Science

Intent

 

At St Joseph's, we encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at the school and beyond. The Science curriculum fosters a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and promotes respect for the living and non-living. Throughout the programmes of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group. Key skills are also mapped out, are built on and link prior knowledge with new learning, which in turn ensures a deepened understanding of biology, chemistry and physics. The curriculum is designed to ensure that children are able to gain key scientific knowledge through practical experiences; using equipment, conducting investigations, building opinions and explaining concepts confidently. The school’s approach to science takes account of the school’s own context, ensuring access to people with specialist expertise and that pupil’s are taught with hands on experience through engaging investigations in lessons. Cross-curricular opportunities are also identified, mapped and planned to ensure contextual relevance through each half term’s theme. Children are encouraged be curious and ask questions about their surroundings and a love of science is nurtured through a whole school ethos and a varied and diverse science curriculum.

 

Implementation

Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following;

• Science will be taught in planned and arranged topic blocks by the class teacher with guidance from the subject lead, to have an investigation approach. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge.
• Existing knowledge is formatively assessed at the beginning of each topic through a recap on previous learning and an introduction to vocabulary. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children’s starting points and that it takes account of pupil voice, incorporating children’s interests.
• Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess pupils regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all pupils keep up. Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion.
• We build upon the knowledge and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.
• Working Scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure that skills are developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching.
• Maths links are built upon through presentation of findings during investigations.
• Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts.
• Teachers carefully select inspiring and racially diverse scientist who link to their topic to bring a real life substance to each topic.
• Children are offered a range of extra-curricular activities, visits, trips and visitors to complement and broaden the curriculum. These are purposeful and link with the knowledge being taught in class.
• At the end of each topic, teachers assess children’s knowledge and understanding is consolidated as necessary.

 

Impact

The successful approach at St Joseph’s results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them. Frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom is embedded throughout the science curriculum. Through various workshops, trips and interactions with experts, children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. They learn from and work with professionals, ensuring access to positive role models within the field of science from the immediate and wider local community. Children at St Joseph’s overwhelmingly enjoy science and this results in motivated learners with sound scientific understanding.

The outcomes and impact of science learning of pupils is continuously measured through:

• Teacher judgement in class as well as outcomes independently in pupil’s books. These judgements are moderated during in-house staff meeting CPDs and in local authority CPDs.
• Science lesson observations.
• Pupil Case Studies.
• Through the use of pupil voice from verbal conversations as well as surveys carried out across key stages.

 

 

Science Progression in Knowledge

plan progression in knowledge.pdf

 

Science Progression Working Scientifically

plan progression in working scientifically skills fv.pdf

 

Science Knowledge Matrices

knowledge matrices y1 6 fv.pdf

 

Science Summary in EYFS

plan summary of science in eyfs.pdf

 

Science EYFS Matrices

plan eyfs matrices.pdf

 

Science Gallery