Science

What are the names of some plants? 

How do we classify trees? 

What are the 4 seasons? 

How does the weather change? 

How are materials used in everyday life? 

What are the properties of everyday materials? 

How can we group objects based on their properties? 

What is the best material for an umbrella and why? 

What are animals? 

What are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores? 

How can we compare mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and birds? 

What are the parts of the human body? 

What are offspring? 

What does an animal need to survive? 

Why should humans exercise? 

How can we be hygienic? 

What is a healthy diet? 

Can solid objects change shape? 

Can materials be used for more than one purpose? 

How can we tell if something is alive? 

What is a habitat? 

How do animals and plants depend on one another? 

What is a food chain? 

How do seeds grow? 

How do plants stay healthy? 

Did dinosaurs exist?  

What can we find out from rocks? 

How are fossils formed? 

What do fossils tell us? 

What are the 3 types of rock? 

What is soil made from? 

How do we see? 

How do forces help us? 

Light 

What is light? 

How does light behave? 

What is darkness? 

How are shadows formed? 

Forces and magnets 

What are everyday forces? 

What is a magnetic force? 

What do ‘attract’ and ‘repel’ mean? 

Which everyday items are magnetic? 

How do plants grow and survive? 

How does my body move? 

Plants 

What do different plants need to survive? 

How is water transported in plants? 

What is the function of each part of a plant? 

What part do flowers play in a plant’s lifecycle? 

Animals  

What should animals, including humans, eat to survive? 

What is the function of a skeleton? 

What is the function of muscles? 

Can you hear me?  

How do we hear sound? 

How do sound vibrations travel? 

What is pitch and how is it changed? 

What is volume and how is it changed? 

How does distance from a sound affect its volume? 

What is a state of matter? 

How useful is electricity? 

States of matter 

What is a solid, liquid and gas? 

Can materials change from one state to another? 

What is the water cycle? 

Electricity 

Which appliances run on electricity? 

How do you make a simple series circuit? 

Which circuits will and will not work? 

What are some common conductors? 

What are some common insulators? 

How can we group living things? 

How do I keep healthy? 

Living things 

How can living things be grouped? 

What are vertebrates and invertebrates? 

How do humans positively and negatively affect the environment? 

Animals 

What is the human digestive system and how does it work? 

What are the names of the human teeth? 

What is a food chain? 

What are producers, predators and prey? 

What is gravity? 

What are the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction? 

How do levers, pulleys and gears affect the strength of a force? 

What’s out of this world?  

What is in our solar system? 

How does the Earth move relative to the sun? 

What are the other plants in our solar system called? 

What is the moon and how does it move relative to Earth? 

How do day and night occur? 

How do we use everyday materials? 

What are states of matter? 

How do we grow and change? 

Properties and changes of materials 

How can we group everyday materials based on their properties? 

What is a solution and which materials will dissolve? 

How can we separate materials from a mixture? 

What are reversible and irreversible changes? 

Living things and their habitats 

How do lifecycles of vertebrates differ? 

How do some plants and animals reproduce? 

Animals

What are the stages of growth and development from babies to old age? 

How does light help us? 

How do circuits work? 

Light 

- How do we see objects? 

- How do we explain how shadows are created? 

- Which colours are in the visible light spectrum and how do we know? 

Electricity 

- What is voltage and how does it affect brightness and volume in a circuit? 

- What universal symbols are used in circuits? 

What are the main parts of the circulatory system? 

What is the function of the heart? 

What is the function of blood and blood vessels? 

How does our lifestyle (diet, exercise, and drugs) affect our bodies? 

How are nutrients and water transported within humans? 

What is evolution? 

How are living things classified?

Evolution and inheritance 

What information can fossils give us? 

What are offspring and why do they vary from their parents? 

How do animals and plants adapt to suit an environment? 

What is survival of the fittest? 

How can adaptation lead to evolution? 

Living things and their habitats 

What is a living thing? 

What is a microorganism? 

How are living things classified into kingdoms? 

B1.1 – Cells

To describe cell organelles & their roles 

To describe how to use a microscope 

To explain key adaptations of specialised cells 

C1.1 – Particles

To describe the three states of matter and explain their properties 

To explain changes of state 

To describe & explain diffusion 

To describe & calculate density 

To describe & explain pressure in gases 

P1.1 – Forces

To describe action of forces 

To describe & calculate resultant force 

To explain the extension of a spring 

To describe the action of contact & non-contact forces eg friction 

B1.2 – Reproduction

To explain asexual & sexual reproduction 

To describe key parts of the human reproductive system and explain their functions 

To describe what occurs during pregnancy 

To describe the menstrual cycle 

Autumn Network Diagnostic Assessments 

C1.2 Atoms, elements and Compounds 

To describe & explain the differences between Elements, compounds & mixtures. 

