KS3 Physics

Year 7 

Students will build on their KS2 knowledge and explore some core physics principals upon which we build throughout KS3. Students will be introduced to the mathematical relationships between physical quantities and apply these to solving problems. A number of practical activities throughout year 7 will deepen their understanding and develop their scientific skillset.   

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
Forces and motion:  

Contact and non-contact forces, friction, mass and weight, speed, balanced/unbalanced forces, describing motion using graphs.

 Electricity:  

Models of electricity, series and parallel circuits, circuit symbols, current, voltage and resistance. 

 Space and beyond:  

Solar system, star cycles, Earth’s orbit, origin and fate of the universe.

Year 8 

Year 8 knowledge will build upon what students have learned in year 7 in terms of the use of equations and some contextualized application of forces. Students’ KS2 knowledge of light and sound will be explored to greater depth and linked to the concept of energy which will be introduced in term 3 and built upon throughout year 9 and GCSE.   

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
Light and Sound:  

Longitudinal and transverse waves, reflection and refraction, colour, electromagnetic waves and sound. 

 Mechanics:  

Turning forces, pressure, springs, forces in matter, electrostatic forces.

 Energy:  

Energy transfers and stores, energy and temperature, energy resources.

Year 9

In year 9, we start introducing the key concepts and knowledge that will be revisited and built upon as they progress through their GCSE in years 10 and 11. We further contextualize and build on the core knowledge from the forces and energy content taught in year 7 and 8.  

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3
Energy:  

Stores and transfers, kinetic and gravitational energy, power, work done and domestic energy. 

 Magnets and Electromagnets:  

Permanent and electromagnets, fields, forces on wires, EM induction, power stations and the national grid .

 States of matter:  

Solids/liquids/gasses, changing states, density specific heat capacity and latent heat, gas pressure.

Homework

Homework at KS3 is intended to help develop students’ knowledge retrieval. Our curriculum is knowledge-based and thus requires a students’ ability to recall this knowledge and apply it to novel problems. Homework set at KS3 will typically involve Seneca assignments (which students can access on their phones and laptops) and the use of knowledge organizers and retrievers. Students will also be expected to revise for end of topic assessments, and the revision tasks will be prescribed by the class teacher – usually one of the two aforementioned tasks.

Other Useful Information

There are various study guides and workbooks that pupils can buy. There are also many different websites and phone apps to help with the learning and remembering of the course content. Below are a list of useful resources and websites.

5 ways I can help my child

1 Ensure that they are checking Class Charts regularly and are engaging with homework tasks. Supporting with the use of technology, i.e. accessing Seneca.    

2

 Ensure that they know when assessments are taking place and are doing the necessary revision.   

3

 Providing a quiet space in the home to allow students to revise and engage with homework task.   
4 Foster a curiosity of science through conversations and experiences of the world outside the classroom.   

5

 Help develop a critical thinking mindset in your child – being mindful of the reliability of information they are consuming through social media apps.