Welcome to the Science department. In this section of the website, you will find important information for the department as well as some useful links to our curriculum page. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
| Teacher | Role | |
| Miss K Rowan | Head of Department | krowan@brs.srscmat.co.uk |
| Mrs I Suddes | Second in Department | Isuddes@brs.srscmat.co.uk |
| Mr R Davies | Science Teacher and Head of Year 11 | rdavies@brs.srscmat.co.uk |
| Miss F Toms | Science Teacher | ftoms@brs.srscmat.co.uk |
| Mrs C Jelley | Science Teacher | cjelley@brs.srscmat.co.uk |
| Mrs D Spiridoniva | Science Technician | dspiridonova@brs.srscmat.co.uk |
Within Science home learning will be set on a fortnightly basis by the class teachers. Those students in KS3 who have 2 teachers will alternate setting it. Triple students in Year 10 and 11 will be set homework weekly by all staff.
Students will be able to find this on Arbor and should have written the task and deadline in their planner.
We use Seneca, which is an online subject specific question-based platform which links directly to the exam boards that we teach at KS4. As your child moves into KS4, homework will begin to incorporate exam practice questions to prepare them for sitting their GCSE.
If your child is unable to access home learning online, please ensure that the department are aware so that accessible homework can be set for your child.
Seneca Learning – https://app.senecalearning.com/login
Students will need to log in with their school email address
You will need your pencil case with you every lesson with the whole school expected equipment. We recommend that you have 4 different colour highlighters or coloured pens to support annotation of text.
In addition, you should have your subject knowledge organiser and a reading book. It is essential that you have your mini whiteboard, whiteboard pens and a rubber with you every lesson which will form part of your knowledge retrieval exercises in class.
You will also need a scientific calculator, preferably from Year 7 on. We advise that students use the calculator that the maths department recommend, as it means they have familiarity with it in two subjects. This is currently the Casio fx-83GTCW (Amazon link: Casio fx-83GTCW Blue Scientific Calculator: Amazon.co.uk: Stationery & Office Supplies )
You will need to ensure that you put your equipment on the desk at the start of each lesson along with your planner as they all form part of your learning.
Outline how you recognise students’ hard work, effort and progress. You may need to consider a departmental policy. This should run alongside the whole school praise policy – Praise points and golden tickets – what else can you do to encourage engagement etc? CONSIDER CONSISTENCY ACROSS YOUR DEPARTMENT
In Science, we strive to acknowledge our students’ successes. Students will experience reward and recognition through the school newsletter, postcards and letters home as well as through our subject’s Instagram (Science Department (@brs_science) • Instagram photos and videos). Golden tickets are also issued to students for work that goes above and beyond.
Students also receive stickers on the front of their books for excellent work, and these are then accompanied by positive reward points through Arbor
Science is a subject that lends itself to some excellent reading. Be that books of facts and information that will make your mind explode, or science-fiction and the Wonders that the human brain can imagine.
Vocabulary lists are provided for students in the knowledge organisers at the start of topics.
Reading lists- students come across science in both Fiction and Non-Fiction. They will also have regular Guided Reading tasks in lessons which often draw on areas outside the curriculum.
