Science

Intent 

At Staplecross MCP School, it is our intention to provide a high-quality science education that provides children with the foundations they need to recognise the importance of science in every aspect of daily life.  

Our curriculum will enable children to become enquiry-based learners collaborating through researching, investigating and evaluating experiences. It will encourage respect for living organisms and for the physical environment. 

Teachers will ensure that all children are exposed to high quality teaching and learning experiences. These will hook the children’s interest, enabling them to develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They will be encouraged to ask questions about the world around them and work scientifically to further their conceptual understanding and scientific knowledge. 

Children will be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes. It will provide opportunities for the critical evaluation of evidence and rational explanation of scientific phenomena as well as opportunity to apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collecting, presenting and analysing data. Children will be immersed in key scientific vocabulary, which supports in the acquisition of scientific knowledge and understanding. 

All children will be provided with a broad and balanced science curriculum which reflects the equality and diversity policies and practice in school. 

Implementation 

Implementation of our Science Curriculum 

• Our science curriculum is carefully sequenced by using individual objectives and topics, so that learning is progressive across classes.  At Staplecross, we use the Chris Quigley milestones to ensure they meet objectives set by the National Curriculum. 

• Our individual objectives for each year group and topics have been carefully sequenced to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum. 

• We believe that by sequencing our science knowledge and skills cohesively prepares pupils to access science successfully and confidently when they reach KS3. 

• Planning of each science topic also involves planning regular experiments, so that pupils are developing scientific enquiry continuously. 

• Our curriculum prioritises instilling a love for science from an early age. 

• Knowledge organisers provide the structure to learning, specifying key knowledge and vocabulary that we want all children to be fluent with. 

• Acting as a planning, teaching and assessment tool, the knowledge organisers make it clear to teachers, pupils and parents' what knowledge and vocabulary is expected to be learnt by the end of the unit and within lessons. 

• A wide range of equipment is available to support the hands-on delivery of our science curriculum across the school. 

• Key scientific enquiry skills such as: asking questions, making predictions, setting up tests, making observations, recording and interpreting data and evaluating are embedded in our lesson objectives across our science curriculum. 

• Key attitudes are encouraged throughout learning. 

• Critical thinking and problem solving are essential to learning across our curriculum. Lessons are planned in such a way that children can apply their knowledge in critical thinking/problem 

Each science unit begins with a ‘Big Question’ that provides a hook for learning, developing a sense of excitement and curiosity for children. Teachers check on what children already know and then invite children to think of their own questions. Children will be able to build on prior knowledge and link ideas together, enabling them to question and become enquiry-based learners. Children are also asked to review their learning at the end of each topic. These ‘reflection’ tasks provide children with an opportunity to share their learning more widely with other children and parents through a variety of means e.g., learning presentations, talks, report writing etc. 

Memorable knowledge and skills have been identified for each of the topics to provide progressive acquisition of knowledge. This is supported by the use of ‘sticky vocabulary and sticky knowledge’ which are displayed on science working walls and subject specific knowledge organisers. Teachers regularly refer to this knowledge and key vocabulary with meanings so that it sticks. This enables children to readily apply knowledge and vocabulary to their written, mathematical and verbal communication of skills. 

 Impact 

The successful approach to the teaching of science at Staplecross Primary School will result in a fun, engaging, high quality science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world that they can take with them once they complete their primary education. 

Assessment at Staplecross Primary School is teacher based and formed using formal strategies e.g., knowledge organisers, national curriculum objectives, child led self-assessment and informal strategies (Use of concept maps, verbal/written outcomes, reflection tasks/presentations). 

Formative assessment is used as the main tool for assessing the impact of Science at Staplecross Primary School as it allows for misconceptions and gaps to be addressed more immediately rather than building on insecure scientific foundations. 

Children at Staplecross Primary School will: 

• demonstrate a love of science work and an interest in further study and work in this field 

• retain knowledge that is pertinent to science with a real-life context. 

• be able to question ideas and reflect on knowledge. 

• be able to articulate their understanding of scientific concepts and be able to reason scientifically using rich language linked to science. 

• demonstrate a high love of mathematical skills through their work, organising, recording and interpreting results. 

• work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment. 

• achieve age related expectations in science at the end of their cohort year. 

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