Science is everywhere, many students travel to school on a bus, and in that trip alone, there are many examples of technology based on the Scientific method. The school bus is a product of many areas of Science and technology, including mechanical engineering and innovation. The roads, lights, paths and bridges and other building are carefully designed by civil engineers and planners. The smartphone in the student’s hand is a miracle of modern computer engineering which were all created by the use of the Scientific method over many years. Outside the window, trees turn sunlight into stored energy and create the oxygen we need to survive. Whether “natural” or human-derived, every aspect of a student’s life is filled with Science — from their own internal biology to the flat-screen TV in the living room. Studying Science is fundamentally important to allowing students to make sense of the world around them. 

The study of Science takes situations that seem complex such as why an aircraft can fly, or how human body can heal itself and break these ideas down into series of simple concepts that once you have learnt can be pieced together to allow you to understand a topic that once seemed beyond your understanding. We aim to develop this ability at SVCS by increasing the students understanding of How Science works which are an underpinning set of concepts that cover all the different Science subjects and is a means whereby students come to understand how scientists investigate scientific phenomena in their attempts to explain the world about us. Moreover, How Science Works recognises the contribution scientists have made to their own disciplines and to the wider world, it also allows the Students to recognise that scientists may be influenced by their own beliefs and that these can affect the way in which they approach their work.  A solid grounding in the How Science works skills allows the ability to evaluate ideas they encounter throughout their everyday life, to allow them to dismiss any pseudoscience they encounter. 

At Stour Valley we provide a curriculum that develops the students’ ability to investigate, observe, experiment and test their ideas. We start this process by giving students the opportunity to explore the practical side of Science by having one lesson once in every three hours of teaching which is dedicated to practical work. This equips our students to think about what has been studied in the classroom and relate this to the world around them. To ensure a deep long-lasting understanding of the Science subjects a balanced curriculum is taught to all students that gives equal amount of time to Biology, Chemistry and Physics the Science regardless of if they are sitting the AQA Trilogy or Triple science course to ensure all student have a broad and balanced exposure to all three science subjects throughout KS3 and KS4.

We aim to inspire our students to become motivated scientists, engineers, and tradespeople of the future, to meet the demand of STEM based professions and hopefully go on to discover things which have not yet been discovered and invent technology we do not yet know we need.