Key Stage 3

Year 7

Pupils have three double science lessons a week, taught by one science teacher. There are six modules in the year; two each of biology, chemistry and physics. The biology modules are:

• 7A Cells and Reproduction

  cell structure and function; plant and animal cells; tissues and organs; specialised cells; cell division; reproduction in animals and humans; reproductive organs; fertilisation; embryo development; menstrual cycle; adolescence

• 7B Variation and Ecology

  classification; variation; environmental and inherited factors; adaptations of plants and animals to habitats and to changes in their environment; communities; food chains; food webs; energy transfer.

Year 8

Pupils have one double biology lesson a week. There are four modules in the year:

• 8A Food and Digestion

balanced diet; nutrients; digestive system; digestion; absorption to blood

• 8B Respiration and Circulation

lungs and alveoli; gas exchange; heart; circulation; oxygen and carbon dioxide transport; aerobic respiration

• 8C Microbes and Disease

bacteria, fungi and viruses; infectious diseases; transmission of disease; defences against disease; immunisation; antibiotics; using microbes

• 8D Ecological Relationships

  field work; interactions in a community; adaptations and survival; abundance and distribution of organisms; quantitative feeding relationships

Field Trip

There is a biology field trip to Flamborough Head in Year 8. Click here for details and photos.

Year 9

Pupils have one double and one single biology lesson a week. There are four modules in the year:

• 9A Inheritance and Selection

inherited characteristics; influence of environment; inheritance and sexual reproduction; selective breeding; asexual reproduction and clones

• 9B Fit and Healthy

human respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems; smoking and air pollution; skeleton; effects of diet, smoking and exercise on organs and foetus

• 9C Plants and Photosynthesis

photosynthesis; light and chlorophyll; role of the leaf; roots and water; carbon cycle; the relationship between photosynthesis and respiration

• 9D Plants for Food

food production; sustainable development; fertilisers, pesticides and weedkillers; crops and pyramids of numbers; accumulation of toxic materials

SATS

The science Key Stage 3 SAT exams take place early in the summer term of year 9. There are two one-hour papers, each containing a mixture of biology, chemistry, physics and scientific enquiry questions. The SAT results are announced in June and consist of a level (1-7). Almost all of our year 9 pupils achieve a level 6 or 7.

For the remainder of the summer term in year 9, after the SAT exam, we start the GCSE biology course.