To explain basic rules of naming compounds 

To explain chemical hazard symbols. 

To explain chemical formulae in terms of atoms. 

P1.2 Space 

To describe the action of gravity as a force 

To explain the difference between weight & mass 

To explain the concept of orbits in simple terms 

To describe the composition & features of the solar system 

To explain the seasons & concept of eclipses 

B1.3 Interdependence 

To define & use key vocabulary in this topic 

To describe sampling methods 

To describe & explain biotic & abiotic factors 

To describe food chains & webs and explain what they show 

To explain competition between organisms 

Spring Network Diagnostic Assessments 

C1.3 Mixtures 

To explain the difference between pure substances & mixtures 

To define & use key vocabulary in this topic eg solvent, solute & solution 

To describe key separating techniques: 

- distillation 

- filtration 

- crystallisation 

- Chromatography 

P1.3 Energy Transfers 

To define energy in terms of units & the concept. 

To describe the different energy stores 

To describe energy transfers using the concept of conservation of energy 

To describe the terms ‘useful’ & wasted energy and explain them. 

To calculate efficiency and draw/interpret Sankey diagrams 

P1.4 Electric Circuits – Current and Potential; difference

Describe electricity using different models 

Describe the behaviour of current in series & parallel circuits 

To define key component circuit symbols 

To describe the behaviour of voltage in series & parallel circuits. 

End of Year Assessments 

B2.1 Tissues and Organs 

To describe & explain the structures of the musculoskeletal system 

To describe & explain the structures & action of the respiratory system 

To explain the concept of surface area-volume ratio 

To describe the impact of different classifications of drugs on the body

C2.1 Acids and Alkalis 

To describe the meaning of the pH scale & the use of indicators 

To describe and write equations for neutralisation reactions including metal carbonates 

P2.1 Movement and Pressure 

To describe the concept of speed, make calculations and interpret distance-time graphs. 

To describe & calculate pressure. To explain the effects of pressure in relation to the calculations. 

B2.2 Respiration and Photosynthesis 

To describe and write equations for respiration 

To describe anaerobic respiration during exercise. 

To describe & write equations for photosynthesis. 

To explain how photosynthesis is linked to plant structures in the leaf. 

To describe the transport mechanisms in the plant stem. 

C2.2 Changing Substances 

To explain the difference between physical & chemical changes 

To explain the concept of conservation of matter 

To describe results of the common gas tests. 

To describe & write equations for reactions of:  

• Metals & acids 
• Acids & Alkali’s 
• Metal oxides & acids 
• Metal carbonates & acids

P2.2 Magnetism 

To describe the force of magnetism 

To explain induced magnetism 

To explain the concept of magnetic fields and how to observe/draw one. 

To describe the affect of the earths magnetic field

B2.3 Life Diversity 

To describe & explain inherited & environmental variation 

To describe the features of genetic material DNA>Nucleus 

To describe how inheritance occurs 

To explain natural selection 

To explain evolution 

To describe how extinction occurs. 

To explain how the last three concepts link together to explain life on earth. 

C2.3 Earth Systems 

To describe the rock cycle 

To describe weathering processes 

To describe & explain the features of the water cycle. 

P2.3 Electric Circuits – Resistance

To explain the features of electrical circuits 

To explain the concept of resistance and calculate it. 

To explain Ohms law 

To describe how to measure electrical resistance. 

To describe the behaviour of resistance in series & parallel circuits 

B2.4 Nutrition 

To explain the key parts of a balanced diet & explain the function of the key nutrients. 

To describe how to carry out the food tests and positive results 

To describe & explain the key structures of the human digestive system 

To describe the role of enzymes 

To describe the nutrients needed by plants and explain how they get them.

P2.4 Light 

To describe and explain the behaviour of light including reflection, refraction & Colour. 

To describe the mixing of colours 

To describe and explain the action of lenses. 

To draw ray diagrams for all of the above 

End of Year Assessments 

B3.1 Growth and Differentiation

To describe key features of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. 

To describe the role of mitochondria 

To describe how to grow microbial cultures using aseptic technique 

To make calculations of magnification via microscopy 

To describe & explain transport mechanisms of Osmosis, diffusion & active transport. 

To describe cellular multiplication and explain how errors can lead to cancer 

Describe the role of stem cells. 

