The science department consists of 9 specialist science teachers in the three main science disciplines – Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. We also have a dedicated science technician who supports our work with practical elements and ensures we maintain high levels of Health & Safety. As a department, we endeavour to share our passion and enthusiasm with students about science to inspire and provide them with the best prospects in life.

​The science curriculum has been designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the scientific knowledge and ideas that impact them as individuals, within a local and globalised context. Our bespoke curriculum is ambitious, challenging, and provides an insight into working scientifically so that students appreciate the value of science in their everyday lives. The intent was to create an overarching narrative for our curriculum strands, which covers 11 key themes that connect the big ideas within science. Our rationale allows the students to understand what they are learning and why they are learning this now, linking the key ideas together. This will support them to build on the knowledge and skills incrementally, making links to prior learning as well as across the breadth of the curriculum.

​Head of Science: Mr A Babicki (Chemistry)

Deputy Head of Science: Mrs N Malik (Biology)

Teacher of Biology: Miss P Phoenix (Assistant Principal)

Teacher of Biology: Mrs S McArdle

Teacher of Chemistry: Mrs F Ali

Teacher of Chemistry/Biology: Dr P Heywood

Teacher of Physics: Mr J Allerton

Teacher of Physics: Mr H Qayyum

Teacher of Physics: Mr K Wilson (Associate Vice Principal)

Lab Technician: Mr Z Salah

​To aid students in accessing our ambitious curriculum, we have embedded supportive strategies into the way that we deliver our science teaching. These strategies include:

​Knowledge organisers are provided to every student to support them with their learning in Science during lessons, and at home for additional independent learning.

​Key concepts are taught in manageable chunks with the use of mini-whiteboards to check for understanding and any misconceptions.

​Feedback is provided in the format of ‘demonstrate and connect’. This model of feedback ensures that students receive timely, consistent, and personalised feedback on their work.

​Scientific vocabulary is explicitly taught in every single lesson. Learning science involves learning a whole new language. We at Manor Croft ensure that students become fluent in that language by explicitly teaching new scientific vocabulary. We also focus on the etymology of words to aid understanding and linking of vocabulary.

​Clear and consistent homework is set weekly by the science department. All years are expected to complete SPARX Science. This is set and due each Thursday at 4 pm. Excellent participation in homework is rewarded through tri-stars, treats, and science prizes. Staff are on hand to support students throughout the day should they need any assistance.

​In Year 7 and Year 8, students have science three times a week and are taught the foundations of the key strands. They develop their scientific knowledge and understanding through all the specific disciplines. Students are encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

​Early on in Year 7, students are introduced to the practical element of science, learning how to use equipment safely to allow them to build their practical skills to investigate problems in Year 8. Alongside this, we develop students’ ability to analyse the data they collect, working collaboratively with the mathematics department to ensure a uniform approach in language and teaching approach.

​In Year 9, students have 4 lessons of science, which allows for greater depth of the science disciplines. Students continue to revisit the foundations of each strand to ensure that knowledge is secure, allowing them to access the ambitious curriculum we have created to enable them to apply their knowledge to challenging concepts.

​Everything in science has a purpose and all science subjects taught help students understand how science lessons are linked to careers that they may be interested in someday. We provide students with opportunities within our curriculum to help them understand and experience science beyond the National Curriculum. They learn about awe-inspiring and even life-changing topics related to the time of year such as Space Week, British Science Week, and World Bee Day, to name a few. In the summer term, our curriculum covers enrichment projects following their final assessment, with links to science locally, ensuring that students develop an understanding of other areas of science such as psychology, forensic science, and microbiology.

​KS4 at Manor Croft carefully builds on the strong foundations of both knowledge and skills developed at KS3. We follow the AQA Trilogy and Triple Science which offer detailed and rounded specifications that provide students with the foundations they need to understand the world around them, and to give them the ability to question any scientific matter encountered in daily life. In its breadth, science at KS4 has an ambitious curriculum and by embedding content in a spiralling manner, it can be understood and appreciated by all. The science curriculum is delivered by teachers within their subject specialisms to ensure students are given a deeper understanding of each strand of science.

​Students follow a similar path within each lesson, revisiting information from previous lessons with individually marked ‘connect’ tasks, giving them a chance to directly address any misconceptions they may still hold after a lesson. The woven curriculum with KS3 and constant revisiting of topics through ‘drill’ activities, allows students to challenge their pre-existing notions of the world around them in a gradual manner.

​We use instructional teaching and chunking of information to model and guide students towards understanding, all supported by a well-designed knowledge organiser to help students with independent study.

​Ultimately, students work up to their GCSE assessments at KS4 to illustrate what they have learnt. We give them the tools they need through guided practice and low-stakes practice questions to demonstrate their knowledge and recall.

​The GCSE assessments consist of 6 papers in total, 2 for each subject discipline. All papers permit the use of a calculator and the use of a periodic table in Chemistry as well as an equation sheet in Physics.

​As well as having Science taught during the school timetable, students in Year 11 also have science intervention after school on a Wednesday. Students studying the Triple Science curriculum also have a morning session on a Monday from 7:30 am.

​Students are invited to attend Dallowgill, which is an off-site educational facility in Ripon. Here, students get to enjoy the scenery offered at Dallowgill, as well as immersing themselves into core concepts taught in science, in preparation for their upcoming GCSE exams.

​During exam season, extra intervention sessions are held to ensure students are well prepared for their GCSE exams. These can be held on a weekday evening or a weekend, depending on when the exam days are scheduled to take place.

​Currently, we have a Lego robotics club and Astronomy club. Last year we had a STEM club where past experiments included making volcanos, lava lamps, growing crystals, turning pennies gold, fruit batteries, physics thinking challenges, and exploring the ecology of our own school grounds in the summer.

​Staff go above and beyond, reaching out to other scientists to arrange guest speakers, like space rock experts that allow students to look at interesting objects from space with magnifying glasses. Science is an expansive topic that covers many different fields of study; our teachers recognise this and encourage students to request topics that they find truly fascinating.

Memorable experiences

Science is all about how the world around us works. As well as offering a bespoke curriculum to our students, we also offer memorable experiences throughout the school year to engage and enthuse our students beyond school life.

​Memorable experiences include Medical Mavericks, ZooLab, Space VR, Royal Navy, a visit to the Recycling and Recovery Facility, STEMFest, a trip to Magna and so much more.