Science Staff

Mr J Reading (Head of Department and Physics)
Miss H Chatfield
Ms M Coulson
Miss M Evans
Mrs F Gregory
Miss A Lee (Head of Biology)
Miss A Piggott
Mrs B Richard (Head of Chemistry)
Mrs N Warburton
Ms G Weller

The Science Department

Our Vision

Our vision is to equip students with the scientific knowledge and skills to participate effectively in 21st century life. Science is an integral part of the Presdales curriculum from Year 7 to Year 11 and all three Science subjects are offered at A-Level.

Our Aim

We aim to inspire and encourage our students to be:

Curious

fascinated by how the world works
inquisitive participants in the ever-changing modern world
effective, well-informed communicators of scientific ideas and concepts
willing to learn from their mistakes as well as celebrating their successes

Equipped

able to critically evaluate evidence presented through the wider world, digital world and media.
open to new ideas and confident enough to be challenged in their scientific understanding
adaptable to a changing world
able to objectively weigh up evidence and ideas to make informed judgements

Prepared

ready for the next stage of their education/career
equipped with the skills to solve tomorrow’s problems
confident in practical skills
able to work collaboratively

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The Science Department

The Head of Science and Physics is Mr Reading. If you have any problems with Physics or general enquiries regarding Science at Presdales then please feel free to contact me.

Miss Lee is the Head of Biology. If you have any specific bother to do with Biology problems then she will be more than happy to help.

Mrs Richard is the Head of Chemistry, any conundrums about Chemistry then please contact her.

Key Stage 3

Year 7 and 8

In Years 7 and 8 students are taught a mixed Science syllabus, normally taught by a single teacher. The emphasis is based on learning through scientific enquiry. At the end of each module and at the end of the year the academic progress of the students is assessed.

Students are taught in mixed ability teaching groups common to most other curriculum areas.

Year 7 students study the fundamental aspects of Biology, Chemistry and Physics through the topics Cells, Human reproduction, Chemical reactions, Particles, Forces and Light and Sound.

Year 8 students build on the their knowledge through the topics; Health, Ecology, Rocks and mixtures, Metals, Electricity and Magnetism and Forces and Energy.

In terms of extra curricular activities both Years 7 and 8 are encouraged to attend Junior Science club and in year 8 students can join our Lego robotic team who build robots and compete with other schools. In 2018 we won the regional competition and successfully participated in the UK national championship.

GCSE

Year 9 to 11

In Year 9 one lesson will be taught by a Biology specialist and the other by either a Physics or Chemistry specialist. Students will be taught 6 topics which are common to the combined and separate Science GCSEs. These are Cell Biology, Infection and Response, Atomic structure and the periodic table, Earth and Atmosphere, Core Forces and Particle model of matter.

At the end of Year 9 students will be invited to either take three separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics or study Combined Science which is worth 2 GCSEs and covers a mixture of Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Students who follow this route can still take the Sciences at A level.

We follow the AQA syllabi (www.aqa.org.uk) for the GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science A and additional Science.

Each separate Science GCSE is assessed by two papers sat at the end of Year 11. Students sitting combined Science will sit 6 exams at the end of Year 11; 2 for Biology, 2 for Chemistry and 2 for Physics.

Further details are available by looking at the curriculum map.

In Year 9 students can join our VEW robotics club and compete against other school with a sports based robot. We also encouraged students to participate in the excellent GSK work experience opportunity in Year 10. Students who are interested in medicine or veterinary science can also join the Medsoc to develop the knowledge and help them prepare for the challenge of these exciting careers.

A Level Biology

Biology

Entry requirements: GCSE grade 6 in Chemistry or 66 in Combined Science
Grade 6 in Mathematics

Content

There is hardly a day goes by without Biology being in the news, whether it is the effect of microplastics in our ocean biodiversity or the use of genome sequencing to develop new drugs and treatment for human diseases. If you are curious, resilient and can relate what you study in the classroom to real life, Biology at A level is a suitable subject for you to study.

Practical work is at the heart of studying Biology A Level. This will include dissections and the use of equipment such as colorimeters, plus you will develop further the skills you learned at GCSE, such as analysis and evaluation. Although practicals do not contribute towards the final grade, examination questions will be based on the wide variety of practical activities that are integrated into day to day teaching. This means that you will have more opportunities to learn and use practical skills to link theory with practice, which will deepen your knowledge and understanding.

In Year 12 you will study 4 topics:

1. Biological Molecules
2. Cells
3. Organisms exchange substances with their Environment
4. Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms

In Year 13 you will study a further 4 topics:

5. Energy transfers in and between organisms
6. Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environment
7. Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems
8. The Control of gene expression

Assessment

At the end of Year 13, there are 3 written examinations, each are 2 hours long. Paper 1 examines content from topics 1–4 and is worth 35%, paper 2 examines content from topics 5–8 and is worth 35% and paper 3 examines content from all 8 topics and is worth 30% of the A Level. All 3 papers include questions on relevant practical skills.

Career Opportunities

A Level Biology lays the foundations for further study and careers in biological sciences, medicine and conservation. The course ensures progression from GCSE and ensures that the skills and knowledge that universities require are developed.

