“The way a child discovers the world constantly replicates the way science began. You start to notice what’s around you, and you get very curious about how things work. How things interrelate. It’s as simple as seeing a bug that intrigues you.”
David Cronenberg ( Film Director)
At St Peter's RC Primary School, 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 in which we live. We want our children to love science. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be astronauts, forensic scientists, toxicologists or microbiologists. 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, it involves exciting, practical hands on experiences 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.
INTENT
At St. Peter’s R.C. Primary School, it is our intention to deliver a high quality science education, which provides children with the foundations for understanding the world in which we live. We give the teaching and learning of Science high prominence and endeavour to foster a sense of excitement and curiosity through extra-curricular clubs, projects and parental engagement.
Our curriculum will facilitate 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 and result in the acquisition of substantive and disciplinary knowledge.
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 the 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
At St. Peter’s R.C. Primary School, staff use the Association for Science Education (ASE) knowledge matrices and exemplification resources to inform their planning. These provide full coverage of the National Curriculum, following the programme of study for each year group carefully. They highlight prior learning, future learning, common misconceptions and key vocabulary along with suggested activities which allow children to demonstrate their understanding of a scientific concept and apply their learning to a familiar context. The suggested activities ensure all 5 types of scientific enquiry skills are taught across each year group.
Teachers will ensure that lessons take account of prior learning, provide the opportunity for children to ask their own questions and, where ever possible, provide engaging practical investigative opportunities to help children develop their learning scientifically skills. Lessons will begin by activating scientific thinking and then follow the cycle of review it – discover it – explore it and apply it (KS2 only). Working scientifically skills will be taught using the TAPS focused assessment activities produced by The Primary Science Teaching Trust. These are mapped out across all the units of work for each year group to ensure a full coverage of all disciplinary knowledge.
Our curriculum is literacy rich. Each unit of work is linked to a high quality text, which can either be used to introduce the topic or run parallel to science lessons, providing the opportunity for cross-curricular reading and writing tasks. Each unit also has links to famous scientists, to expose children to a diverse range of people and potential careers.
IMPACT
The successful approach to the teaching of science at St. Peter’s R.C. 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 St Peter’s is teacher based and formed using formal strategies (e.g. end of unit ‘check out’ tasks, quizzes) 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 St Peter’s as it allows for misconceptions and gaps to be addressed more immediately rather than building on insecure scientific foundations.
Children at St Peter’s R.C. Primary School will:
- demonstrate a love of science 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.
