Intent
Our Science curriculum is developed from the National Curriculum for Science at Key Stages One and Two.
The 2014 National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all children:
- 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 skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, built on a foundation of supporting knowledge.
The key knowledge for each topic or theme is set out in the Long Term Planning documents for each Milestone along with key vocabulary and suggestions for activities that will develop children’s understanding of scientific concepts and enquiry investigative skills through working scientifically. These documents are then used to form Medium Term Planning documents that underpin the teaching and learning of scientific processes, concepts and lines of enquiry.
Implementation
How do we deliver Science at Crookhill Primary School?
- Science is studied across the year in blocks of termly or half-termly units.
- During the year Biology, Chemistry and Physics skills and concepts will be taught and investigated. These lessons are usually delivered weekly.
- We use a range of resources but do not follow a particular scheme to deliver Science.
- Science is sometimes taught alongside other subjects, for example links may be made to Geography, History or Maths units of work.
- We deliver Science lessons using a range of different types of activities including but not limited to: teacher led activities, guided investigations, use of appropriate audio-visual resources.
- We regularly revisit the content of lessons (and previous learning from prior year groups) to ensure that learning is embedded.
- Where possible, we take pupils on educational visits or invite visitors into the classroom in order to enhance the learning.
- Each year, we participate in Science week.
Impact
We believe that progression in Science requires all aspects of the discipline to be developed. Scientific knowledge is developed alongside the scientific skills and concepts. Key knowledge can be assessed through retrieval quizzes and activities or end of unit topic quizzes. The skills / concepts of scientific processes, vocabulary and enquiry are more subtle and assessment of these skills will be ongoing throughout the year group that the children are working within.
An ongoing record of these skills and concepts is kept in order to build up a picture throughout the year group the child is working in. Year group assessment sheets give suggestions to staff of how information can be collected through assessment activities which will help to build a picture of each child or cohort’s current level of understanding. The aim is to build a narrative for each child or group rather than to collect data. This information can then be shared with the next year group’s teacher who can build upon the starting points of the class.
At Crookhill Primary we believe by becoming scientists, children will develop a coherent knowledge and understanding of the world around them. We create a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world around them. Pupils will acquire a wide range of scientific skills and develop an awareness of how and why things happen. Through the study of Science, we can allow children to appreciate how scientific developments over time have changed the world in which they live and the scientific opportunities they will have in the future. It is vital that all children are engaged and immersed in their Science learning, in order to develop their understanding of the world in which they live.