C3.1 The Periodic Table 

To describe the structure of an atom and the features of the subatomic particles 

Describe Isotopes 

Describe the experiments that lead to the discovery of the subatomic particles 

To describe the structure & features of the periodic table 

To describe & explain the properties of the alkali metals, noble gases, halogens & transition metals

P3.1 Acceleration 

To explain the difference between scalar & vector quantities 

To describe and explain newtons laws of motion 

To describe, explain & make calculations for acceleration. 

To draw and interpret velocity -time graphs 

B3.2 Human Interaction 

To describe how to measure biodiversity 

To describe & explain human impact on biodiversity 

To describe & explain global warming 

To describe the types of human waste 

To describe, explain & interpret pyramids of biomass 

To explain how biotechnology is used to make farming more efficient. 

To explain risks to food security 

C3.2 Introduction to Quantitative Chemistry 

To describe key characteristics of chemical reactions and write equations for them. 

To be able to calculate relative formula mass 

To balance equations using formula & conservation of mass 

To describe and calculate uncertainty 

To describe & explain concentration 

To describe methods for making soluble salts 

P3.2 Heating 

To describe and explain the interactions between internal energy and potential energy. 

To describe & explain methods of thermal transfer; conduction, convection & radiation. 

To describe methods of reducing these. 

To explain and make calculations for specific heat capacity and specific latent heat. 

B3.3 Genetics 

To describe and explain the key features of meiosis 

To describe different methods of fertilisation 

To describe in detail the structure of DNA, Chromosomes & genes 

To describe inheritance using alleles, punnets squares. 

To explain the difference between genotype & phenotype. 

To describe some inherited disorders and explain how they are inherited eg polydactyly & cystic fibrosis. 

To explain sex determination using punnets squares & XY chromosomes. 

C3.3 Using Resources 

To describe the reactivity series and use it to predict some simple chemical reactions. 

To describe how key resources are obtained eg from ores 

To describe how water is treated 

To describe the uses of key materials eg ceramics, polymers, metals & composites 

To describe how using resources has an environmental impact and the use of life-cycle assessments. 

P3.3 Sound and Waves 

To describe the differences between longitudinal & transverse waves 

To describe the key features of waves 

To make calculations using the wave equation 

To investigate reflection & refraction. 

To describe what occurs in a ripple tank 

To describe uses of waves in ultrasound

P3.4 Home Electricity 

To describe mains electricity and the key components of a plug 

To describe the differences between alternating current and direct current including where each is used. 

To make calculations of electrical power and use the equation 

To use equations to calculate the cost of electricity 

To use the variety of equations associated with this topic 

To describe the different types of energy resources both renewable & non-renewable. 

To describe the parts of the national grid including transformers 

To describe & explain static electricity. 

B4.1 Digestive System 

To describe the organisation of organisms Cells < Organ systems 

To be able to describe the key biochemical molecules and their chemical tests 

To Explain enzyme action and factors affecting them. 

C4.1 Structure and Bonding 

To describe, draw & explain the key features of each type of chemical bond. 

To use this knowledge to explain bulk properties of matter 

P4.1 Movement 

To describe & calculate momentum using the ideas of conservation of momentum. 

To explain safety features of moving vehicles 

To describe and explain the forces involved in elasticity with the relevant calculations

B4.2 Circulation and Respiration 

To describe the key features of the human circulatory system including blood components and explain how they all work together 

To explain factors affecting gaseous exchange in Plants & Animals. 

To Describe the stem structure in plants and transpiration, including factors that affect it. 

Autumn Network Diagnostic Assessments 

C4.2 Extraction of Metals 

To describe the reactivity series and explain chemical reactions using it. 

To be able to explain the terms oxidation & reduction 

To be able to predict displacement reactions using the reactivity series. 

To Describe & explain the process of electrolysis including; extraction, molten & aqueous solutions. HT should also be able to write half equations. 

P4.2 Energy Conservation 

To describe the different types of energy stores and explain energy transfer using these terms. 

To describe, calculate and explain gravity & kinetic energy changes 

To describe & calculate energy dissipation 

To calculate efficiency 

To calculate and explain factors affecting energy & power

B4.3 Plant and Material Cycling  

To describe and explain how energy moves through trophic levels. 

To describe the carbon cycle 

To explain how decomposition occurs and factors that affect the rates of decomposition.

C4.3 Quantitative Chemistry 

To be able to correctly calculate reacting masses in: 

-Solids 

-Solutions 

-Gases 

To be able to Calculate % yield using given values 

Spring Network Diagnostic Assessments 

P4.3 Electric Circuits and Energy 

To describe the types of pathogen and explain how they act to cause disease 

To describe ways of reducing or eliminating pathogens 

To describe some key examples of bacterial, viral & fungal diseases. 

