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Science

Every student studies science in every year group with full access to the Key Stage Three and Key Stage Four National Curriculum.

Throughout both key stages science is delivered in an engaging and enjoyable way. We provide a learning environment with excellent facilities were every learner can make better than expected progress.

The Team:

The team is made up of three science specialists supported by a higher level teaching assistant and a team of highly trained support staff.

Achievement and progress:

Year 7 is taught in mixed ability groups, whereas years 8 to 11 are taught in ability groupings. Students follow a qualification pathway that suits their needs and achieve either an Entry Level, Level 1 Certificate or the Combined Science GCSE (resulting in the achievement of two GCSE qualifications).

KS3 Science Overview 2025-2026

 

KS4 Science overview 2025-2026

 

KS4 Science Overview 2025-26

Practical science:

The key stage three and four science curriculum at Oaklands has a high practical content, whereby, all students access practical investigations to support and develop their learning.

 

Modelling:

The department maximises the opportunities for students to be involved in modelling, particularly to create visual representations of abstract concepts; this helps to make abstract concepts concrete and supports the student’s learning and progress.

 

Extra-curricular activities and enrichment:

To support the development of a curious mind-set and the real-life application of science knowledge, the science department are committed to providing extra-curricular activities, which provide real-life links to science, in order to enthuse and engage the students, making them question activities and choices in their everyday lives.

Science Week:

The main way in which the science department organise extra-curricular activities is with the annual implementation of British Science Week. During science lessons within science week at Oaklands, all students in KS3 and KS4, will have opportunities to broaden their application of science knowledge with the completion of tasks and activities designed to inspire young people to think, dream and behave like scientists; encouraging them to become more independent and reflective learners through enquiry-based project work.

A major part of science week at Oaklands, features external trips and visits, which allow the students to experience real-life links to science, often within everyday contexts. 

Science week at Oaklands School was celebrated in the week commencing 20th April 2026. The following extra-curricular provision was facilitated as part of Oaklands School Science week 25-26 (please note these events ran alongside the extra-curricular science lessons delivered to all year groups throughout this week):
Monday 6th October 2025 Monday 20th April 2026 Tuesday 21st April 2026 Wednesday 22nd April 2026 Thursday 23rd April 2026 Friday 24th April 2026

Year 11 CSI workshop

 

 

 

Science week introduction assembly (whole school)

Year 10 Rollercoaster workshop

Creepy crawly show –  whole school

Year 8 visit to Peak Wildlife  Park

 

Year 9 visit to Chester Zoo

 

Year 10 visit to Alton Towers

 

 Year7 visit to Catalyst Science mueseum

Please note that the main year 11 science week event will take place during the Autumn term as above, in order to ease time pressures for the pupils during their examination preparation time in the spring/summer terms.

 

Eco-Council:

To raise awareness of sustainability, Mrs Meachin runs an eco-council, consisting of one elected representative from each form group. The eco-council meet once per week and discuss ways to improve and implement sustainable practices within school and our local communities; in addition to this, the eco-council work hard to encourage a greater range of biodiversity within our school community grounds. The ultimate aim of the eco-council is for our representatives to take what they have learnt and educate others on sustainable practices and why they are important.

 

During the 2024-25 academic year, the eco-council had the exciting opportunity to work alongside the team at Chester Zoo on a large climate and sustainability project.  As part of this collaboration, pupils took part in three workshops delivered in school by the Chester Zoo team, followed by a fourth workshop held at the zoo itself.

The project provided pupils with the opportunity to explore key issues surrounding climate change and sustainability, while learning about the important conservation work carried out by Chester Zoo. Following the workshops, the eco-council continued to build on their learning during regular meetings, raising awareness across the school community through activities such as assemblies and fundraising initiatives to support habitats affected by climate change.

Our partnership with Chester Zoo continues to grow through the active involvement of Miss Swindells and Mrs Meachin in the Chester Zoo Teacher Network. We value the opportunities this relationship provides and remain committed to working with the zoo on future projects that enrich pupils’ understanding of conservation, sustainability and environmental stewardship.

 

Gardening Club:

Mrs Meachin also runs a weekly gardening club, which is open for all students to attend. As part of gardening club the students are involved with growing produce for our school animals and grow a variety of plants to encourage a greater range of biodiversity and offer habitats for animals within our school grounds.

Stretch and challenge in Science at Oaklands:

Within the Science Department at Oaklands, we aim to stretch and challenge our most able learners and provide additional enrichment opportunities that develop their skills as young scientists. Over the years, this has included a range of projects, visits and workshops designed to deepen pupils’ understanding of science beyond the classroom.

One such opportunity involved an extended partnership project with Chester Zoo, which focused on developing pupils’ understanding of real-world environmental issues and enhancing their ability to educate others about climate change and sustainability. Similar enrichment opportunities continue to be offered each year.

During the 2023–24 academic year, a group of pupils visited Jodrell Bank Observatory to broaden their understanding of space, the Solar System and our planet through a range of engaging educational experiences.

During the 2024–25 academic year, selected pupils took part in a climate and sustainability project in collaboration with the team at Chester Zoo. Throughout the spring and summer terms, pupils participated in three workshops delivered in school by the Chester Zoo team, followed by a fourth workshop held at the zoo itself.

Following the completion of the workshops, pupils continued to develop the project alongside the Eco-Council, raising awareness across the school community about the issues they had explored. This included activities such as assemblies, awareness campaigns and fundraising initiatives to support Chester Zoo’s work in protecting habitats affected by climate change. The project provided a valuable opportunity for pupils to apply their learning and become advocates for environmental action within the school and wider community.

Alongside these enrichment opportunities, the Science Department actively supports pupils in working towards a range of external qualifications, from Entry Level 3 to GCSE, helping them to develop confidence, gain recognised accreditation and fulfil their potential as young scientists.

 

Additional enrichment projects:

The Science department embeds additional enrichment opportunities into the science curriculum, where possible.

Previous enrichment projects have focused on sustainability and living a healthy lifestyle.

One of the largest projects undertaken with a sustainability focus has been a project around deforestation and palm oil. The palm oil project included our school community learning about the impacts of harvesting palm oil for the biodiversity within Borneo and was concluded by the school raising money to support the conservation work of Chester Zoo in Borneo.

Science – An overview