Biology

Enthuse and engage each and every student with science and the scientific world.
Students appreciate how the theories and concepts they are studying relate to their everyday life and how science enriches wider society
To equip and develop, within students, a wide variety of transferable skills that meet their whole-life learning needs.

Key knowledge areas in which all pupils are expected to have developed an appreciation are: Cell biology, photosynthesis, respiration, digestive and cardiovascular systems, the causes, defence, treatment and prevention of communicable and non-communicable disease, nervous and hormonal coordination, homeostasis, inheritance, evolution, ecology and human impact on the environment.

Students should, within the context of these areas, be able to:

• Use conceptual models and theories to make sense of the observed natural phenomena, giving sound explanations of said phenomena using a wide range of appropriate scientific ideas, language, knowledge and understanding;
• Plan, carry out, draw conclusions and evaluate the validity of practical laboratory work;
• Use appropriate mathematics to support problem solving, analysis and the drawing of robust conclusions.
• Evaluate the impact on the environment, and society, of aspects of biology

In Biology the Cell biology topic builds on the foundations of KS3, this then extends in the understanding of the key biochemical reactions in Bioenergetics. This then extends to how organ systems work to keep organisms alive in the Organisation topic, and then how microbes can threaten the function of these systems and how organisms can defend themselves in the infection and response topic. After this, students study how organisms are able to respond to changes in their internal and external environments using nervous and hormonal coordination in the Homeostasis and response topic. This then leads onto a study of how DNA controls characteristics of organisms and how this can be passed onto offspring in the Inheritance, variation and evolution topic. The final Ecology topic looks at how organisms interact with their environment and each other, and the impacts humans are having on these organisms.

Half Term 1

Biology: Organisation

Half Term 2

Biology: Organisation

Half Term 3

Biology: Infection and response

Half Term 4

Biology: Homeostasis and response

Half Term 5

Biology: Homeostasis and response

Half Term 6

Biology: Homeostasis and response

Half Term 1

Biology: Inheritance, variation and evolution

Half Term 2

Biology: Inheritance, variation and evolution

Half Term 3

Biology: Ecology

Half Term 4

Biology: Ecology
Revision