Science

Science at DEC is designed to fulfil the four principal arguments put forward by the ASE (ASE Guide to Secondary Science Education 2006) to justify the place of science in the core curriculum:

1) The reliable and useful knowledge argument – this argues that, in addition to useful knowledge needed to describe the world, a scientific habit of mind allows students to rationally tackle questions and problems based on empirical evidence.

2) The economic argument – as developed countries continue to base their economies on STEM based careers and businesses, school science can be seen as pre-professional education which enables students to access careers in the modern world.

3) The cultural argument – science is one of the great achievements of our culture and students should have the opportunity to access this cultural capital and knowledge of how it was derived.

4) The democratic argument – many of the dilemmas confronting the modern world are based around science and STEM related topics. With adequate knowledge of these issues and the mind-set with which to challenge ideas, citizens are likely to become democratically empowered and able to make informed judgements of their own.

We fulfil these arguments by teaching the three science disciplines discretely from year 7 through to year 13. This, combined with curricula that are designed by specialists and practical work, enables students to iteratively develop their knowledge and understanding of key phenomena in the world around them.

In year 7, students will study the following units (not necessarily in this order:)

  • Cells, tissues and organs
  • Sexual Reproduction
  • Muscles and bones
  • Ecosystems
  • Separating mixtures
  • Acids and alkalis
  • The Particle Model
  • Atoms, elements and compounds
  • Energy
  • Electricity
  • Forces
  • Sound

In addition to the year 7 curriculum above, we offer a number of extra-curricular opportunities for students of all ages. In recent years, these have included visits to:

  • The Thinktank
  • The Big Bang Fair at the NEC
  • The Big Chemistry and Physics Quizzes at the University of Birmingham
  • The Lapworth Museum of Geology

We are also lucky to maintain partnerships with The University of Birmingham and The University of Newcastle and these have led to researchers visiting school to further enrich our curricula with cutting edge machinery and discoveries.

Over the course of the past few years, the results in GCSE Combined and Triple Science (Edexcel) have been on a rapid rise. Our Triple Science students now achieve well above the national averages for grades 7+ and this is testament to their hard work. We are also excited about our growing A Level groups, with our first cohort achieving 100% A*-C in 2019-20. We now see the Science journey at DEC very much as a 7 year one, giving students the options and guidance they need to access STEM careers.