Curriculum Intent
The department aim is for students to leave Vandyke equipped to understand, question and evaluate real-world data and evidence presented to them from either online or off line sources. Students should leave school feeling confident in their scientific understanding of the world around them. Students should have the appropriate skills to be successfully included in real-world discussions and to make informed decisions regarding their own future and that of the world around them.
The Science curriculum introduces skills and concepts in manageable chunks, revisits prior knowledge and builds on ideas in logical sequences, to enable students to deepen their understanding, ask questions and build long-term memories of key information. It develops and revisits the KS3 curriculum and moves students logically into GCSEs (KS4) and for some, onto sixth form science subjects (KS5).
Throughout the school year, in Years 9-11, STAMPs (Science Tracking and Monitoring Points) are normally completed bi-weekly to assess and support student’s knowledge and understanding of a previously taught topic. A centrally set homework precedes the STAMP. This homework is designed to recap / revisit a topic area, helping to build long-term memory and to support students to bridge gaps in their understanding
