Our aims in teaching Biology at MBA are to enthuse and engage students in the living world around them and develop a curiosity and enjoyment of natural phenomena, which will stay with them for the rest of their lives. With our HPL ethos students are encouraged to become the very best Biologists through the acquisition of in-depth knowledge and high level skills with the confidence to apply these in unusual contexts.This provides every pupil with opportunities to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions to ensure their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others, and the environment. We chose AQA Biology 8461 as it offers a course which is relevant and interesting to teach and learn. We also believe that the Required Practical Activities ensure students think, talk and work like real scientists.
Biology is a subject which can often be easily contextualised for example when learning about processes in the human body, or investigating leaves. Dealing with such tangible topics means that learning is highly engaging and relevant to students; when coupled with frequent practical investigations curiosity is
stimulated allowing them to understand challenging concepts and gain skills in a way many enjoy. The interpretation and analysis of these practical observations used to exemplify key processes, allows students to draw conclusions and make predictions testing biological theories. A variety of pedagogical approaches are used as well as technology ensuring learning occurs through a broad spectrum of media. Biology is delivered by subject specialists where possible and distributed throughout the lesson allocations for Science subjects. It is taught as part of an integrated Science curriculum at Key Stage 3 with Year 7 and Year 8 students studying aspects of all 3 Science strands under quadmesterly Topics which are varied. From Year 9 we begin to teach each subject separately, initially 3 times a week in Year 9 and then going on to 5 Science lessons per week in Year 10. All 3 Science strands are spread across Years 9-11 although there is a higher Biology content in Year 10 which is revisited in preparation for the final examinations during Year 11.
There is evidence that our GCSE Biology curriculum is working as examination results were above the
national average in 2020. Each year a number of students obtain the very top grades (9 or previously A*). The engagement of students in the department can be observed in lessons and the quality of teaching and learning in the department has been praised during learning walks by both external and internal observers.
Staff enjoy a very positive relationship with students throughout the Science subjects and the enjoyment and subsequent engagement in lessons plays a key role to student success.Many students take Biology at post 16 which is another reflection of the positive experiences of students on the course. Students are made aware of the curriculum via the road maps and have a the support of knowledge
organisers and a significant online resource bank through Seesaw and Firefly Apps. Other online resources such as the Tassomai platform have been invested in for students to prepare for examinations.
At MBA we firmly believe that Chemistry provides the opportunity to develop a broad base of practical skills as well as extensive intellectual agility in order to apply the concepts from theoretical work and connect the observations from practical work.
Some of the Theory is particularly challenging and requires a good working knowledge of mathematical processes stretching students’ numerical challenge and the vocabulary that is accessed through the subject is is equally challenging and affords the opportunity to develop Scientific language and express rationale at a high level.
We choose to follow the AQA Chemistry 8462 syllabus as a relevant accessible and challenging course with engaging required practical activities and a broad subject content to engage students.
Chemistry is recognised as a multifaceted and challenging subject which is well respected when applying for Further and Higher education indicating an ability to process Scientific information in many ways.
By studying GCSE Chemistry we will help to students’ understanding of how materials interact and an understanding of the reasons for their properties. Through a thorough grounding in atomic structure and bonding students will be able to learn how to apply principles to explain observations and to link patterns and create hypotheses as to why such patterns exist. Through regular practical work and demonstrations students will be provided with opportunities to stimulate curiosity and be able to make sense of processes in their daily lives. We want students to be able to think analytically to reach logical deductions based on data either provided or collected and make conclusions and progress to predictions based on their outcomes and theories.
At MBA we provide Chemistry delivered by subject specialists where possible and distributed throughout the lesson allocations for Science subjects. Chemistry is taught as part of an integrated Science curriculum at Key Stage 3 with Year 7 and Year 8 students studying aspects of all 3 Science strands under quadmesterly Topics which are varied. From Year 9 we begin to teach each subject separately, initially 3 times a week in Year 9 and then going on to 5 Science lessons per week in Year 10. All 3 Science strands are spread across Years 9-11 although there is a higher Chemistry content in Year 10 which is revisited in preparation for the final examinations during Year 11.
There is clear evidence that our GCSE Chemistry curriculum is working as examination results are consistently at or above the national average and are consistently positive in the residuals analysis for the academy. Each year a number of students obtain the very top grades (9 or
previously A*). The engagement of students in the department can be observed in lessons and the quality of teaching and learning in the department has been praised during learning walks by both external and internal observers. There is a very positive relationship between staff and students throughout the Science subjects and the enjoyment and subsequent engagement in lessons plays a key role to student success.
There is a good uptake to Science subjects post 16 which is another reflection of the positive experiences of students on these courses.
Students are made aware of the curriculum via the road maps and have a the support of knowledge organisers and a significant online resource bank through Seesaw and Firefly Apps. Other online resources such as the Tassomai platform have been invested in for students to prepare for examinations.