Welcome to Physics!
Of the 10 Big Ideas that we cover during Key Stage 3, 4 of these come under physics. These are Forces, Electromagnets, Energy and Waves.
Year 7
During year 7 our students will learn about speed, gravity, voltage, resistance and current as well as energy costs. The year 7 syllabus therefore covers principles such as calculating speed, looking at the difference between weight and mass and identifying the relationship between current, voltage and resistance in an electrical circuit.
Year 8
In year 8 students revisit those big ideas at a higher level of complexity, as well as being introduced to some new areas not covered in year 7. Students learn about sound and light, contact forces, pressure and magnetism. Principles such as amplitude and wavelength are introduced, the properties of light as a wave as well as the fundamentals of magnetism and factors that affect the strength of an electromagnet.
Year 9
In year 9 students will look at work (in terms of “work done” when energy is transferred) heating and cooling, wave effects and wave properties, the latter building upon the concepts of waves taught during the sound and light topics in year 8. Students then begin to work towards their GCSE content by focussing on the core principles that underpin the physical science such as the idea that differences, for example between pressures or temperatures or electrical potentials, are the drivers of change.
Year 10 and 11
In year’s 10 and 11 The programme of study in Physics breaks the subject down into 8 topic areas; namely Energy, Electricity, Particle model of matter, Atomic structure, Forces, Waves, Magnetism and Electromagnetism and Space physics.
Click the document below to read our full physics learning journey.