Science
A warm welcome to Lochgelly High School’s Science Department
Our department is composed of dedicated and committed teachers with responsibility for teaching S1 and S2 Science and from S3 onwards, either Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
“The Scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, they are the one who asks the right questions.”
Claude Levi-Strauss
Science is an incredibly important part of our past, present and future and we use its applications every day in all aspects of our daily lives. Science and its applications are at the heart of Scotland’s future, in relation to future scientific discovery, health and wellbeing, medical advancements and the conservation of our beautiful country.
Through learning in the Sciences our pupils not only develop their interest and knowledge but they also develop their practical skills, numeracy skills, literacy skills and their knowledge of and how they can positively impact upon their own health and wellbeing and the environment.
Learners, at all stages and levels, engage in wide range of activities which challenge their thinking and develop their enquiry skills, which allow them to develop important skills to progress onto positive destinations and successfully contribute to the wider world of work.
With this in mind, learners’ pathways have two distinct stages; Broad General Education (BGE) (S1-S3) and the Senior Phase (S4-S6).
Course Choice for New S3:
Biology
See yourself as the next David Attenborough? Biology is an exciting overview of life on earth and our place in it. We will explore topical subjects in the news, the world around us and how we all work together on planet earth.
Veterinarian, Zoologist, Climate Scientist
Chemistry
Do you want to become more creative and inventive? Chemists play a key role in meeting society’s needs in areas such as medicine, energy, industry, material development, the environment and sustainability. This course will help you to think analytically, creatively and independently, and incorporates practical experiences in the lab.
Pharmacist, Forensic Scientist
Physics
If you have a passion for understanding how things work, and you enjoy scientific enquiry and Mathematics, then physics could be for you. Physics is crucial to understanding the world around us, the world inside us, and the world beyond us. Physics challenges our imaginations, and it leads to great discoveries, like computers and lasers, that change our lives.
Astrophysicist, Engineer
Heath Sector
Can’t choose between Biology, Chemistry or Physics? Do you see yourself working in a job where you look after people? Love to complete practical work? Then this is the course for you. Throughout S3 you will complete the Science and Health (Level 4) and in S4 you will progress to Health Sector (Level 5). Over these courses you will investigate the many different areas of the healthcare sector, get ready for the workplace and you will also complete practical activities from across all three Sciences. After Health Sector, there are lots of options open to you in the Senior Phase as you will have experience from across all of the science disciplines.
Carer, Hair and Beauty, Occupational Therapist, Social worker
General Science
If you have an interest in the Sciences, but you’re not sure which one to pick, why not opt for General Science? This course offers you a taster of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. We know that many courses or apprenticeships look for a qualification in Science so if you want to meet this requirement, but find the Sciences more of a challenge, see Miss Coulter to find out if this may be the course for you! Successful completion of this course could allow you to progress to a specific Science at National 4 or National 5 level, or Practical Laboratory Science at National 5.
Course Choice for New S5/6:
Biology, Chemistry and Physics (as above)
Practical Laboratory Science (S5,6)
Do you enjoy the practical and ‘hands on’ side to studying Science? Then Practical Laboratory Science is the place for you. This National 5 course is an entirely internally assessed course that will allow you to develop practical science skills that you cannot develop in any other science subject. Over the course you will investigate the many different areas of the science and technology sector, get ready for the workplace and you will also complete practical activities from across all three sciences. You will be working with micro-organisms, completing titrations, making different solutions and measuring radiation to name a few techniques. The course makes a great compliment to other sciences if you are interested in more than one.
Lab Technician, Chemical Analyst