Our intent:
- Our approach to teaching Science is grounded in the three elements of our school vision: relationships, an innovative approach to teaching and having the highest expectations.
- Our aim is to inspire and challenge our children, through a safe and happy learning environment, to achieve excellent standards in Science including all aspects of the National Curriculum objectives for science.
- Our innovative approaches are aimed at ensuring that all children, regardless of background or circumstance, are excited and engaged when being scientists.
- We do this by ensuring that the learning is real, relevant and purposeful, including visits to local areas and opportunities to work scientifically. This is to ensure that all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged, have experiences and access to cultural capital to support their scientific knowledge and understanding. The pandemic has also impacted this for all our of children.
- To inspire a passion for learning in our children and build confidence to ask and answer scientific questions, take risks and extend their scientific knowledge.
- To equip children with knowledge about scientific processes and cycles, as well as nature and the world around them; particularly in localities that are less familiar.
- For children to work scientifically and be able to record scientific information and present it in a systematic, scientific manner.
- For children to investigate and experiment frequently and for this to be authentic and ‘real life’, wherever possible.
- To develop a respect for the materials and equipment they handle with regard to their own, and other children’s safety.
- To immerse children in their learning by using high quality texts linked to Science.
- To enable our children to articulate their learning confidently and to remember knowledge and vocabulary, taking their love of the subject, as well as highly developed skills and knowledge, into secondary school and beyond.
- To ensure that any gaps in learning, as a result of COVID, are closed and pupils meet age related expectations in Science.
Our implementation:
- In EYFS, Science is taught through a play-based curriculum that encourages the children to explore and investigate the natural world including changes in seasons and changing states of matter. We encourage outside visitors to come and speak to the children to promote opportunities for awe and wonder!
- Science is taught in a weekly session in Y1-6. The curriculum is mapped from Understanding the World in EYFS to Year 6. The curriculum progresses each year both in the knowledge that children need and the working scientifically skills they need in each aspect of the curriculum (See curriculum progression document).
- Curriculum design links to the local context so that scientific learning is relevant for our children and can be applied to real life contexts.
- There are regular opportunities for children to learn outdoors, carry out experiments and work scientifically.
- Knowledge organisers are used to ensure key knowledge and vocabulary is introduced. Teachers ensure that knowledge organisers build on previous learning and that pupils remember their learning. There are regular quizzes and opportunities to apply their learning across different contexts.
- Where possible, science learning links to the over-arching Learning Mission theme.
- The Opportunities Pledge ensures that every child has access to a wide range of opportunities that enhance the curriculum and provides children with experiences that broaden their understanding of the world around them. This includes visits to places that enhance their knowledge of the local area as well as opportunities to visit places that are not in their locality.
- The Science curriculum is ambitious for children with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. Teachers identify gaps in prior knowledge and fill these by ensuring there is pre teaching or resources to support their understanding.
Our impact:
- Children have a deep knowledge of the world they live in and how they can work scientifically to improve their understanding of concepts and processes.
- Children can access and follow an ambitious curriculum that has our vision for exceptionally high expectations as a driver.
- Standards in books and assessment outcomes are very strong.
