Chemistry at Holy Rood RC High School
Science engages learners of all ages, interests and abilities. The science curriculum allows pupils to develop a wide range of transferable skills and those specific to pursuing a career in science.
Alongside the science content taught, pupils will also develop numeracy, literacy and problem solving skills. These valuable skills allow the pupils to succeed across the capacities in the Curriculum for Excellence.
S1 pupils receive 3 science lessons each week covering a range of topics throughout the year. All assessment is formative and prepares the pupils for S2.
S2 pupils will engage in subject specialist teaching across Biology, Chemistry and Physics. This will help inform the learners before they make their course choices. Some summative testing is carried out to prepare pupils for the work in S3.
S3-S4 pupils will have opted to choose their preferred science subject(s). They will study each if their subjects for 3 periods per week and begin to prepare for the National awards at the end of S4.
S5-S6 pupils have the option to select further National Qualification subjects in Science. This includes National courses up to Advanced Higher, as well as vocational “”
Staff
Mr Andrew Gillies – Curriculum Leader
Mr Stephen Dixon
Mrs Aliya Saqib
Mr Colin Yorkston
Subjects & Levels Offered
National 3
Chemistry
National courses reflect the Curriculum for Excellence values, purposes and principles. They offer flexibility, provide more time for learning, more focus on skills and applying learning, and scope for personalisation and choice.
National 3 chemistry is the study of matter and it’s interactions. It contributes essential knowledge and understanding across all aspects of our lives. This course is practically-based and covers the broad areas of how we use the earth’s resources, the chemical reactions which affect our everyday lives and the chemistry which impacts on our environment.
National 4
Chemistry
National courses reflect the Curriculum for Excellence values, purposes and principles. They offer flexibility, provide more time for learning, more focus on skills and applying learning, and scope for personalisation and choice.
National 4 chemistry explains the links between the particulate nature of matter and the macroscopic properties of the world. Chemistry research and development is essential for the introduction of new products. The key areas of atomic structure, bonding and chemical equations are integrated throughout the course.
National 5
Chemistry
National courses reflect the Curriculum for Excellence values, purposes and principles. They offer flexibility, provide more time for learning, more focus on skills and applying learning, and scope for personalisation and choice.
National 5 chemistry course will develop pupils’ curiosity, interest and enthusiasm for chemistry in a range of contexts. The course will include chemical changes and structure including, rates of reaction, formulae and reacting quantities, and acids and bases. Pupils will plan and design experiments to test given hypotheses.
Higher Chemistry
National courses reflect the Curriculum for Excellence values, purposes and principles. They offer flexibility, provide more time for learning, more focus on skills and applying learning, and scope for personalisation and choice.
Higher chemistry pupils will develop an appreciation of the impact of chemistry on their everyday lives by applying their knowledge and understanding of chemical concepts in practical situations. Pupils gain an understanding of chemical bonding and intermolecular forces that allows them to predict the physical properties of materials. Pupils will also learn important chemical concepts used to take a chemical process from the researcher’s bench through to industrial production.
Advanced Higher Chemistry
National courses reflect the Curriculum for Excellence values, purposes and principles. They offer flexibility, provide more time for learning, more focus on skills and applying learning, and scope for personalisation and choice.
Advanced Higher chemistry builds on the knowledge and skills developed in the higher chemistry course ad continues to develop their curiosity, interest and enthusiasm for chemistry in a range of contexts. This course offers pupils opportunities for collaborative and independent learning set within familiar and unfamiliar contexts and seeks to illustrate and emphasise situations where the principles of chemistry are used and applied in everyday life.
National 5 Skills for Work
Laboratory Science
National 5 Skills for work: Laboratory Science is an introductory qualification. The course provides a broad experiential introduction to laboratory science. Students will explore a variety of industries and services, career opportunities in science laboratories locally, nationally and globally.
National 5 Skills for Work
Health Sector
National 5 Skills for Work: Health Sector is designed as an introduction to the health sector. The emphasis of this course is to prepare candidates for working in the health sector and develop employability skills valued by employers.
Career Opportunities
Pupils with qualifications in Science can find a route in a wide variety of career pathways. Some pupils will move directly to employment or apprenticeships, others will use their qualifications to gain entry to further education courses in college or university.