Some Excellent Books for Science Minds can be found here:
| AUTHOR | TITLE OF BOOK | TYPE OF BOOK | SUMMARY OF CONTENTS |
| Bill Bryson | A Short History Of Almost Everything | Non-Fiction | The ULTIMATE Science Book- Miss Rowan is rarely seen without it. Fascinating info on all branches of science from the Big Bang to Climate Change |
| Ben Martynoga & Moose Allain | The Virus | Non-fiction | Explains viruses, including COVID-19, and how they affect the body. |
| Jennifer Z Paxton & Katy Wiedemann | Anatomicum | Non-fiction | Illustrated guide to human anatomy. |
| Adam Kay | Kay’s Marvellous Medicine | Non-fiction | Humorous history of medicine. |
| Giselle Clarkson | The Observologist | Non-fiction | Guide to observing nature and small organisms. |
| Briony Hudson & Nick Taylor | Medicine: A Magnificently Illustrated History | Non-fiction | Visual history of medicine. |
| Ben Martynoga & Moose Allain | Explodapedia: The Gene | Non-fiction | Explains genes and DNA. |
| Ben Martynoga & Moose Allain | Explodapedia: Rewild | Non-fiction | Explores rewilding and ecosystems. |
| DK | The Biology Book | Non-fiction | Overview of biology concepts. |
| Bren MacDibble | How to Bee | Fiction | Dystopian story about pollination without bees. |
| Malorie Blackman | Pig Heart Boy | Fiction | Story about heart transplant ethics. |
| DK | The Chemistry Book | Non-fiction | Key chemistry concepts and discoveries. |
| Mike Barfield & Lauren Humphrey | The Element in the Room | Non-fiction | Fun exploration of chemical elements. |
| Jaspreet Kaur | Moonshot / Reaching for the Moon | Non-fiction | Story of space exploration and Apollo missions. |
| Sibéal Pounder | Orion Lost | Fiction | Sci-fi adventure set in space. |
| Anthea Simmons | Lightning Mary | Fiction | Story inspired by scientific discovery and history. |
| P.G. Bell | 21% Monster | Fiction | Adventure with scientific themes. |
| Rachel Ignotofsky | Women in Science | Non-fiction | Profiles of influential female scientists. |
We use AQA for our GCSE QUALIFCATIONS.
Most students study the Trilogy course (which gives students 2 GCSE grades), a group of selected students study the Triple course as 3 separate subjects
You will find links to the exam board’s specification and recommended revision materials below:
AQA Trilogy:
GCSE Science 8464 | Specification | AQA
GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy Specification Specification for first teaching in 2016
AQA Biology:
GCSE Biology 8461 | Specification | AQA
GCSE Biology Specification Specification for first teaching in 2016
AQA Chemistry:
GCSE Chemistry 8462 | Specification | AQA
GCSE Chemistry Specification Specification for first teaching in 2016
AQA Physics:
GCSE Physics 8463 | Specification | AQA
GCSE Physics Specification Specification for first teaching in 2016
https://app.senecalearning.com/login As well as using Seneca for homework, students can also work through the content independently.
Chemistry Revision resources
Places to go for free revision resources- papers, videos etc
AQA | Chemistry | GCSE | GCSE Chemistry
GCSE Chemistry (Single Science) – AQA – BBC Bitesize
GCSE Chemistry Revision | Worksheets | Past Papers | MME (past papers)
AQA GCSE Chemistry Revision Notes 2018
AQA GCSE Chemistry Revision Notes – Study Mind
GCSE AQA Chemistry Revision – Revisely
Physics Revision resources
GCSE Physics (Single Science) – AQA – BBC Bitesize
AQA GCSE (9-1) Physics Revision – PMT
AQA GCSE Physics Revision Notes 2018
Free GCSE Physics AQA Revision Content — Study Rocket
Login | Cognito (sign up for free)
Dr de Bruin’s Classroom – YouTube
Primrose Kitten Academy | GCSE & A-Level Revision – YouTube
Malmesbury Education – YouTube (all the required practical walkthroughs)
Oak Academy: Year listing | Oak National Academy
Save My Exams: Revision Notes, Past Papers & Exam Questions
Students in Year 10 are issued with revision guides from CGP. Revision maps, strategies and timetables will be linked to these in Year 11.
The Science Department strives to prepare students for life after school! We believe it’s invaluable that students are inundated with a range of skills that will help them to be successful after they leave us. Some of the things we do are:
As well as this, students are made aware of careers paths that Science can take them down. Having a Science qualification can open many different careers for students, such as:
🔬 Laboratory & Life Science Apprenticeships
🧪 Chemistry & Materials
🏥 Healthcare Science Apprenticeships
🌍 Environmental & Earth Science
⚙️ Engineering (applied science)
🔬 Biology & Life Sciences
🧪 Chemistry
🧠 Medicine & Health Sciences
(Many require advanced degrees beyond a bachelor’s)
🌍 Environmental & Earth Sciences
🚀 Physics & Space Science
⚙️ Engineering (applied science)
This list is not exhaustive and is ever-changing. Having a Science degree or some form of education in Science opens so many routes for students.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s Science teacher.