A Level Chemistry

Chemistry

Entry requirements: GCSE grade 6 in Chemistry or 66 in Combined Science
Grade 6 in Mathematics

The core aim of the Chemistry A Level course is to develop essential knowledge and understanding of different areas of the subject and how they relate to each other.

Students are encouraged to develop their interest in and enthusiasm for Chemistry and understand how it contributes to the success of the economy and society. The content of the course is arranged into broad topics as follows:

Module 1 – Development of practical skills in chemistry
Module 2 – Foundations in chemistry
Module 3 – The periodic table, enthalpy changes, reaction rates and equilibrium
Module 4 – Core organic chemistry
Module 5 – Physical chemistry and transition elements
Module 6 – Further organic chemistry and analysis

Assessment

The A Level exams are sat at the end of the second year and assess the entire course content over three exam papers. They are broadly divided into organic and inorganic/ physical chemistry, with the final paper being entirely synoptic. The practical skills are assessed through written examination, but in addition students will be awarded a Practical Endorsement upon completion of a portfolio of the practical work undertaken throughout the course.

Career Opportunities

This course aims to develop awareness of the world outside the laboratory and the skills learned open up a wide range of careers, both scientific and non-scientific. These key skills include imaginative and critical thinking, problem solving, communication and ICT. That is why you will find chemists working in accountancy, law, manufacturing, advertising, engineering, space research, food and drink, pharmaceuticals, retail, construction and cosmetics. With a chemistry qualification, the world is your oyster!

A Level Physics

Physics

Entry requirements: GCSE grade 6 in Physics or 66 in Combined Science
Grade 6 in Mathematics

Year 12
Measurements and their errors / Particles and radiation / Waves / Mechanics and energy / Electricity.

Year 13
Further mechanics and thermal physics / Fields / Nuclear physics. Plus a further option from the following: Astrophysics, Medical physics, Engineering physics, Turning points in physics or Electronics.

Assessment

There is no coursework on the AQA course. However, your practical technique will be assessed during practicals. If you successfully demonstrate the practical skills expected by an A level Science student you will receive a separate commendation. There are also 12 required practicals which you can be assessed on in the final examinations.

There are three exams at the end of the two years for A-level, all of which are two hours long. At least 15% of the marks for A-level Physics are based on what you learned in your practicals. The exam papers are a mixture of multiple choice, short and long answer questions.

Career Opportunities

Studying A-level Physics offers an infinite number of amazing career opportunities including:

You can also move into engineering, astrophysics, chemical physics, nanotechnology, renewable energy and more, the opportunities are endless. Employers are extremely keen to employ students who have studied Physics because of the skills they’ve developed through their education. As a consequence Physicists achieve some of the highest starting salaries once they leave university.

Curriculum Maps

Extracurricular Activities

We run a Science club for KS3 students, a Science clinic for all students and a greenhouse club for the green fingered individuals. We have also organised for a number of students to do work experience at Glaxos in Ware and participated in a number of external events. Recently we have competed in the annual Glide Challenge and Robot Rumble organised by MBDA in Stevenage, the annual Science Week competition at Glaxos and the Biology Olympiad.

Year 11 Bridging Work 2025

Biology

Introduction

A-Level Biology is an intensive and challenging course, and ensuring you are prepared for September will surely lead to a more positive start. The aim of this bridging work is to remind you of the core Biology concepts in GCSE and to introduce some new ideas that will help bridge the gap between GCSE and A-Level.

There are two tasks you MUST complete.

Task 1 – Research task focusing on biological molecules.
Task 2 – Research task focusing on cells.

Click here for more details.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at fgregory@presdales.herts.sch.uk

In addition to the bridging work, please click here for a document that identifies the topics and subtopics taught in Combined Science, Biology and GCSE Chemistry that would be useful to recap prior to beginning the course.

Mrs Gregory

Chemistry

Introduction
A-Level Chemistry is a challenging course, so the better you can prepare yourself to hit the ground running in September, the more likely you are to enjoy it and make good progress across the first term. This bridging work is aimed at refreshing your memory of key ideas from GCSE that we are going to be building on in Year 12, but also introducing a few new ideas to speed up the process of learning new content in September. It is particularly important to complete this work if you did Combined Science GCSE, as you will greatly improve your chances of keeping on top of things next year.

There are two tasks you MUST complete:

1. Head Start to A-Level Chemistry
The great thing about this book is that it recaps key parts of the GCSE course really well, while also introducing a few new ideas to help you make a good start to the A-Level course. Please read and complete all the questions in the excerpts attached here, but you can also get the book for around £4 on Amazon if you want to have a go at some other topics.

Head Start to Chemistry

2. Careers research task
Go to the National Careers website and type ‘Chemistry’ into the search engine there.

Choose one of the careers that interests you and write a fact file including the following information:

● What the job involves
● What skills are required
● What qualifications you need
● What the average salary is

Optional:
If you want to take your preparations further then try the Summer Start book written by youtuber Primrose Kitten and attached for you. This is a workbook with hundreds of practice questions to try, with each section linked to video on PK’s youtube channel. All the answers are included too, so you can check you understand each section.