Intent
Our Science curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils are provided with the necessary knowledge and skills to assist them with investigations and observations throughout school and beyond. We encourage children to be inquisitive and to therefore, use questioning regularly throughout their lives. As children progress through the school, they will access prior knowledge from previous year groups as well as applying newly learnt scientific skills in their current learning and topics. We promote ‘working scientifically’ skills across all Science topics and throughout each year group to ensure that children can apply their knowledge of science when deciding on equipment, conducting experiments, explaining concepts and to continue to ask questions and to show curiosity of the subject.
Our curriculum aims to ensure that all learners:
- 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 enquires that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
- Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
Implementation
Science is taught as a discrete lesson and can be embedded across the curriculum using cross-curricular links with other subjects. Science lessons occur weekly in each year group to ensure that all objectives are covered and met for each topic, EYFS have Science based continuous provision areas to access and challenge the children each week and they learn Science concepts as part of their ‘Understanding the World’ topic. The teachers have a positive attitude to the subject to ensure that it is taught using engaging and, as often as possible, practical methods to encourage the children to develop an interest within the subject. Science lessons are planned and topics to be taught are arranged by the class teacher. Through this planning we ensure that children are given opportunities to ‘work scientifically’ and to solve problems and carry out experiments/tests, that allow them to discover the answers to their questions. Planning of Science ensures that prior knowledge is built upon and assessment for learning strategies are used to assist teachers with planning their next steps within the subject.
At Aspull Church Primary School we offer a wide range of visits, trips and visitors into school to complement and broaden Science topics, these link with the knowledge and skills being taught in class at that moment. We have an ECO Club after school throughout most of the school year, which provides those who have a particular love of the subject, with further opportunities to consider and enforce ways to respect and look after ourselves, our community, our planet and our future.
Impact
The impact of Science is measured in a variety of ways. As the subject is taught weekly, teachers are provided with the opportunity to track pupils’ learning and provide feedback to them on a week-to-week basis over the course of each Science topic. There are assessment tasks planned into each unit of work to enable staff to focus on what learning has taken place over the whole unit, and how their knowledge and skills have developed over this period. Staff use the statements available on the school-tracking programme to assess what objectives each child has achieved and any gaps that need addressing.
Science lessons are adapted and differentiated through task and task outcomes to ensure that it is accessible for all children of all abilities. There is a clear progression shown in children’s work and evidence of curriculum coverage for all Science topics and as children progress through the year groups they show more independence when carrying out more pupil led investigations.
