Curriculum Intent and Rationale
In Biology we aim to inspire a love of learning and curiosity of the world around us. We encourage all to reach their full potential and prepare everyone for the next step in their education. When students can appreciate how they came to be, what limitations there are in current practices and how to solve problems they can ultimately be equipped to change the future for the better.
Our curriculum is highly ambitious and is structured around real-life application thus, it is constantly evolving. We rely on staff and students to stay up-to-date with current affairs and scientific developments. Within this, we ensure it is accessible to all students with regular CPD to target disadvantaged students, meaningful seating plans which maximise footfall, key terminology on all slides and workshops/drops in for any student who needs additional support.
Biology overlaps and supports the study of Chemistry and Physics and is taught in four specialist laboratories by six specialist teachers and supported by a team of four technicians that work across the whole science department.
Our aim is to develop students’ skills in carrying out scientific investigations and answering scientific questions, this is rooted in learning scientific theory and conducting a range of practical activities. Our curriculum is designed to build students’ skills and knowledge, gradually moving from Year 7 through to the end of Year 13. To begin, students will learn how to carry out investigations, focusing on planning, writing, graph-work and forming conclusions and evaluations, along with how to work safely in a lab. They will use their structural and functional knowledge to then develop these skills as they progress through our curriculum, along with deepening their understanding. We envisage our leaving students to be well-rounded scientists who have deep-rooted scientific skills that they are able to apply to new problems which have relevance in the wider world.
The curriculum is matched to the National Curriculum and AQA specifications at GCSE and A level and has a spiral ‘design’ and scientific ideas are repeated throughout the school, enabling revision of prior work and building on prior knowledge to develop understanding and greater application, analysis and problem-solving. Schemes of work and teaching order are reviewed each year in line with scientific developments and student needs.
All lessons have regular checkpoints to ensure students understand the lesson content and can apply it over a range of situations. Throughout the curriculum, the content is taught in topics and at the end of each topic there is an end of topic test that assesses students’ attainment in all assessment objectives. End-of-topic assessments contain content from previous topics to embed knowledge at each stage.
Key Stage 3
Specification: AQA Activate
At KS3, we use a bespoke scheme of work based upon the National Curriculum and the AQA Activate specification to ensure students are ready for their GCSE studies. Students arrive into Year 7 with varying degrees of biological knowledge and appreciation of the natural world, dependent on their primary education and home background. By the end of Year 8, all students should be at the same place and well prepared for the next key stage and the start of their GCSE learning. We aim to build on the KS2 Programme of Study (Living things and their habitats, Plants, Animals, including humans, and Working scientifically), develop a deeper understanding of a range of scientific ideas in the subject disciplines of biology and help students to begin to make connections between these subject areas. ‘Working scientifically’ is embedded throughout the course and clearly related to substantive science content in the KS3 AQA specification.
In year 7, the first topic; ‘Cells’ begins with an introduction to working as a scientist that focuses on working in a laboratory and learning to use specialist equipment such as Microscopes. As the year progresses the topics covered are; ‘Structure and Function’ and ‘Reproduction.’
In year 8, the first topic; ‘Health’ begins with an introduction to health and disease by studying the effects of healthy and unhealthy lifestyle choices; analysing data, making conclusions from graphs and investigating cause and effect. As the year progresses the topics covered are; Ecosystem Processes and Inheritance.
In year 9, students begin with reinforcing the fundamental principles of Biology as well as developing key skills such as designing experiments. As the year progresses, the foundations for GCSE are set by studying key topics such as; ‘Organisation’ and ‘Infection and Response.’
Our aim is that the students enjoy the subject while developing the skills and knowledge to equip them for learning science at a higher level.
Students are supported by a science homework club that takes place once a week.
There is also a weekly science club, giving students an opportunity to carry out experiments that are more unusual or discuss ideas beyond the curriculum.
Key Stage 4
Specification: AQA (Triple 8461 and Trilogy (8464)
The GCSE specifications includes a basic grounding in important biological principles and students are encouraged to understand and apply these concepts to new situations.
