The Charter School

The Science department is committed to providing an exciting and stimulating science curriculum for every child in The Charter School. Our aim is to allow students to learn through practical experience using a variety of experimental techniques and approaches both on and off site. The science department has a staff of 10 qualified science teachers with specialists in Physics, Chemistry and Biology who have had previous experience in industry. We have six fully equipped laboratories and a wide range of science apparatus.

 

We are an energetic and innovative department that is currently developing links with industry and consistently looking for new ways to improve science education for all the students at The Charter School.

In the recent past we have organised shows of rare birds of prey and giant insects in “The Big Bug Experience . During these shows students had the opportunity to handle and have contact with rare birds of prey such as the African eagle and huge stick insects.

 

In July 2006 in conjunction with the Maths.department we organised a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. Students who attended the trip said “It has been the trip of a lifetime", “Amazing", “Can we stay here for another week please!", “Thank you so much for organising the trip!"

 

The trip was a roaring success, students and staff who attended were lucky enough to get VIP passes (reserved only for family and friends of astronauts) to see the landing of the orbiter. Students also went through a full day of astronaut training and got to fly a mock orbiter.

 

 

A recent Ofsted Inspection reported that pupils at the Charter School, “enjoy science’’ and the nine qualified teachers of all specialisms work as a team to provide the very best science education possible.

 

As a department we believe in learning through exciting practical experience and this common theme runs throughout our schemes of work. This allows students to build confidence and gain knowledge through their own experience. We are successfully implementing the new 21^st Century Science for GCSE. Through it we offer a wide range of activities which aims to meet the different learning styles of each pupil.