Chemistry

Curriculum Intent

Our vision in Chemistry is to provide a pathway for our students to explore and understand the wonderment and awe of the everyday. We aim to develop transferable skills that students require to question evidence and draw conclusions based upon a mixture of logical, practical, and theoretical based activities. Chemistry is the study of molecules which are the building blocks of matter, it is central to our existence and leads our investigations into the human body, food, earth, energy, materials, and anywhere and everywhere in between. The chemical industry, supported by Chemistry research, underpins much of our economic success and provides wealth and prosperity for our society. In the United Kingdom alone, 152,000 people are employed in the chemical Industry which contributes £54 billion annually to our GDP.

In Key Stage 3 (KS3), pupils receive 60-minutes of Chemistry per week alongside 60 minutes of Biology and Physics. The KS3 curriculum aims to develop three key building blocks of Chemistry: the atom, the periodic table, and chemical reactions. These concepts are the starting point for all chemical knowledge. We understand that Chemistry is a series of core questions to which students can find the answers through investigation and an understanding of scientific models. The KS3 curriculum allows students to transition smoothly to KS4 Chemistry. In Key stage 4, students receive 2 periods of 60 minutes per week to prepare them for GCSE examinations. The vast majority of our KS4 students follow AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy of which Chemistry makes up one third of the overall marks. Students are also given the option to choose separate science GCSE Chemistry in year 11 which provides them with the opportunity to study Chemistry in greater depth.

The Chemistry course has been designed to stretch students, with dedicated scientific enquiry and extension material, along with a variety of retrieval activities. Lessons are planned to achieve specific outcomes related to scientific enquiry, with links to scientists throughout history and their everyday lives. It is ambitious for all learners, including addressing misconceptions and introducing higher-level concepts. There are many opportunities to build mathematical and practical chemistry skills. Overall, the materials are designed to build a strong foundation for future learning at GCSE and beyond.

Chemistry is an essential subject for all medical-based courses and many employers value the transferable skills that Chemistry teaches. Chemistry develops numeracy, literacy, problem solving and is good preparation for life beyond the classroom. Chemistry will allow your child to develop key transferrable skills which are in high demand across many sectors.  In Chemistry we emphasise the role of practical work as this plays a major role in developing these key skills and students at Sunbury Manor are given ample opportunities to take part in a wide variety of practicals both within the framework of the National Curriculum and outside of it. Students enjoy doing practicals at Sunbury Manor as it allows them to develop their scientific skills in a fun and engaging way. The key aim of practical Chemistry is to allow students to develop highly desirable skills such as problem-solving, data handling, critical thinking, communication, and numeracy. Even if our students choose not to pursue Chemistry beyond GCSE, these skills are highly transferrable in many roles, therefore we place considerable emphasis on developing them.

The Chemistry department is well resourced with modern laboratory equipment providing students with the opportunity to carry out a wide range of experiments such as distillation, chromatography, combustion, and neutralisation to name a few. In addition to this, we are fully staffed by specialist teachers with a strong scientific background. Our teachers are passionate about Chemistry and dedicated to ensuring your child gets the best out of the subject. As a team we meet regularly to discuss curriculum ideas, schemes of work, assessments as well as sharing good teaching practice. The team is highly collaborative and has several highly experienced teachers.

Curriculum Overview

Key Stage 4 Specification