Physical and Human Sciences

This faculty includes the subjects Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Pshychology and Geography.

Science
Taught by ten dedicated Science teachers, and supported by three technicians. Lessons take place in a suite of laboratories with access to cutting edge IT facilities and practical resources. We also have a Science classroom for non-practical activities.  

Science initiatives and student input:

We strive to support and enthuse our students with the wonderful world of Science.

Years Seven and Eight have the opportunity to attend a weekly Science club.

We make use of a range of habitats within the extensive school grounds to reinforce learning, along side taking students on field trips.

We run a Science Leaders programme within the department. Students can attend training sessions to become inducted and qualify as a Science Leader. Wearing their much sought after, leader polo shirts, they can use their knowledge and skills to support the teaching and learning of students within local junior schools and our own college.

Intensive focussed revision classes are offered after school to exam classes in the lead up to formal assessments. Our long running and close relationship with the Cams Hill Consortium has diversified teaching pedagogy and improved the thinking and independent learning skills of our students.

We are at the forefront of trialling an animation software package.                       

Students animate work on palmtops so that they can better visualise complex scientific concepts.

Science at Years 7, 8 and 9

At Years 7, 8 and 9, students at The Regis School study science based around 5 Key Ideas, and taught with an emphasis on ‘How Science Works’.  The five Key Ideas are Forces, Energy, Particles, Cells and Interdependence.  The ‘How Science Works’ aspect of the course enables students to gain an understand not just of the academic content of science, but how science ideas are developed, communicated and applied to real-world situations.

In Year 7, students begin with a 2 week ‘Passport’ course, where key skills such as lab safety are gained.  13 topics are taught over the year; Tissues and Transplants, Reproduction, Environmental and Feeding Relationships, Variation and Classification, Acids and Alkalis, Simple Chemical Reactions, What a Waste, Solutions, Energy and Sustainable Living, Electrical Circuits, Forces and their Effects and The Solar System and Beyond.  These modules form a foundation upon which Year 8 and 9.

In Year 8, students study 13 topics; Respiration, Microbes and Disease, Ecological Relationships, Atoms and Elements, Compounds and Mixtures, Rocks and Weathering, The Rock Cycle, Heating and Cooling, Magnets and Electromagnets, Light and Sound.

In Year 9, 10 topics are taught; Inheritance and Selection, Plants and Photosynthesis, Plants for Food, Reactions of Metals and Metal Compounds, The Reactivity Series, Environmental Chemistry, Using Chemistry, Gravity and Space, Speeding Up and Pressure and Moments.

Students are assessed throughout the course via a range of tasks.  AfL (Assessment for Learning) tasks are used to help pitch lessons at the right level, APP (Assessing Pupil Progress) task are used to monitor students learning at the end of a topic, and more traditional End of Term Tests are given three times a year to provide a benchmarked National Curriculum level for each student.

Science at Years 10 and 11

The courses studied at key stage four provide students with a stimulating platform to increase their scientific knowledge, develop their scientific thinking and improve their practical skills. The well resourced department is able to accommodate a variety of preferred learning styles through thinking frames, ICT, animations to individual practicals.

Students follow the AQA exam board for GCSE Core and GCSE Additional science, each leading to the award of one GCSE so the majority of students leave with two science GCSE’s. Some students opt to follow a Triple science course which leads to the award of three science GCSE’s. In all these courses factual aspects of Biology, Chemistry and Physics are studied, alongside How science works. This latter field allows students to consider how scientific theories evolve and the significance of science to society.

The courses are assessed through separate exams in each of these three areas studied. There is a further form of assessment which is by the completion of an assessed practical termed an ISA.

Guide to years 12 and 13

In the 6^th form at The Regis School we offer A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. During year 12 students study AS modules and in Year 13 they study A2.

Biology: focus on the living world, including detailed study of cells, organ systems, genetic and ecosystems

Chemistry: focus on the reason why reactions happen, how to speed them up and the materials that built the modern world. 

Physics: Focus on the essential building blocks of all matter, electrical circuits and a deeper understanding of how forces interact.

The department loans students text books for the duration of the course, these are written by the exam board and were specifically chosen for the way they support independent study.

In the 6 th form there is a requirement that students continually carry out their own independent study, revising the content covered as they go. This is on top of specifically set homeworks. If support is needed there are a number of revision guides available, just ensure they are for the AQA exam board. Coursework in the 6^th forms follows a similar ISA style from GCSE.