KS3 & KS4 Science

Aims and purpose

What are the aims and purpose of our curriculum?

With this curriculum, we aim to develop an interest in passion for science by exploring answers to big questions like ‘“How do forces make things happen?’” We combine substantive and disciplinary knowledge to make practical skills, mathematical proficiency, and scientific practices meaningful.

Oak curriculum principles

What overarching curriculum principles inform the design of our curriculum?

Knowledge and vocabulary rich

This principle recognises the important role that knowledge, and vocabulary as a particularly important type of knowledge, plays in learning. We identify and map vocabulary across the curriculum, both the introduction of new vocabulary and the necessary repetition of vocabulary that has gone before. New vocabulary, called keywords, are signalled in bold in our lesson materials to indicate their importance. Our curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts over time. As concepts evolve, so do their definitions, for example, ‘group’ becomes ‘classify’ as pupils move through the key stages.

Sequenced and coherent

The sequencing of our curriculum content underpins its design so that pupils build on and make links with existing knowledge. At its simplest, this means ensuring, for example, that pupils will learn about a living thing (organism) using common processes such as criteria for life before being introduced to cells and cell structures. Curriculum threads, which provide coherence by mapping vertical concepts across the curriculum, mirror the ‘big questions’ in science. For example, ‘How do we explain how substances behave?’ is first addressed in key stage 1 by identifying everyday materials and their properties. This foundational knowledge is built upon in key stage 2 with reversible and irreversible changes. By key stage 3, pupils delve into more complex topics like solutions and separation techniques, preparing them for advanced concepts in key stage 4 like rates of reaction and industrial chemistry.

Evidence-informed

Our evidence-informed approach enables the rigorous application of research outcomes, the science of learning and impactful best practices both in education in general and at a subject-specific level. For example, the design of our resources reflects findings from Sweller’s cognitive load theory and Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning whilst our lesson design draws on Rosenshine’s principles of instruction. We also draw on findings from research organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). At the subject level, our curriculum is inspired by the Best Evidence Science Teaching (BEST) research-informed curriculum development project and is structured to incorporate the outcomes of this research, including appropriately sequenced steps for learning progression and diagnostic questions that provide evidence of learning and common misconceptions, with response activities to challenge misconceptions.

Flexible

Our flexible approach enables schools to use our resources in a way that fits their content and meets the varying needs of teachers and their pupils. Our curriculum can be used in its entirety or units can be selected to complement existing curricula. Our resources are adaptable so that, for example, teachers can easily add in more or different examples to explanations, can edit or add checks for understanding, or adapt practice tasks to better reflect the prior knowledge of their pupils. At key stage 4 teachers and pupils can select a pathway aligned to the most frequently used exam board specifications for GCSE Science: AQA, Edexcel or OCR.

Diverse

Our commitment to breadth and diversity in content, language, texts, and media can be seen throughout the curriculum, for example, in the diverse school-age characters featured in our resources. Our curriculum highlights the achievements of scientists from different genders, ethnicities, and nationalities to ensure a diversity of perspectives and experiences. This approach ensures that our science curriculum is inclusive and reflective of the global scientific community.

Accessible

Our curriculum is intentionally designed to facilitate high-quality teaching as a powerful lever to support pupils with SEND. Aligned with EEF guidance, our resources have a focus on clear explanations with scientific diagrams, modelling and frequent checks for understanding, with guided and independent practice. Lessons are chunked into learning cycles and redundant images and information are minimised to manage cognitive load. We have removed reference to year groups in our resources so that they can be used when pupils are ready, regardless of their age. Our resources are purposefully created to be accessible, for example by using accessible fonts, colours with good contrast, and captions in our videos.

Oak subject principles

What subject specific principles inform the design of our curriculum?

Building knowledge of key concepts in a way that reflects how knowledge is organised in the three scientific disciplines

Our science curriculum structures knowledge to reflect the organisation of biology, chemistry, and physics, introducing concepts in a logical sequence from basic to advanced topics. Fundamental ideas are taught with consistent language and models across disciplines. For example, students begin with basic material properties and advance to complex topics like chemical reactions.

