Chelmsford County High School for Girls
A foundation grammar school and specialist college
Subjects
Biology
Key Stage 3
Year 7: Introduction to science skills needed for all three sciences. They find out about cells, tissues, organs, classification (arthropods), reproduction, variation, ecological relationships, food webs and chains.
Year 8: The focus is on plant reproduction (selective breeding), ecology / human influence, digestion, organs, kidney circulation and respiratory system / exercise (locusts), plant biology and photosynthesis. The year includes a field visit to Fingringhoe Field Centre.
Year 9: Introduction module - foundations / building blocks for biology at GCSE level. Cells, transport across membranes, respiration and basic inheritance. (Autumn Term)
Start GCSE work, food and diet, adaptation / competition - leading to a field trip in Year 10. (Spring / Summer Term)
GCSE
The syllabus is the basis for a wide range of studies which include cell structure, transport, homeostasis, evolution and human physiology.
The emphasis is very much on the students acquiring a sound factual base which can be applied to new situations, as well as learning to employ the correct biological terminology.
Coursework involves practical investigations which allow students to plan their work and analyse the results.
Sixth Form
Because the area of Biology is so vast, diverse and ever-changing, a major aim of the AS and A2 level course is to provide students with the skills to differentiate between the important and not so important facts, to be able to place these facts on a sound foundation of principles and to be clear about the applications such facts may have in the wider world.
The course is modular, involving a high degree of practical work that is carried out individually or in small groups.