Strictly speaking, Key Stage 3 lasts for three years: spanning Years 7 to 9. But over the last decade, an increasing number of schools have switched to offering a two- or two and a half-year KS3 programme. This has allowed schools to redress the difficulty of covering the lengthy GCSE specification content in only Years […]
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A quick search to find and compare the figures for young people taking STEM subjects at further and higher education paints a somewhat ambiguous picture. On the one hand, the DfE suggests record numbers of young people are being accepted onto STEM undergraduate courses1; significantly up from similar figures a decade ago. On the other […]
Read more Cognitive load relates to the amount of information that a person can hold in their working memory at any one time. During learning, information is held in your working memory until it has been processed enough to transfer into your larger capacity long-term memory. If new information is not transferred, it will most likely be […]
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As every learner is unique, so is every science teacher. Each with their own specialisms and areas of interest, there are always going to be parts of the science curriculum in which science teachers are more-confident and others in which they need more guidance. Adding to that, teacher recruitment and retention being an increasing concern […]
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What was happening in the UK in 2015? Justin Bieber was storming the charts with not one, not two, but three Number 1 hits. Dinosaurs were running amok again in Jurassic World. The polls opened for the general election. As all this was happening, school were preparing to update their KS3 science curriculum, in line […]
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Oxford Smart Activate is the next evolution of the best-selling KS3 series, Activate. From the initial discussions of the Curriculum Development group, through to the testing phase with over 20 Pioneer Schools working with Year 7 groups, the development of Oxford Smart Activate has been a team effort. We wanted to shine a light on […]
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Read the latest installment in our #InspireWithScience series, where Will Heathcote, one of the authors of DP Physics, explores the relevance of DP Physics in the face of the global challenge of climate change. Will unravels the connections between the new DP Physics syllabus, and how it enables students to be scientifically literate when it comes to climate change.
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Professional Development Lead Louise Pennington shares her experience of writing maths resources for Oxford University Press
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In this blog, Dr Andrew Chandler-Grevatt exemplifies how the KS3 science curriculum behind Oxford Smart Activate supports science departments to enact the recommended practices regarding intent, implementation and impact.
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Revision experts Primrose Kitten and Jessica Walmsley discuss three simple steps to revise Science successfully at Key Stage 3.
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