Science at Passmores
Passmores School, Harlow, England
(detailed contacts at end of page)
Contents
1. Hot News
2. Experimental Results available from our classes. Click on the link provided. In turn, help needed from other scientists (student or professional) to enable our pupils to make their results and overall conclusions more valid and reliable (resistance, photosynthesis, rate of reaction, and other investigations).
3. Mission Statement
4. How to get information on your child's progress, also explanation of basic, advanced, and exceptional certificates awarded in the lower school.
5. Science Visits
1.Hot News
Devon Visit Dates.
The next visit for year 7 pupils is the week before Easter, Sunday 23rd March to Friday 28th March with emphasis on the intertidal zone. Pupils obtain letters from their science teacher or press here for a letter and press here for a consent form .
Press here to get a mission statement for our fieldwork visits to Devon.
INSET Training for all staff at ASE Conference
press here for a full report of what the teachers found out
Science Investigations
Our year 11 pupils have just done their investigation into rate of chemical reaction of acid on thiosulphate solution. The factors affecting the rate which were investigated are concentration of chemicals and temperature. We would welcome contributions from other schools who have done similar experiments, especially to check if their results and conclusions agree with those found by us. It would be of particular interest to contact a school who have done an unusual experiment perhaps investigating an unusual chemical reaction or a factor affecting it which is not usually looked at in detail. We have investigated cyanlume light sticks following a suggestion made to us by email and this has enhanced our mark scores at GCSE.
Certificates hot news: higher standards will now be required for the investigation element. See section 4.
2. Scientific Help Wanted
It is very important that pupils can compare their results with pupils in other schools or with professional scientists in government industry or academic institutions. We in return can comment on any results or reports sent to us and let you know if our work agrees with yours.
In particular any experimental results on factors affecting photosynthesis, resistance of different electrical conductors, and rates of chemical reaction. We are looking for a good range of observations to make our results more (or less) valid and reliable or show the effect of ,say, a climatic factor. email us and send word6, excel5, text, or send us the hard copy by mail. Everything received will be acknowledged and you will be improving our grades.
For our part we can send sets of results obtained by us. To see more, press here to get sample resistance measurements . For Photosynthesis measurements press here to get some detailed results. Press here to get some rate of reaction results.
Press here to get some year 7 experimental results . The pendulum studies show a different aspect of school science , that is that some experiments are intrinsically inaccurate and it is difficult to explain the errors because many factors operate to affect the result. In addition for pendulum studies the theory is really too complex for our pupils to give a good explanation of the reliability and validity of their results. However the other reports on springs (fieldwork and other expts to be added later) are reliable and well devised experiments considering the age of the scientists involved.
Remember send some of your results to us for our youngsters to use!
To see a really good link for science results look at Sc1Journal. press here for Sc1Journal link
3. Mission Statement
Definition
A mission is a statement defining the expectations of an organisation in terms of the business it is in, and the purpose and constraints it gives itself. It may combine with a statement of values that the organisation holds.
It is a long term rarely changed statement. It is different from a set of objectives which should be measurable, achievable and related to a period of time. Objectives need to be reviewed regularly, a mission statement does not.
Passmores Science Department Mission
We wish every pupil to enjoy and gain satisfaction from their personal study of science. We intend that every learner will have maximum access to the full Science National Curriculum at Key Stage 3(up to age 14) and Key Stage 4 (GCSE examinations at age 16). We intend that pupils should relate their taught science to their everyday experience and see science as an investigative method as well as a set of useful ideas and results which help explain the world around us.
We intend to do this in these contexts which are our constraints.
(1) Formal instructional Science lessons of length one hour timetabled in the school day.
(2) Personal Study based on work done in formal lessons. Further work is set to be done out of lessons (called homework) .
(3) Organised visits out of class but in which the activities are structured for learning.
(4) Tutorials. Teachers are available for consultation after school hours and after lessons.
