4th Form CurriculumPupils study all three Science subjects in the Fourth Form on a total of 9 periods per week divided equally between Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Pupils are setted by ability and are in common sets for the three Sciences. There are regular topic tests throughout the Fourth Form year and set changes are made, as appropriate, at the end of the Autumn and Summer Terms.
Early in the Summer Term pupils make a choice between taking in the Remove year either GCSE Science on 9 periods per week or the three separate GCSE Sciences on a total of 13 periods. All Sciences, whether Combined or Separate, are taught by specialist teachers of their subject through to the GCSE exams and both types of qualification (subject to grade) are considered acceptable for entry to AS Science courses.
The purpose of the Fourth Form Biology curriculum is to introduce pupils to some of the main concepts and skills required for GCSE Biology. We select a range of topics which are both accessible and enjoyable. The main theme of the Autumn Term is diet and digestion. We then move on to Cells and Human Variation in the Spring Term. We cover some basic Ecology in the Summer Term, which affords pupils the opportunity to do some investigative field work in the extensive School grounds. We also introduce key skills such as data handling, microscopy and practical design.
The course is divided into four topics based around the National Curriculum, with each topic being assessed by an end of topic test. The course is designed to ensure that topics covered in the final year in Preparatory School are consolidated, making use of practical work whenever possible.
In the Autumn Term the emphasis is on practical work, building on some of the knowledge and understanding that pupils will have come across earlier in their science school career. Topics include: Simple Chemical Reactions; Acids & Alkalis; Reactions of Metals & Metal compounds and Patterns of Reactivity. There is an emphasis on developing practical skills in this term’s work.
In the Spring Term the emphasis is more on some of the fundamental aspects in Chemistry. Topics studied are; Compounds & Mixtures; Particle model of Solids, Liquids & Gases and an introduction to Symbols, formulae and Equations followed by a section of work on Using Chemistry which looks at the use of chemistry in application such as fuels, pharmaceutical and polymers.
In the Summer Term there is consolidation of the two previous terms’ work followed by an extended project on Environmental Chemistry, some of which is done independently during prep time. After half term we commence studying some of the core topics for the forthcoming public GCSE examination sat in the following March in the Remove.
In the Fourth Form Physics courses, some new topics appear and some familiar ones are developed further. We tend to provide a brief survey of basic ideas whenever we start a topic - such as ‘The Earth in Space’ or ‘Energy’ - so that pupils who have not already studied topics can catch up fairly easily.
We use a mixture of teacher demonstrations, class discussions, class experiments, videos and computer simulations, to help pupils to understand the ideas, and to become increasingly interested in the subject as a whole. We are continually searching for new ideas for apparatus which can be used in experiments which will catch the attention of pupils - and be fun for the teachers as well!
Our primary aim is to show pupils that Physics, which is widely viewed as being difficult, is in fact both manageable and stimulating.
