Intent

At St Clare’s Catholic Primary School we believe that a high quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural world. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

Science in our school is about developing children’s ideas and ways of working that enable them to make sense of the world in which they live through investigation, as well as using and applying process skills. The staff at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School ensure that all children are exposed to high quality teaching and learning experiences, which allow children to explore their outdoor environment and locality, thus developing their scientific enquiry and investigative skills. The Science curriculum develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge and understanding not only of the topic they are studying, but of the world around them. We intend to provide all children regardless of ethnic origin, gender, class, aptitude or disability, with a broad and balanced science curriculum.

Implementation

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Planning for science is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of, ‘The National Curriculum programmes of study for Science 2014’ and, ‘Understanding of the World’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Science teaching at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School involves adapting and extending the curriculum to match all pupils’ needs. Where possible, Science is linked to class topics. Science is taught as discrete units and lessons where needed to ensure coverage.

At the end of each lesson children complete a class mind-map on the Smartboard, using words and pictures to enhance their learning. At the beginning of the next lesson, this slide will be used to revisit the previous knowledge and secure concepts learned.

We have also developed scientific tasks, which are completed both at the beginning (pre-learning task) and end (post-learning task) of a topic in order to show clear progression and children’s new found knowledge and understanding. These tasks also enable the children to articulate scientific concepts clearly and precisely, assisting them in making their thinking clear, both to themselves and others.

Teachers plan to suit their children’s interests, current events, their own teaching style, the use of any support staff and the resources available. We ensure that all children are provided with rich learning experiences that aim to:

· Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.

· Help our children acquire a growing understanding of the nature, processes and methods of scientific ideas.

· Help develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world.

· Build on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.

· Build on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.

· Encouraging open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and developing the skills of investigation – including: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.

· Develop the use of scientific language, recording and techniques

· Develop the use of computing in investigating and recording. Children will access resources to acquire learning through Science equipment, digital technology, practical experiences and photographs.

· Make links between science and other subjects through cross curricular links.

· Build on prior knowledge and link ideas together, enabling them to question and become enquiry based learners.

· Clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum. With teaching and Learning showing  progression across all key stages within the strands of Science.

· Develop the children’s topical learning through Educational Visits were applicable.

· Learn and revisit the British Values and PSHE for the importance of our world and how it should be treated.

Impact

The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age related knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.

All children will have:

· A wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/investigative skills.

· Children will be able to question ideas and reflect on knowledge.

· Children will be able to explain the process they have taken and be able to reason scientifically.

· Children will work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment

· A richer vocabulary which will enable to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.

· High aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.

Key Subject Documents