Science
Intent:
Without a doubt, science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity.
At Holywell, our children are SCIENTISTS. Our intent is to give every child a broad and balanced science curriculum which enables them to confidently explore and discover what is around them, so that they have a deeper understanding of the world we live in.
We want our children to love science. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up considering a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) career, regardless of their gender, academic attainment or other socio economic factors.
We want our children to remember their science lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the scientific opportunities they are presented with.
To achieve this, we plan exciting hands on investigations or demonstrations that encourage curiosity and questioning. Our aim is that these stimulating and challenging experiences help every child secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary, as well as promoting a love and thirst for learning.
Our children are taught substantive knowledge (science content – the models, laws and theories) and disciplinary knowledge (the skills of how to work scientifically through practical work)
At Holywell, we have a planned and sequenced curriculum which has been carefully designed and developed with the need of every child at the centre of what we do.
We want to equip our children with not only the minimum statutory requirements of the science National Curriculum but to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
Implementation:
Our curriculum is broad and balanced. Teachers use the National Curriculum, Ventrus Curriculum Approach and Chris Quidley Companions as a basis for planning. Within this, much of our teaching and learning for science is linked to other subjects where appropriate but may also be taught discretely.
- Every year group will build upon their prior knowledge and concepts in a systematic way thus avoiding misconceptions. They will develop an understanding of increasingly complex ideas and the progression of skills will promote higher order thinking.
- Teachers promote enjoyment and foster interest of the scientific disciplines; Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
- Children will explore, predict, discuss, test and develop ideas, compare, question, observe change over time, notice patterns, classify, conclude their findings, take risks and learn from their mistakes; enabling them to become more confident, independent learners in science and throughout the curriculum.
- Children present their findings and learning using science specific vocabulary (tier 3), observations and diagrams.
- In order to support children in their ability to ‘know more and remember more’ there are regular opportunities to review the learning which has taken place in previous topics as well as previous lessons.
- At the start of each topic children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic.
- Effective use of visits and visitors are planned, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experiences within the science curriculum. We participate in British Science Week; making use of STEM ambassadors and whole school ‘house’ days.
- Teachers use highly effective assessment for learning in each lesson to ensure misconceptions are highlighted and addressed.
- Effective modelling by teachers ensures that children are able to achieve their learning intention, with misconceptions addressed within it.
- Cross-curricular links are planned for, with other subjects such as maths, English and computing.
- A summary of the units covered in:
KS1: Identifying animals, my body, identifying plants, everyday materials and exploring materials, growing, surviving and thriving, habitats and seasonal change.
Lower KS2: health and movement, rocks, fossils and soils, how plants grow, forces and magnets, teeth and digestion, states of matter and circuits and conductors.
Upper KS2: keeping our bodies healthy, properties and changes of materials, earth and space, lifecycles, forces in action, evolution and inheritance, classifying organisms, seeing/light and changes/reproduction (in line with the SRE policy)
EYFS
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supports children’s understanding of Science through the planning and teaching of ‘Understanding the World.’
Children find out about objects, materials and living things using all of their senses looking at similarities, differences, patterns and change. Both the environment and skilled practitioners foster curiosity and encourage explorative play, children are motivated to ask questions about why things happen and how things work.
Our children are encouraged to use their natural environment around them to explore. Children enjoy spending time outdoors exploring mini-beasts and their habitats, observing the changing seasons, plants and animals.
Children regularly participate in cookery and baking sessions which allows them to experience changes in state as ingredients are mixed, heated and cooled.
Impact
The impact of our science curriculum is measured through the monitoring cycle in school. This includes:
- Lesson observations
- Book monitoring
- Learning walks
- Discussions with class teachers
- Discussions with pupils
The impact of this curriculum design will lead to good progress over time, across key stages, relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. All children will make progress, including EAL and SEND children.
Through various workshops, trips and interactions with experts, our science curriculum will allow pupils to enjoy and be enthusiastic science learners and understand that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity.
We want to empower our children so they understand they have the capability to change the world.