Stretford High School

Subject Leader

Mrs Pixton has been teaching at Stretford High School for 11 years.  She really enjoys teaching science –  seeing those “light bulb” moments when an idea clicks with a pupil and they understand why certain things happen the way that they do.  She can spend a large amount of her time on pupils backs getting coursework off them – she finds that this is worth it on results day when the same pupils come up to you excited by their results and thanking you for being on their case in a good way.   She became a science teacher because she herself had a teacher at school that made science enjoyable and fun.  She hopes she can enthuse her pupils in a similar way.

Science Team

Mr Andrew Bradshaw is a teacher of Science – predominantly Chemistry – and a Director of Learning dealing with data across the school.  He joined Stretford High as Science specialist and Advanced Skills Teacher after nearly six years teaching in Burton-upon-Trent.  Mr Bradshaw studied Chemistry at Staffordshire University with the intention of going into forensic science but decided that schools would be more interesting than crime scenes and so went off to gain his teaching qualification at Keele University. When not found in a lab or propping up a spreadsheet, Mr Bradshaw will be found spending time with his family, running in preparation for another long distance run or watching The Mighty Reds!

Miss Rebecca Sharp studied Zoology at King’s College, University of London, and then Psychology at the University of Luton. She worked in nursing care for a number of years before joining the Physics Enhancement Programme at St Martin’s College, Lancaster, where she subsequently studied for her PGSE.  Mrs Sharp joined the Science Department at Stretford High School in 2010, during her third year of teaching.  When not at work, Mrs Sharp is busy looking after her family, and their many pets. She also enjoys cooking and baking, gardening and walks in the country.

Mrs Brindley After sixth form Mrs Brindley went to Newcastle University to study Biochemistry and Nutrition and  continued with education at King’s College, University of London where she studied for a Master’s degree in Food Science. She did intend to go into the food industry but after University decided to take a ‘gap year’ that turned into 3 years! She travelled in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, often working to make ends meet. It was during these years that she stumbled into working in schools in London. She found interacting with and working with young people really rewarding and decided that teaching was the career for her. After a long time in Stretford High she still gets a real buzz out of science but her real motivator is creating opportunities for all the young people in  the school – ensuring they really do get an education that allows them to build on their talents and realise their dreams. When not in school Mrs Brindley enjoys horse riding and swimming with her daughters as well as travel and cookery.

Mr Hillman is a teacher of science having qualified from Manchester University with a degree in Biology. At university he specialised in plant and animal physiology and the adaptations to their habitats. He became a science teacher as he loved science at school himself and finds working with young people very rewarding. He is particularly interested in exciting practicals and demonstration that are able to engage and wow his students.  Mr Hillman’s scientific idols are Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Marie Curie. All three were utterly committed visionaries, completely dedicated to the understanding of our world and universe, so much so Newton made himself blind, Darwin was ridiculed and Curie died.

In his spare time Mr Hillman is a very keen on mountains, when not at school he can mostly be found climbing long hills to emulate his Tour de France heroes,  scrambling in the fells or mountain biking. 

Miss Mullen studied Biomedical Science at the University of Manchester and has been teaching at Stretford High School for 3 years. She really enjoys teaching science and the discussions and debates it raises in the classroom.

When not at work Miss Mullen enjoys spending time riding and competing her horses, and loves cooking and music.

Mrs Janice Shore is a teaching assistant who specialises in science. She has worked at Stretford High School for 8 years and prior to this, she worked at Saddleworth School in Oldham for over 15 years working in their multimedia resource centre. Mrs Shore used to be a State Enrolled nurse but has never looked back after deciding she wanted to work in schools, supporting young people throughout their educational journey.

Mrs Shore likes to spend time with her family and loves travelling whenever she gets the chance. She is a mosaic artist in her spare time, she loves computer games , adores gadgets, music and cooking.

Curriculum

Key Stage 3: Since the SATs assessments are no longer required in Year 9 at Stretford High we have been able to look at how we would like to teach Science and develop Schemes of Work that follow topic lead lessons.  We deliver all aspects of KS3 Science in Years 7 and 8 through units of work incorporating all three scientific principles, e.g. Kitchen Chemistry, Rockets, All about me.  We then use SATs questions to assess pupils understanding to allow us to offer appropriate pathways for pupils to learn Science in KS4.

Key Stage 4: In key stage 4 pupils follow a number of possible routes depending on ability and preference.

• High achieving pupils (level 5 or above at KS3) who wish to pursue Sciences to A level will take GCSE Science (yr 10) and GCSE Additional Science (yr 11). Assessment is through a combination of Examinations and Internal Assessments.
• The bulk of the key stage 4 pupils will study for a BTEC First Diploma in Applied Science. This is a vocational course based on 6 units; all the units are coursework based. Pupils who pass the BTEC First Diploma are considered to have achieved the equivalent to 4 GCSE’s at Grade C or above.
• A small number of pupils who struggle with the coursework commitments for the BTEC First Diploma will work towards a BTEC First Certificate. Pupils who pass the BTEC First Certificate are considered to have achieved the equivalent to 2 GCSE’s at Grade C or above.