To describe human defence responses.

B4.4 Health and Disease 

To be able to describe & explain the terms endothermic & exothermic in terms of the system & surroundings. 

To be able to draw & interpret energy profile diagrams 

To describe how to use reaction temperature changes to explain reactivity

C4.4 Energy Changes 

To describe alternating current 

To describe & identify the key components of a plug and explain what they do 

To make calculations involving home electricity, and efficiency of appliances. 

P4.4 Radioactivity 

To describe the types of radioactivity and compare their key features. 

To describe how these were used in our discovery of atomic structure. 

To explain & calculate half-life. 

B4.5 Ecology 

To be able to define & use the key words related to ecology. 

To explain the relationships between organisms in an ecosystem including biotic & abiotic factors. 

To describe the distribution & abundance of an organism given data and explain the factors that lead to competition in plants and animals. 

To explain adaptations in plants and animals that make survival more likely

End of Year Assessments 

B4.1 Digestive System 

To describe the organisation of organisms Cells < Organ systems 

To be able to describe the key biochemical molecules and their chemical tests 

To Explain enzyme action and factors affecting them. 

C4.1 Structure and Bonding 

To describe, draw & explain the key features of each type of chemical bond. 

To use this knowledge to explain bulk properties of matter 

P4.1 Movement 

To describe & calculate momentum using the ideas of conservation of momentum. 

To explain safety features of moving vehicles 

To describe and explain the forces involved in elasticity with the relevant calculations 

B4.2 Circulation and Respiration 

To describe the key features of the human circulatory system including blood components and explain how they all work together 

To explain factors affecting gaseous exchange in Plants & Animals. 

To Describe the stem structure in plants and transpiration, including factors that affect it.

C4.2 Extraction of Metals  

To describe the reactivity series and explain chemical reactions using it. 

To be able to explain the terms oxidation & reduction 

To be able to predict displacement reactions using the reactivity series. 

To Describe & explain the process of electrolysis including; extraction, molten & aqueous solutions. HT should also be able to write half equations. 

Autumn Network Diagnostic Assessments 

P4.2 Energy Conservation 

To describe the different types of energy stores and explain energy transfer using these terms. 

To describe, calculate and explain gravity & kinetic energy changes 

To describe & calculate energy dissipation 

To calculate efficiency 

To calculate and explain factors affecting energy & power

B4.3 Plant and Material Cycling  

To describe and explain how energy moves through trophic levels. 

To describe the carbon cycle 

To explain how decomposition occurs and factors that affect the rates of decomposition. 

C4.3 Quantitative Chemistry 

To be able to correctly calculate reacting masses in: 

-Solids 

-Solutions 

-Gases 

To be able to Calculate % yield & Atom economy using given values 

To describe & carry out a titration 

To be able to calculate missing values in titrations

P4.3 Electric Circuits and Energy 

To describe alternating current 

To describe & identify the key components of a plug and explain what they do 

To make calculations involving home electricity, and efficiency of appliances. 

Spring Network Diagnostic Assessments 

B4.4 Health and Disease 

To describe the types of pathogen and explain how they act to cause disease 

To describe ways of reducing or eliminating pathogens 

To describe some key examples of bacterial, viral & fungal diseases. 

To describe human defence responses. 

C4.4 Energy Changes

To be able to describe & explain the terms endothermic & exothermic in terms of the system & surroundings. 

To be able to draw & interpret energy profile diagrams 

To describe how to use reaction temperature changes to explain reactivity 

To be able to describe the Hydrogen fuel cell and write half equations for it

P4.4 Radioactivity 

To describe the types of radioactivity and compare their key features. 

To describe how these were used in our discovery of atomic structure. 

To explain & calculate half-life. 

To describe and explain the processes of nuclear fission & fusion 

To describe radioactivity uses in medicine and the issues around safe use of radioactivity.

B4.5 Ecology 

To be able to define & use the key words related to ecology. 

To explain the relationships between organisms in an ecosystem including biotic & abiotic factors. 

To describe the distribution & abundance of an organism given data and explain the factors that lead to competition in plants and animals. 

To explain adaptations in plants and animals that make survival more likely. 

End of Year Assessments 

P6.5 Forces 

Describe forces and their interactions. 

Calculate work done by a force on an object. 

Explain the relationship between forces and elasticity. 

Describing motion along a line. 

Use the concept of momentum as a model to describe and explain examples of momentum in an event, such as a collision. 

P6.6 Waves 

Describe waves in air, fluids and solids. 

Give examples that illustrate the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves. 

C5.8 Chemical Analysis 

List and describe examples of pure substances. 

