Curriculum Intent 

At Washington, our primary objective is to foster in our students a deep and meaningful engagement with the world that surrounds them. While the acquisition of knowledge is essential, we equally emphasize the importance of understanding the 'how' and 'why' of the subjects they study, particularly in the realm of science. This comprehensive approach equips our students with the critical thinking skills necessary to analyse and question the phenomena they encounter daily, from the science behind souring milk to the transformative processes occurring in their own bodies during adolescence. Armed with this knowledge, we aspire to nurture independent thinkers and budding scientists who can formulate and synthesize their own explanations for the world around them. 

Integral to our science curriculum is the exploration of significant scientific inquiries that society faces today. Our students actively engage in debates and discussions that delve into the social, ethical, economic, and even spiritual dimensions of topics such as cloning, genetic engineering, the responsible use of finite natural resources, and stem cell research, among others. This engagement leads our students to develop a sense of responsibility for the world they inhabit, emphasizing concepts such as recycling, energy conservation, and the environmental impact of everyday products like televisions and mobile phones. 

Furthermore, our science curriculum is meticulously designed to facilitate a seamless transition to more advanced qualifications in the subject. It lays a robust foundation of fundamental concepts that will underpin their future studies in various post-secondary science courses. Additionally, our curriculum places a strong emphasis on enhancing students' proficiency in technical vocabulary through explicit instruction in demanding tier 3 terminology. Numeracy skills are interwoven throughout the science curriculum, encompassing tasks such as solving equations, unit conversions, comprehending size and scale, and mastering graphing skills, among others. We are committed to ensuring that our curriculum addresses numeracy skills at critical junctures, allowing us to provide targeted support to all students, regardless of their current numeracy level, thereby ensuring their success. 

Curriculum Overview 

Year 7 

• Autumn Term 1:  Cells 

• Autumn Term 2: Material Science, Forces 

• Spring Term 1: Substances and mixtures, Inheritance 

• Spring Term 2: Sound and light, Our Solar System, Organisation 

• Summer Term 1: Variation, Heating and Cooling, Atoms, Elements and Compounds 

• Summer Term 2: Health and Disease, Designing Materials 

Year 8 

• Autumn Term 1: Diet and Exercise, Earth's Resources 

• Autumn Term 2:  Solubility and chemical change, Motion 

• Spring Term 1: Biochemistry, How we see and make images 

• Spring Term 2:  Understanding chemical reactions, Air pollution, Space and Beyond 

• Summer Term 1:  Reproduction, Acids and Alkalis, More about forces 

• Summer Term 2: Interdependence of Organisms, Evaporation and water cycle, Electrical circuits. 

Year 9 

• Autumn Term 1: More electrical circuits, Infectious Diseases, Periodic Table 

• Autumn Term 2: Weathering and Erosion, Waves, Fuel uses and Costs 

• Spring Term 1: Biodiversity and Human impact, Rock changes, Floating and Sinking 

• Spring Term 2: Adaptation and evolution, Magnets and Electromagnets 

• Summer Term 1: Atomic Structure, Cell Biology, Energy of moving particles 

• Summer Term 2: Periodic Table,  Inheritance and the genome, Interdependence of Organisms and classification, Measuring and calculating motion 

Biology 

Year 10 

• Autumn Term 1:  Cell Transport, Human Systems 

• Autumn Term 2:  Coordination and Control 

• Spring Term 1: Human lifestyles and Health 

• Spring Term 2:  Growth and development, More infectious diseases 

• Summer Term 1: Biogenetics 

• Summer Term 2: Sexual and Asexual reproduction 

Year 11 

• Autumn Term 1:  Infection and Response, Human Nervous System 

• Autumn Term 2: Homeostasis, Reproduction 

• Spring Term 1: Variation and Evolution, Adaptation, interdependence and competition 

• Spring Term 2:  Biodiversity 

• Summer Term 1:  Revision and Exam Preparation 

• Summer Term 2:  Final preparation for GCSE examinations 

Chemistry 

Year 10 

• Autumn Term 1:  Periodic Table, Bonding 

• Autumn Term 2:  Quantitative Chemistry, Crude Oil, Material Properties 

• Spring Term 1: Rates of reaction and Catalyst 

• Spring Term 2:  Acid, bases and ions 

• Summer Term 1: Electrolysis 

• Summer Term 2: Energy Changes 

Year 11 

• Autumn Term 1:  Qualitative Chemistry, Rates of reaction 

• Autumn Term 2: Organic Chemistry 

• Spring Term 1: Chemical Analysis 

• Spring Term 2:  The Earth's Resources 

• Summer Term 1:  Revision and Exam Preparation 

• Summer Term 2:  Final preparation for GCSE examinations 

Physics 

Year 10 

• Autumn Term 1:  Energy of Moving Objects 

• Autumn Term 2:  Circuit Calculations 

• Spring Term 1: Measuring Waves 

• Spring Term 2:  Particle Explanation 

• Summer Term 1: Forces make things change 

• Summer Term 2: Circuit Components 

Year 11 

• Autumn Term 1:  Forces 

• Autumn Term 2: Forces 

• Spring Term 1: Waves 

• Spring Term 2:  Magnets/Electromagnets. 

• Summer Term 1:  Revision and Exam Preparation 

• Summer Term 2:  Final preparation for GCSE examinations