilst all will be working towards sitting and passing at least 2 Science GCSEs, we aim for all students to leave Cranbury College with a qualification that has stretched and challenged them according to their individual needs and ability.
We work closely with schools in the area to ensure that in Science we are providing our students with the necessary skills and knowledge to support transitions back in mainstream education. We are fortunate enough to be flexible in our delivery of the curriculum, and are able to tailor a student’s personal learning journey to best support them as they prepare to return to mainstream Science education.
National curriculum in England: Science Programmes of Study
Throughout the students’ course of study with us at Cranbury College, we are committed to ensuring all students gain key skills. To ensure that our curriculum meets the needs of students, we have allocated dedicated time within our curriculum for skills lessons as well as the study of key content required for Science qualifications. We have also ensured that we have chosen AQA Unit Awards that are embedded within the GCSE curriculum, ensuring all students have the opportunity to access both qualifications, and leave Cranbury College with the qualifications and skills they need to pursue the next chapter in their lives. At the end of Y11, students will achieve a minimum of two Science GCSEs and in most cases, this will be Biology and Physics. We have selected these two disciplines as they are most applicable to everyday life and have cross-curricular links to PSHE, Maths and PE. Students will take four sets of formal mocks over the course of Year 10 and Year 11 to prepare them for their final GCSE exams.
KEY STAGE 3
In KS3, we offer students the opportunity to study all three disciplines of Science including a range of topics. In Year 7 and Y ear 8, students will study 6 different topics, and have the chance to gain a variety of AQA Unit Awards. These introduce a vast amount of knowledge, including Lab Safety, Chemical Reactions, Electromagnets and Genetics. We encourage and promote curiosity in KS3, including practical work throughout the units. To stretch and challenge our students, once in Year 9, students commence the GCSE content for GCSE Biology and GCSE Physics. The curriculum has been designed specifically to ensure that as students progress through Year 9, they are still achieving Unit Awards. Students will alternate between Physics and Biology modules to ensure a variety of topics are covered, encouraging engagement as well as academic progress.
Key Stage 4
In KS4, students continue to alternate between Biology and Physics and study the content applicable to both Foundation and Higher Tier.
AQA GCSE Biology - Grades 9-1 QAN code: 601/8752/9
At GCSE, students will draw upon a range of skills and a vast amount of knowledge, which will give them the opportunity to develop higher-order thinking skills and to become competent in the application of Biology to everyday life. Students who sit the GCSE will achieve a grade between 1 and 9. We offer both Foundation and Higher Tier entry.
Assessment
The Biology course links to everyday life throughout the specification. Students are encouraged to discover these links for themselves, and to develop + apply their knowledge to their lives, including health + fitness, well-being, and climate change. In addition to the core content covered, we ensure that students complete the required practical work to gain core skills in working scientifically. This includes talking about, reading, and writing about science plus the actual doing, as well as representing science in its many forms both mathematically and visually through models. The required practical work is designed to consolidate and develop knowledge gained over the course of the qualification.
AQA GCSE Physics - Grades 9-1 QAN code: 601/8751/7
At GCSE, students will draw upon a range of skills and a vast amount of knowledge, which will give them the opportunity to develop higher-order thinking skills and to become competent in the application of Physics to everyday life. Students who sit the GCSE will achieve a grade between 1 and 9. We offer both Foundation and Higher Tier entry.
Assessment
A large proportion of the Physics curriculum encompasses key skills from the Maths syllabus. We work cohesively to ensure that we are providing students with a consistent approach to cross-curricular topics. We focus on ensuring all students can use a calculator to solve and complete questions, as this is an invaluable skill that is beneficial to all aspects of their education journey. In addition to the core content covered, we ensure that students complete the required practical work to gain core skills in working scientifically. This includes talking about, reading, and writing about science plus the actual doing, as well as representing science in its many forms both mathematically and visually through models. The required practical work is designed to consolidate and develop knowledge gained over the course of the qualification.
AQA GCSE Combined Science - Grades 9-1 QAN code: 601/8758/X
At GCSE, students will draw upon a range of skills and a vast amount of knowledge which will give them the opportunity to develop higher-order thinking skills and to become competent in the application of all three Sciences to everyday life. Students who sit the Double Award GCSE will achieve two Science GCSEs, between a 11 and 99 (double GCSE). We offer both Foundation and Higher Tier entry.
Assessment
The Combined Science curriculum encompasses key knowledge and skills gained from the study of all three Sciences. We work cohesively with other subjects in the College to ensure that we are providing students with a consistent approach to cross curricular topics. We focus on ensuring all students can use a calculator to solve and complete questions, as this is an invaluable skill that is beneficial to all aspects of their education journey. In addition to the core content covered, we ensure that students complete the required practical work to gain core skills in working scientifically. This includes talking about, reading, and writing about science plus the actual doing, as well as representing science in its many forms both mathematically and visually through models. The required practical work is designed to consolidate and develop knowledge gained over the course of the qualification.
AQA Unit Awards
AQA Unit Awards are designed to allow learners to demonstrate their knowledge across the Science curriculum. Students will receive a certificate each time they complete a unit. By recognising their achievements in this way, the scheme allows students to engage in learning and take clear steps towards success. We offer Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Working Scientifically Unit Awards.
Hospital Science
Lessons are provided for both short term and long-term patients and personalised learning journeys are created based on the needs of the students/patients. All curriculum plans are bespoke and are designed considering the students physical health, mental health and academic ability in conjunction with the students' main registered school.