Director of Science: Dr Neat 

Assistant Heads of Science: Dr Chiu and Mr Haldane 

Teachers: Mr Haldane, Mr Varnam, Mr Javed, Mrs Pott

BGS Science Curriculum

The BGS Science Department is committed to developing curious, independent, critical thinking and highly motivated responsible learners, setting the foundations for understanding the world through the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.  We offer a diverse and balanced curriculum with engaging lessons and enrichment that enables outstanding progress for all pupils across all science disciplines. By building up a body of key foundational knowledge, concepts and skills, students will be able to recognise the power of evidence to rationalise and explain the world and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They will understand how science can be used to explain, predict and analyse. At the conclusion of their school career, our students will:

• Be confident and capable of applying their scientific knowledge to contemporary issues,
• Make connections between scientific disciplines and
• Be inspired to pursue post-secondary education or careers in the fields of science and engineering.

Intent

• 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 enquiry that help students to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
• Ensure students are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science today and in the future.  We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus and that the knowledge can be taught through this.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all students are capable of achieving high standards in science.  Our whole school approach to teaching and learning of science involves the following:

• Science will be taught in planned and arranged topic blocks by the class teacher to have a skill and/or project based approach where appropriate.  This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge.
• Through our planning, we involve problem solving opportunities that allow students to become Responsible Learners and to find out for themselves. Students are encouraged to ask their own questions and are given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers.  This curiosity is celebrated within the lesson.  Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving models and high quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge and to challenge misconceptions. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills and assess students regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all students make progress.
• Science is taught as a circular curriculum building and extending prior learning and knowledge.  As the students’ knowledge and understanding increases and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.
• Working Scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the student’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years at BGS, in keeping with the curriculum
• Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment and the various working scientific skills in order to embed scientific understanding. Teachers find opportunities to develop students' understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts.
• Students are offered a wide range of extracurricular activities, trips to scientific laboratories and institutions, and visiting speakers to complement and broaden the curriculum. These are purposeful and link with the knowledge being taught in lessons.
• Regular events such as Science week or project days allow all pupils to come off timetable to provide broader provisions and the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills.

Impact

The successful approach at Burnham Grammar School results in a fun and engaging high quality science education that provides students with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world. Our engagement with local industries and universities ensures that students learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them.  Frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside of lessons is embedded throughout the science curriculum. Through various workshops, trips and interactions with experts, students have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital for the world's prosperity. Students learn the possibilities for careers in science as a result of our community links and connections with national agencies such as STEM association and visits to local science industries, and learn from and work with professionals ensuring they have access to positive role models within the field of science from the immediate and wider local community. From this exposure to a range of different scientists from various backgrounds, all students feel they are scientists and are capable of achieving. Students at Burnham Grammar School overwhelmingly enjoy science and this results in motivated learners with a sound scientific understanding.

BGS KS3/KS4 Physics Curriculum Map 

BGS KS5 Physics Curriculum Map 

For detailed information about the Sixth Form Physics Curriculum, please use the link below to access the sixth form curriculum page. 

Sixth Form Curriculum