Science
Intent
Our vision is to provide children with a Science curriculum which enables them to confidently explore and discover the environment around them so that they have a deeper understanding of the world we live in. To achieve this learning within the classroom involves exciting, practical hands on experiences that encourage curiosity and questioning.
Our aim is that these stimulating and challenging experiences help children to become critical thinkers and help to secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary. We believe that these opportunities will ensure that our children become resilient and confident life-long learners who are continually motivated to explore their world.
The EYFS Framework and National Curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding.
- Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.
- Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
- Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.
- Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.
- Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
- Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
- Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future
Planning and progression
- Long term planning is produced and reviewed yearly and aims to ensure coverage of the three scientific disciplines. Science topics are chosen each year following the 2014 National Curriculum along with ensuring that we provide engaging learningexperiences and that there is clear progression throughout the school. Topics are timed throughout the year to link to other areas of the curriculum where appropriate.
- Each class teacher produces a medium-term plan which highlights the sequence of learning for each science topic along with key learning objectives (knowledge based and working scientifically) and enquiry types covered identified.
- Skills progression document
Implementation
Teaching and learning
Our science curriculum is built around enquiry-based learning which requires deep thinking and encourages learners to work using a question as the starting point, considering different avenues for further research. They do this through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments, and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. They ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They draw simple conclusions and use scientific language to talk and write about what they have found out.
Teachers begin topics by assessing and eliciting children’s prior knowledge using a range of pre-topic assessments including true or false quizzes, concept maps, Bloom’s questions, games etc. They then use this as a basis of where to start their teaching and explore avenues which the children are interested in. Throughout a topic, teachers are aware of the importance of recapping learning to ensure knowledge and skills become embedded. This is done through continual recapping of previous learning including vocabulary and repeated practice. Within lessons, teachers use a range of resources which engage children with their learning to ensure progression of all learners including those from a disadvantaged background.
Teachers follow the Plymouth Science Scheme of Work which has a consistent structure to lessons. This includes a recall activity to embed prior learning, links to science capital, explicit links to enquiry approaches and skills, use of related high-quality texts and development of oracy using key vocabulary.
Where appropriate, cross-curricular learning is encouraged and this is planned for by matching science topics to other topics taught throughout the year (where applicable). Teachers also use high quality texts within lessons which provide further cross-curricular reading and writing opportunities linked to the context of current science topic. The use of texts engages children and helps create links and make comparisons to their learning in science.
At the end of a topic, teachers complete post-topic assessments to assess for learning. This is done using summative assessments which match to the learning taught through the Plymouth Science Scheme. Teachers will also make use of half-termly TAPS assessments in order to assess pupils’ working scientifically skills.
Throughout both Key Stages, Science is taught on a weekly basis with 1-2 hours being dedicated to science weekly.
Wider learning
Children have many opportunities to experience wider learning linked to science throughout the school year. This includes:
- Outdoor learning experiences (within science lessons and Forest School)
- Trips and visits
- British science week celebrations