Identify formulations from given information. 

Explain paper chromatography. 

Describe the chemical test for common gases. 

C5.9 Chemistry of the Atmosphere 

Describe the composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere. 

Explain the causes and consequences of the greenhouse effect. 

Evaluate common atmospheric pollutants and their sources.

C5.10 using Resources 

Evaluate the use of Earth's resources and obtaining potable water. 

Describe the stages of a ‘Life cycle assessment’ and recycling.

B4.6 Inheritance, Variation and Evolution 

Describe sexual and asexual reproduction. 

Describe how the genome and its interaction with the environment influence the development of the phenotype of an organism. 

Evaluate the evidence for the development of understanding of genetics and evolution. 

Describe the impact of developments in biology on classification systems. 

B4.7 Ecology 

Explain the adaptations, interdependence and competition of organisms. 

Describe the organisation of an ecosystem. 

Explain biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems. 

P6.7 Magnetism and Electromagnetism 

Describe permanent and induced magnetism, magnetic forces and fields. 

Explain the motor effect. 

Catch-up and Reteach 

4.6.2 EM Waves

- Describe the properties and uses of all parts of the EM spectrum. 

-Describe the effects of reflection and refraction on waves using ray diagrams and wavefront diagrams. 

-To explain the relative dangers posed by exposure to different EM waves. 

-To describe the effect of convex and concave lenses. 

-Describe how filters and coloured object affect different wavelengths of light. 

-Describe the features of a perfect black body. 

4.7 Organic Chemistry 

To describe & draw the first 4 alkanes & alkenes. 

To describe and explain how fractional distillation & cracking work. 

To describe addition & condensation polymers. 

To complete chemical equations for complete & incomplete combustion including  describing environmental affects 

To describe & draw functional groups for Carboxylic acids, alcohols & HT Esters

4.6 Inheritance & Disease 

To describe the structures of the human nervous system 

To explain the reflext arc 

To describe the key features of the brain & the eye and explain their functions including common eye issues 

To describe the key features of the human endocrine system 

To describe & explain key regulatory system via negative feedbacks: 

• Blood glucose control 

• Human body temperature 

• Osmoregulation 

• The menstrual cycle 

To explain artificial control of fertility & fertility treatments 

To describe different plant hormones and explain their actions 

To describe agricultural uses of plant hormones 

4.7 Magnetism and electromagnetism

-Differentiate between induced, permanent and electro magnets. 

-Draw magnetic field diagrams using field lines that go from N to S. 

- To explain the generator effect & the motor effect. 

- To be able to use the left hand & right hand rule. 

4.8 Chemical Analysis 

To describe how to carry out common gas tests and positive results. 

To describe the flame tests & positive results 

To describe the precipitate test with positive results 

To describe anion tests for sulphates, carbonates & Halides including positive results 

To describe the advantages of using spectroscopic methods of identification 

To use this knowledge to solve identification problems. 

4.8 Space Physics 

Identify objects in within our solar system and beyond. 

Describe the life cycle of a star. 

To explain the life-cycle of a star in terms of the forces generated 

4.9 Chemistry of the Atmosphere 

To describe the evolution of the earth's atmosphere and explain key changes. 

To describe and explain climate change & the greenhouse effect. 

To describe the process of fractional distillation of air. 

To describe and explain the causes of acid rain & global dimming. 

4.10 Using Resources

To describe potable water and how to obtain it. 

To describe how water is treated prior to use and how waste-water is treated prior to release. 

To describe the key properties & uses of Polymers, metals, composites & ceramics. 

To describe a Life-cycle assessment 

To describe alternative methods of copper extraction 

To describe the Haber process, explain the compromises in terms of equilibrium. 

To describe how reactions of ammonia lead to the creation of NPK fertilisers. 

4.7 Ecology 

To be able to define & use the key words related to ecology. 

To explain the relationships between organisms in an ecosystem including biotic & abiotic factors. 

To describe the distribution & abundance of an organism given data and explain the factors that lead to competition in plants and animals. 

To explain adaptations in plants and animals that make survival more likely. 

Revision of content and skills from throughout the GCSE course, with a focus on exam questions and application of knowledge to common and unusual scenarios. 

Reteach

Focussed on QLA & data from the mock examinations to close gaps. This starts with the usual areas of difficulty eg: 

• Quantitative chemistry 

• Electrolysis & half equations 

• Equilibrium

• Hormones & responses 

• Genetic variation & punnets squares 

• Osmosis, diffusion & active transport 

Revision of content and skills from throughout the GCSE course, with a focus on exam questions and application of knowledge to common and unusual scenarios.