Science options

[PassTheTwiglets]

Is science always a single subject these days? Am starting to look ahead at secondaries and was surprised to see that there was just one 'Science' otion rather than the three Chemistry, Biology, Physics options that we did at school. Am wondering if that's just the 2 schools I looked at so or is this now standard?

[bruffin]

You either take triple science or double which is a lower award. You can't take physics, chemistry or biology by themselves nowadays.for the triple each subject is individually timetables and you got separate scores for each subject. Not sure how double works

[titchy]

No it's standard now. You don't decide on what Sciences you#re going to do (unless doing iGCSEs). Core (1 x GCSE) is a mixture of Phys, Chem and Bio. Double Science (2 x GCSEs, aka Core + Additional) is a mixture of more Phys, Chem and Bio). Triple (3 x GCSEs, aka Core + Additional + further additional) is yet more Phys, Chem and Bio! The triple is more often that not awarded as separate subjects though rather than a triple GCSE, unlike double, which is always awarded as a double award GCSE.

[eatyourveg]

In our school the double is timetabled in the same way as the triple so you are taught the biology element by the biology teacher, chemistry by a chemist and physics by a physician. The difference between the double and the triple is that the triple is made up of 6 units, the double just 4. Unit 1&2 is core science 3&4 is additional science.

[PassTheTwiglets]

And is this double/triple thingy standard at all schools? ie. you can take either single or double or triple at every school, or do some schools only offer single? Am just wondering whether this is a factor to consider with choosing a secodnary, or is it the same across the board?

[crazymum53]

Although the subject on the timetable says Science this will be a mixture of Chemistry, Physics and Biology so your dc will be studying all these subjects. This has been standard in schools since the introduction of GCSEs and the National curriculum.
Your use of the word "single" Science is unfortunate as there are GCSE options to study either single Science GCSE which is a combination of all 3 sciences and counts as one GCSE, Double award which counts as 2 GCSEs and triple which is equivalent to 3 GCSEs.

[Lfs2126]

hi at my Ds school, "science' is timetabled for y7 and 8 although the subjects are taught in separate units by the same teacher. in yr 9 each science is taught as a separate entity by a specialist in that field. At the end of yr 10, the double/triple science sets are decided.

[titchy]

Double triple thingy standard yes

Core (1 GCSE) usually only for academically very weak kids. Double is for everyone else. Triple limited to those considered bright and who want the extra science GCSE - criteria for this will change dependent upon school,

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

To be fair, I have know of only core being offered to bright kids in some schools where the main focus is another area of skill, ie a music college or performing arts.

It's can then free up option space for other subjects.

However, the most common would be Core/additional science, as you said titchy.

[BooksandaCuppa]

If you're referring to KS3 (Years 7-9), some schools will actually teach the three sciences separately, by specialists, and some won't.

My (grammar) school - the students have 'science' in yr 7, phys, chem and bio separately in yrs 8-9 and then either choose double or triple science in years 10-11.

Ds's independent school, he has separate teachers for all three in yr 7 (though his timetable only says science) onwards.

The curriculum handbook might only refer to 'science' for KS3, though, even if it's taught separately. Specialist science teachers can be more of a rarity than other subjects areas, so provision may vary.

[Knowsabitabouteducation]

It is very common for students to study Science in Year 7 and 8. This means they have all their science lessons with one teacher, who goes through the programme of study topic by topic.

In Year 9 or 10, they will move onto three different teachers, and be timetabled for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. In any given week, they are study three different science topics.

This will be the case whether they take Science/Additional/(Further Additional) or Biology/Chemistry/Physics at GCSE.

Caveat: a significant minority of schools will do things differently - eg selective schools are more likely to have three timetabled subjects from Year 7.

[BackforGood]

Or, very often they have 'Science' on the timetable, but will do 'blocks' of physics, then chmiestry, then biology, or may be doing physics and chem on term then chem and biology for one term, the biol and phy for one term.
In truth, every school's timetabling will be a bit different, but to summarise, then no, you can't take 'physics' without taking 'biology' in most schools now.

It's a question worth asking - how do you structure your science teaching now?' but it's worth remembering that it's 99% likely to have changed inbetween you doing the initial look round schools, and the time coming for your dcs to be doing their GCSEs. (I have 1 in 6th form, 1 in Yr9 and 1 in Yr6 so have experienced so many things changing from what the school were doing when we first looked round when dc1 was in Yr5)

[Knowsabitabouteducation]

I don't think a carousel will work with linear, June-only, exams. Are there schools still doing this?

[titchy]

I assume not state school shipwrecked, but something like Chets or Yehudi Menuhin music school? A state school offering only core would be thrashed to within an inch of its life by ofsted I'd have thought!

[BackforGood]

Knows - they aren't taking GCSEs in KS3 though, are they? OP is "starting to look at secondaries" - I would presume her dc is in Yr5

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

Yes, that's right titchy!

I realise it doesn't really bring anything to the thread at all. [Grin] and I'm not being massively helpful to the op.

I just remember meeting a science teacher from such a school on a course and it struck me how ironic it was that in most school science has such a high profile and in her school it really was very low down the priority list.

[titchy]

Shipwrecked. The real irony of course is that music scholar make ideal sound engineers but these would never get a look in with such little science!

[PassTheTwiglets]

Thanks very much, everyone! Gosh, this secondary business is all a bit head-spinny, isn't it? :)

[lljkk]

Head-spinney, indeed.

Friends who HE have their DC taking single subject sciences (IGCSEs), suspect it's possible in some private schools, too.

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

That what triple science is lljkk

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

's.... Obviously

[lljkk]

But HEing friends their children are not getting GCSEs in Physics & Biology & Chemistry, only some of them (Chem & Bio, I think). They aren't bothered with Physics, aren't studying for it at all.

Whereas in a state school you'd be time-tabled for all 3 even if you only wanted one of them.

[titchy]

They must be doing iGCSEs then link

[titchy]

Link? Lijkk!

[lljkk]

I did state igcses in my earlier post, I don't think the HErs really see any difference except that one is accessible to them and not the other.
Was just trying to think how could someone get only one or 2 of those subjects and not have to try for all 3.