Pairing substantive and disciplinary knowledge, particularly around practical work

Our curriculum combines substantive knowledge (concepts) with disciplinary knowledge (scientific methods) to enhance practical work. For instance, in studying chemical reactions, students learn core concepts like reactants and products while also developing skills in measurement and data analysis through experiments. This approach ensures that practical activities are purposeful and clearly linked to theoretical concepts.

A ‘big ideas’ approach to developing subject concepts

We use a ‘big ideas’ approach to create ‘big questions’ in science that link concepts across the curriculum. For example, with the question “Why are there similarities and differences between living things?” we start with identifying plants and animals in key stage 1, study habitats and basic biology in key stage 2, delve into cellular biology and genetics in key stage 3, and cover evolution and biotechnology in key stage 4. This ‘big question’ helps students from key stage 1 to key stage 4 connect new knowledge with prior learning.

Where there is a practical focus, it builds knowledge through the use of carefully planned and purposeful practical activities

Practical work is carefully planned; a physics experiment on forces is carefully designed to connect substantive knowledge of force interactions with the disciplinary skills of measuring and analysing data. Each activity is sequenced to build on previous knowledge, ensuring students engage deeply with the material. Additional materials outline the purpose of each practical task and assist teachers and pupils in carrying it out safely.

Where mathematics is taught or used in science, alignment with the sequence, language and approach used in the mathematics curriculum is considered

The mathematical skills used in science align with the Oak mathematics curriculum. When teaching data analysis, we use the same methods and language as in mathematics lessons, helping students to apply their mathematical knowledge effectively in scientific contexts. Where there are differences between the approaches in mathematics and science they are explicitly shared with pupils so that they can make connections between the two subjects.

National curriculum

How does our curriculum reflect the aims & purpose of the national curriculum?

There are 3 aims of the national curriculum. First, is that all ‘pupils develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics’. Each of our curriculum threads is explicitly signposted as sitting within biology, chemistry or physics. For example, ‘Biology: What are living things and what are they made of?’ or ‘Chemistry: What are things made of?’. This means that pupils are taught knowledge from within each discipline, building from fundamentals such as grouping animals and plants to the more complex elements such as genetic engineering.

The next aim is to ‘develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them’. Our curriculum incorporates a diverse range of scientific enquiries, such as investigating the effect of light on the rate of photosynthesis and exploring how different materials conduct heat, which places emphasis on the scientific method. These activities encourage critical thinking, provide hands-on activities, use models such as the solar system to explain abstract concepts, and foster reflection and discussion.

The last aim is that pupils ‘are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future’. Our curriculum links scientific concepts to real-world applications, fosters discussions on the ethical and societal impacts of scientific developments, and encourages pupils to think critically about how science influences the future in fields like sustainability and health. For example in the year 11 "Biology: Gene Technology" unit, pupils explore how advances in understanding the human genome, such as gene therapy, impact medicine, and assess the benefits, risks, and ethics of genetic engineering in agriculture and healthcare.

Curriculum delivery

What teaching time does our curriculum require?

Our curricula for key stages 1-3 are designed for 36 weeks of curriculum time across the school year, which leaves time for other activities both within and beyond the curriculum, such as assessments or school trips. At key stage 4, year 10 also has 36 weeks of curriculum time, but year 11 has only 26 weeks (approximately 2 terms) to recognise that schools will not be teaching new content in the run-up to the GCSE exams.

At key stage 1, our curriculum has been designed to teach one weekly lesson, approximately 40 minutes long. In key stage 2 there are two lessons per week lasting 50 minutes to an hour each. At key stage 3, there are three lessons per week and three or four lessons at key stage 4, depending on whether pupils are following a combined science or separate science pathway. Key stage 3 and 4 lessons are designed to last one hour.