Practical work plays an important role in Biology and students will be encouraged to work safely and independently in the laboratories and to gain experience in handling a wide range of apparatus in order to use these skills in further and higher education.
All students are taught by subject specialists and in separate science groups. Students will have completed a comprehensive exploration of the KS3 curriculum and well-prepared for the next key stage and the continuation of their studies. We study AQA GCSE Biology (specification 8461 and 8464). Students are encouraged to make connections between subject areas as we move from Year 9 through to Year 11. We continue to stress that science is about working objectively, modifying explanations to take account of new evidence and ideas and subjecting results to peer review. Students should appreciate the importance of experimental design and investigative work in order to develop a deeper understanding of factors to be taken into account when collecting, recording and processing data. They should be confident in evaluating their results and identifying further questions arising from them. Within this strand, present in all units possible, students are encouraged to develop their use of scientific vocabulary and mathematical and graph-drawing skills. We have included as many opportunities for practical work as possible and this is central to the delivery of our KS4 course.
We regularly test students to review knowledge gained and identify underperforming students and common misconceptions. Exam questions are regularly covered during class time and given as HIPPO. This improves their exam technique and awareness of the specific AQA mark schemes. Students know what topic they are studying and the sequence of topics coming up in the course. They understand the progression of topics and each year groups are given a summary sheet to record their progress through the course.
We encourage interest in all material, whether on the curriculum or not. This means our students develop a well-rounded view of the subject, greater awareness and informed personal opinions on various scientific issues. We regularly revisit key areas of the GCSE Biology curriculum and relate the topics to each other as much as possible to allow students to identify links between different themes. We are keen to stress the importance of individual topics in a broader biological context so the students build a greater subject confidence. Our uptake at A level is high so we know that the students are interested in the subject. We aim to include enough detail to stretch our most able students and to allow them to make the transition to A level as easy as possible whilst reinforcing the GCSE requirements needed for their current key stage.
There are 7 topics and they are taught in the following order:
- Cells
- Organisation
- Infection and Response
- Bioenergetics
- Homeostasis
- Ecology
- Inheritance
Students are supported by biology workshop which takes place once a week and there is an ‘open door;’ policy for any student who requires assistance.
The course is assessed via two written examinations taken at the end of Year 11, which include questions on the practical work they have covered throughout the course.
Key Stage 5
Specification: AQA
A level Biology is an extremely popular A-level subject that has more than 80 students studying it in each year of the Sixth Form. A well-respected and rigorous academic subject that provides many transferable skills for those who study it.
Throughout Year 12, students revisit and build upon their understanding of topics such as cells, enzymes and protein synthesis, and are introduced to ideas such as facilitated transport, the humoral immune response and haemoglobin dissociation curves.
In Year 13, the course builds on this foundation by extending the students’ ideas about photosynthesis, inheritance and introducing complex biological processes such as the Krebs Cycle, Hardy-Weinburg equations and Chi-Squared calculations.
We regularly revisit key areas of the A2 Biology curriculum and each section of the specification begins with an overview, which puts the topic into a broader biological context and encourages understanding of the place of each topic within the subject. We emphasise links between topics as a way of building confidence at the start of a new topic and as a reminder of previous work covered.
Students are encouraged to explore and read around the topic to ensure they can; apply their knowledge in any setting and have references beyond the specification to discuss in their final exam essay question. This enables students to understand Biology in the wider context of the world; hopefully to influence scientific discovery in the future.
Students are supported by a Biology workshop that takes place once a week. There is also a medics’ society to support aspiring medics and a Dissection Club for students aspiring to become surgeons. Our students can also choose to participate in the Biology Challenge and the Biology Olympiad, both consist of a written paper set to spark interest in the subject and provide challenge for the brightest students.
At the end of Year 13, students will sit three written examinations that make up 100% of their final mark. There is a 25 mark essay question that aims to answer one title that covers a synoptic review of everything studied as well as external ‘further reading’ examples from students. Approximately 15% of the total A-level marks available are focused on practical skills, and all students will be required to complete 12 key practical activities throughout the two-year course.