Science
Science: Maximising Opportunity for all
Mrs. K. Bothamley
Director of Learning & Head of Physics
Inspiring student’s curiosity and developing their understanding of the world around them
Being scientifically literate is not about whether you are going to become a scientist or a doctor. If people understand more about science they are better able to contribute to national debate and discussion. Scientific knowledge is fundamental in helping our democracy thrive and allowing everyone to have their say.”
Lord Robert Winston – December 2016 at FUS
Our Subjects
Mrs. K. Bothamley
Director of Learning
“As the roles of science, mathematics, and technology grow in our society, schools must prepare students to thrive in a highly complex world. Ferndown Upper School believes that educated citizens of the 21st century must have a solid background in science, technology, engineering and maths. With knowledge in these areas, students will be able to keep up with the rapid growth of the technological innovations happening daily. Educated citizens of the 21st century must have a love of learning that will enable them to be self-motivated lifelong learners who can adapt easily and quickly to changes. By providing children with innovative engineering design challenges and opportunities, children learn naturally to question and solve problems. Students not only need to be good problem solvers, they must also have the ability to clarify and condense their thoughts. Ferndown Upper School students will be competent mathematicians and writers, who can do research and investigate questions they will face in their futures.”
Specification
As a department we follow AQA specifications for all of our GCSE courses
KS4 :
GCSE Biology AQA 8461
GCSE Chemistry AQA 8462
GCSE Physics AQA 8463
Facilities & Equipment
We are a well-resourced department with 9 specialist laboratories, a department computer room, Sixth form study area as well as our team of amazing and enthusiastic teachers and technicians!
Extra-Curricular
As an inspiring STEM school, we work hard to offer a range of STEM experiences to all of our students to open up a world of opportunity and experience that students may not have even thought about before.
Through our STEM initiative we offer competitions, clubs, careers advice, days out, university experiences, industry visits and experiences, not only for our own students but for the school community as a whole.
Revision
As a department we encourage our students to seek help and guidance as soon as any issues arise so we run science ‘Clinic’ sessions throughout the academic year which are drop in sessions for all year groups. As we get nearer to exam times, these sessions become more focussed for different groups and needs in order to support our students to achieve the best results possible.