Ifield Community College

Miss Heath - Head of Science ahe@ifieldcc.co.uk
Mr Lowe -Science jlo@ifieldcc.co.uk
Miss Sumpter - Chemistry Subject Leader hsu@ifieldcc.co.uk
Miss Bourne - Biology Subject Leader cbo@ifieldcc.co.uk
Mr Harris - Physics Subject Leader mha@ifieldcc.co.uk
Mr Pittaway cpi@ifieldcc.co.uk
Mr Birkenhead dbi@ifieldcc.co.uk
Mr Russell-Moyle srm@ifieldcc.co.uk
Mrs Horn - Senior Science Technician rho@ifieldcc.co.uk
Miss Leworthy - Science Technician Apprentice mle@ifieldcc.co .uk

Our Vision:

Our primary goal is to encourage students to enjoy and engage with science and to develop their curiosity and enthusiasm for the world around them. We aim to promote an understanding of science amongst students, equipping them with the skills to allow them to be scientifically literate; investigating scientific problems for themselves and making decisions centred around scientific issues as well as acquiring knowledge of the fundamental scientific principles that underpin life as we know it.

Curriculum Summary:

Science is about looking for answers to questions and we have based our science curriculum around this idea. Using the ‘Big Idea’ principle, where topics are explicitly linked to fundamental ideas in Science as they flow from one topic to the next, and from one year to the next, the curriculum builds on the scientific success and failure of the past, how it informs science now, and on sciences role in shaping the future. This is then used to help students understand the present and plan for their future. We consider the career and job aspirations of our students and link this into the curriculum to ensure students are able to see the relevance of the science they study on a personal and global level.

Our curriculum has been designed to be cross-curricular, link to our local community, and continue to develop our links with other educational establishments beyond ICC. Each lesson is set in a relevant context encouraging students to develop their practical and questioning skills, whilst working towards a better understanding of the questions being asked of science in today's world.

Assessment is carried out informally in each lesson and there is formal assessment at regular intervals throughout the year. The assessment takes into account the practical, mathematical, and analytical skills developed. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own level of knowledge and understanding, regularly, and this informs staff on student progress.

Our curriculum in more detail…

To read more about the way our curriculum sets out the knowledge and skills pupils will gain, how it is delivered and assessed in order to build knowledge and how we monitor the impact of this, see the Intent, Implementation and Impact documentation below.

Intent, Implementation and Impact

5 year curriculum framework KS3 to GCSE
Science curriculum at ICC
What does assessment look like in Science
What do lessons look like in Science

Changes to the curriculum due to Covid-19

KS3

Year 7 and 8 will follow the curriculum plans as is, with added focus on those skills that were missed during the Covid disruption.

KS4

No changes to the Year 9 curriculum necessary. Added focus on those skills that were missed during the Covid disruption to support transition.

GCSE Combined and separate Sciences:

Biology: During lockdown, we amended our curriculum to deliver the ecology unit to our year 9 and 10 cohorts (2020-21). This was necessary suited to online teaching. This Year 11 cohort will therefore follow a Biology curriculum that has been amended to include the homeostasis and response unit that they typically would have studied while in year 10. They will also recap the fundamental concepts in the ecology unit that were taught during lockdown as well as ensuring all practical elements of the course are addressed appropriately. In year 10 the scheme of work is being followed as normal which will allow time for students to recap the fundamental concepts in the ecology unit when they are in year 11. Some particular students have been identified as needing further input and catch up with key concepts in the organisation unit which has now been planned to be recapped and addressed with them in year 11.

Chemistry: The Year 10 and 11 curriculum this year has been modified to ensure that key knowledge and practical application of Chemistry is addressed in a lab. The 2021 year 9 cohort will therefore complete the first part of chemical changes and energy changes as part of the year 10 curriculum 2022 and the 2021 year 10 cohort will need to complete organic and chemical analysis instead of chem of the atmosphere when they are in year 11 (2022-23). The curriculum for our current year 11 cohort has been changed to include chemical analysis, organic chemistry and a recap of chemical changes.

Physics: No changes to the current Physics curriculum necessary for year 11 as the online lessons were taught throughout lockdown and the class are working on the overview as is. The year 11 physics curriculum is revision and Individual teachers are plugging any gaps identified with their classes. In year 10 the curriculum has been modified to enable review of lock down learning and this cohort will be taught the magnetism and electromagnetism unit in year 11 2022.

KS5

No changes necessary - online lessons were taught throughout lockdown and the class are working on the overview as is. Where particular students have been identified as needing further input and catch up with key concepts, additional support interventions have been put in place.