We understand that the exact time dedicated to science can vary greatly between schools due to differences in curriculum planning, resource allocation, and school-specific priorities. Therefore, we fully expect and encourage teachers to adapt our curriculum and resources to best suit their needs and available curriculum time. This is particularly important in key stage 4, where classes may be streamed and pupils may be following different exam pathways or studying for different tiered papers at a range of levels.

Curriculum coherence

What are 'threads'?

We use threads to signpost groups of units that link to one another and build a common body of knowledge over time. Our threads are ‘big questions’ driven by big ideas. We use the term thread rather than vertical concepts, themes, or big ideas because it helps to bring to mind the visual concept of a thread weaving through the curriculum.

Our science threads that weave through both our primary and secondary curricula are ‘big questions’ in the three disciplines:

Biology

• What are living things and what are they made of?
• How do living things grow and reproduce?
• How do living things live together in their environments?
• Why are there similarities and differences between living things?
• How do living things stay healthy?

Chemistry

• How do we explain how substances behave?
• What are things made of?
• How can substances be made and changed?
• How can we explain changes in the air, land, and oceans?

Physics

• Why do materials have different properties?
• How do forces make things happen?
• How do we see, hear, and communicate?
• How do electricity and magnetism work?
• How does the Earth fit into the Universe?

The threads are informed by the big ideas in science, framed as accessible 'big questions'. These big ideas revisit and develop scientific knowledge and understanding with increasing complexity over time. For example, pupils develop their understanding of living things via the 'Why are there similarities and differences between living things?' thread. They are first taught about 'Naming and Grouping Animals' in key stage 1, before building on this in key stage 2 by learning about 'Living Things and the Environment'. In key stage 3 pupils learn about 'Species and Classification' and in key stage 4 'Variation and Natural Selection'. Consistent threads across our primary and secondary curricula can enable a more effective transition, helping pupils to bridge their knowledge and understanding from primary to secondary.

Recommendations from subject specific reports

How does our curriculum address and enact recommendations from subject specific reports (e.g. EEF guidance reports & Ofsted Research Review)?

Our science curriculum incorporates EEF recommendations from 2018 and 2023, emphasising the importance of building on pupils’ prior knowledge, addressing misconceptions, and providing meaningful feedback. Classroom dialogue from primary is further developed in secondary education with advanced scientific reading and writing knowledge and skills. Scientific vocabulary is explicitly taught, with increasing complexity and connections to word origins. For example, in key stage 4, when studying genetics, vocabulary such as "homozygous" and "heterozygous" is explicitly taught, highlighting the etymology. This reinforces connections between words, deepening pupils' understanding of complex biological concepts.

The recent Ofsted subject report for science highlights the need for high-quality, purposefully planned practical work. For example, in key stage 4, a practical experiment investigating the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis allows students to observe how varying light levels impact oxygen production in pondweed. Links between substantive knowledge (photosynthesis and light as a limiting factor) and disciplinary knowledge (conducting controlled experiments and analysing data) enhance pupils' retention and application of what they’ve learned and there is sufficient time for pupils to interpret and explain the observations and measurements made.

Subject-specific needs

How does our curriculum deal with elements that arise from the specific needs of the subject?

How are practicals featured in the curriculum?

Practical work is purposeful and clearly linked to curriculum content. Video clips and GIFs help pupils visualise techniques before they engage in the activities, ensuring they understand the procedures. If hands-on practicals aren’t possible, lessons include videos that demonstrate equipment use. For example, if a microscope is not available for a biology lesson on microscopy, pupils can instead watch a video showing how to prepare and view a slide under the microscope.

How does the science curriculum link to our curricula in other subjects?

The curriculum is planned to align with other subjects, such as mathematics. In science lessons, students apply mathematical skills to tasks like calculating means and plotting graphs when analysing experimental data. Graphing techniques and statistical methods are consistent with those taught in mathematics to maintain continuity between subjects, while also addressing subject-specific differences. These differences are explicitly highlighted; for example, in science, the line of best fit may be curved to show a general trend, whereas in mathematics, it is usually a straight line.