Biology
Staff
Head of Department is Mr David Myers who is a graduate of University College Cardiff where he studied Botany and Zoology. He also has an MSc in Ecology from the University of Durham and is House Master of Jones House.
Ms Lucy Price is primarily a Biologist who also teaches General Science and Chemistry. She was a Clinical Biochemist and a Forensic Crime Scenes Officer before she joined the school.
She is currently General Science Co-ordinator, a post she has held for four years, and teaches Biology up to 'A' level.
Miss Lindsay Buckett is our technician and has quickly become an invaluable member of the team.
Biology is taught as a separate subject to all pupils from Year 9 upwards. In Years 7 and 8 it is taught as part of the General Science course by experienced teachers from the three departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
All pupils in Years 10 and 11 follow the AQA Double Award (Co-ordinated) Specification B which leads to dual qualifications at GCSE, with separate examinations for each of the three sciences. The majority of pupils achieve grades from A* to C.
The Biology section of the GCSE course is entitled Life Processes and Living Things. This includes the basic topics of Cell Activity, Humans as Organisms, Green Plants as Organisms, Variation-Inheritance and Evolution and Living Things in Their Environment. These enable all pupils to have a thorough grounding in the basics of Biology but there are many links with other areas.
In addition to the written examinations, 20% of the course marks
are obtained by internal coursework, which is carried out at the
start of Year 11.
A Level
In Years 12 and 13 many students continue with Biology to obtain AS and A2 qualifications. Many go on to read Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy or Veterinary Science at University. Others have gone on to read Biology or Biological Sciences at University.
AS Schedule of Work
AQA - Specification B
| i) | September - December | Module 1 CORE PRINCIPLES |
Sit Module Exam - January |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii) | December - March | Module 2 GENES GENETIC ENGINEERING |
Sit Module Exams - May and June |
| iii) | March - May | Module 3 PHYSIOLOGY TRANSPORT |
Sit Module Exams May and June |
iv) AS Coursework (7.5%). Includes Planning, Implementing, Analysis, Evaluation skills carried out during the AS Course as part of Practical Assessments.
A2 Level Schedule of Work
AQA Specification B
| i) | September - December | Module 4 ENERGY CONTROL CONTINUITY |
Sit Module Exam - January |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii) | January - March | Module 7 MICROBES AND DISEASESit |
Module Exams - May and June |
| iii) | March - May | Module 5 ENVIRONMENT |
Sit Module Exams May and June |
ALL these modules include SYNOPSIS - Work covered in AS modules can be tested in A2 Module exams.
iv) A2 Coursework (7.5%). Done as an Investigation, includes Planning, Implementing, Analysis, Evaluation and Synoptic content, will be linked to Module7, in January - March period.
v) Module 7 Paper has a section B which comprises of
data-handling questions on Biological Principles and ONE ESSAY
question.
Biology/Natural History Club
The club has now been running for seventeen years and aims to encourage an interest in all aspects of Biology but particularly Natural History. There is a thriving Pets section and membership is open to all age levels. The club meets weekly and involves talks or discussions on topics of current interest. Every fortnight there is a Sixth-Form discussion group on Medical and related matters.
There is an annual weekend outing in June to our Outdoor Centre, Harris House, at Hardraw in the Yorkshire Dales.
University applications tutors for Biological Science courses have noted and commented on the value of being a member of such a society.