(5) The observed world, including communications media and information services and interactive teaching aids accessed by personal computer.
Every pupil should realise their full potential in the knowledge area known as science and this will be interpreted in the sense of only maximum effort will be acceptable within the contexts described above. In particular work done as coursework or preparation for terminal external examinations will be required to be the best possible that a pupil can produce.
We intend that all pupils will have a personal responsibility for their own learning , carefully using all the contexts above in a planned way setting their own targets for short term achievement.
4. Contacting us on your Child's progress and Science Certificates
Please contact us by e-mailmailto:science191@aol.com, fax , letter, or phone call for information on your child's latest and average test results and if possible a brief comment from the present class teacher. This information is immediately to hand and we are happy to share it with you. Remember you can contact us personally via the pastoral staff (personal tutors) in the school on any matter.
Science Certificates.
We award certificates for progress in science in the lower school. They are based on tests passed (seven end of module tests are set in a year) and National Curriculum investigations completed. This gives pupils positive feedback on their progress and rewards their effort.
Please note higher standards required from September1996 shown in red. This will be significantly more challenging but the pupils are now more familiar with the importance and details of the sceme and we feel this change will generate higher standards for the majority of pupils.
The majority of pupils should expect to receive a basic certificate as this involves passing three tests (out of seven in the year) at over 50% and completing one investigation.
Half to two thirds of all pupils should expect to receive an advanced certificate as this involves passing four tests (out of 7) at over 66% and completing one investigation at one above the expected standard for their year.
About half a dozen pupils in a year may receive the exceptional certificate as this involves a consistent exceptionally high standard of work. This involves passing five tests (out of 7) at over 80% and completing one investigation at two levels above the expected standard for the year.
The year for the award of certificates runs from September to July which is our academic year. The first basic certificates are awarded in January (as 3 tests have been attempted by then) , the first advanced in about March and the exceptional certificates are held over to the next year to be awarded at the November School Awards Ceremony.
Pupils may receive more than one level of certificate getting their basic first and then higher certificates.
Summary of Certificates:
| Year and Certificate | Tests Passed | Investigation Levels |
| Year 7 Basic | 3 at >50% | 1 at any level |
| Advanced | 4 at >66% | 1 at level 4 |
| Exceptional | 5 at >80% | 1 at level 5 |
| Year 8 Basic | 3 at >50% | 1 at any level |
| Advanced | 4 at >66% | 1 at level 5 |
| Exceptional | 5 at >80% | 1 at level 6 |
| Year 9 Basic | 3 at >50% | 1 at any level |
| Advanced | 4 at >66% | 1 at level 6 |
| Exceptional | 5 at >80% | 1 at level 7 |
5. Science Visits
The Science Department makes two annual visits to the South Hams of Devon to study the intertidal zone and metamorphic rocks. These visits are in the autumn term half term break and in the Easter break We hope to make more in the future as part of the summer experiences week in term time.
The next visit for year 7 pupils is the week before Easter, Sunday 23rd March to Friday 28th March with emphasis on the intertidal zone. Pupils obtain letters from their science teacher or press here for a letter and press here for a consent form .
Press here to get a mission statement for our fieldwork visits.
We visit local ponds to compare plant and animal life with the light level, salts dissolved, acidity, and murkiness of the ponds. From this conclusions about photosynthesis, food chains, and general ecological interrelationships are drawn.
We also visit the Science Museum as an ideas centre of industrial and scientific thought as mediated by the objects collected there.
Author of Site: Peter Allen, Assessment and IT Co-ordinator, Science Department
Curator of Site: Bridget Betts, Head of Science Department
Passmores Secondary School (11-16), delivering the United Kingdom National Curriculum
Science Department, Passmores School, Tendring Road, Harlow .Essex. CM18 6RW
Phone +44 (0)1279 431921 Fax +44 (0)1279 445515
email: science191@aol.com www: http://members.aol.com/science191
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since 1st September 1996