Senior School Curriculum Biology
Biology
Biology is life!
Biology is a highly relevant and exciting subject: we had the age of chemistry, then we had the age of physics – now it’s the turn of biology!
Molecular biology in particular is making a huge impact on the human race and the way we live our lives, and raises many difficult ethical concerns. The subject is one of the growth areas in the marketplace with areas such as: genetic engineering, genetic fingerprinting, forensic science and genetic counseling to name but a few. We will all live to see our lifestyles changed even more. Biology is a complex wide-ranging discipline with many career opportunities. Careers aside, its relevance has everyday pertinence.
As a result the department wishes to encourage a range of students to engage in Biological study, from the Year 9 girl or boy who needs a stimulating, hands-on introduction into the biological sciences, to the GCSE pupil, and on to the serious A-level student conscious of their options for university and careers in a biologically relevant area.
Topics studied in GCSE include:
- How science works;
- Human biology: environment;
- Health, Drug abuse, disease;
- Evolution and environment: adaptation, variation, evolution, how people affect the planet
- Additional biology: cells, plants, energy flows, enzymes, homeostasis, inheritance
- Further biology:
- Exchange of materials in organisms, transporting substances around the body
- Microbiology
- Ethics.
As you may have read on the other Science areas of the Clayesmore site, we offer GCSE Biology to the top two groups in years 10 and 11 and then Science and Additional Science to three further teaching groups. These are all new syllabuses which are full of interest and we’re finding them very relevant and enjoyable.
At A-level most of these topics are studied in greater depth. We are in the process of deciding which syllabus to adopt for September 2008 and will update this information in due course. In addition to all the theory, we offer opportunities for hands on learning: dissections, field trips, practical work, and the development of many skills that may be used beyond the subject, such as analytical skills.
As with the other Science areas at Clayesmore, we are a technologically advanced department offering most of the latest technology to assist learning.