Science

Intent:

At Wadworth Primary School, we encourage children to be inquisitive in their approach to learning.  Our Science curriculum fosters a healthy curiosity about our universe and promotes respect for the living and non-living. Children are naturally fascinated by everything in the world around them and Science makes a valuable contribution to their understanding.  Children can be encouraged to explore and observe so that they can group objects and events and look for similarities and differences. They will need to measure and record the things they have found out in ways that make sense to them so that later they can talk to other people about what they have discovered. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes. The curriculum is designed to ensure that children are able to acquire key scientific knowledge through practical experiences; using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently.  Cross curricular opportunities are identified, mapped and planned to ensure contextual relevance.  Children are encouraged to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings and a love of science is nurtured through a whole school ethos and a varied science curriculum.

Wadworth Primary School follows the national curriculum for science, utilises Curriculum Maestro planning, and aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop lively, enquiring minds and the ability to question.
• learn scientific skills and knowledge.
• build on their natural curiosity and enable them to understand and care for the world in which they live.
• are provided with an environment where they can work in an investigative way and can communicate their findings in a variety of ways.
• Can use equipment safely and sensibly.
• develop the potential scientific links with all other areas of the curriculum.
• 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 knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Implementation:

The National Curriculum document for Science sets out a clear, full and statutory requirement for all children in Key Stages 1 & 2.  The Foundation Stage programmes of study for Understanding of the World are set out in the EYFS.

The following table sets out the coverage required by the National Curriculum.  As we are a smaller school with mixed year groups, children may study scientific content in a different order to that which is presented here but all content will be covered by the end of Year 6.

At Wadworth Primary School, we follow the Cornerstones Maestro Scheme of thematic work. As a result, we strive to link our science topics with the theme being studied. We use the gap analysis tool on the Cornerstones website to ensure that we cover all science subject matter for each year group.  Science should be taught weekly to maximise coverage. Due to the nature of our split year group classes, science weeks in the summer term are used to fill any gaps in coverage identified through subject leader monitoring.

Practical work lies at the heart of primary science. Children need opportunities to develop practical and enquiry skills in order to engage with the world in a scientific way and to make sense of what they are learning about living things, the environment, materials and physical processes. Hands-on experience promotes curiosity and engagement and provides opportunities for the discussion and questioning which develop understanding. Practical work can take place inside or outside the classroom, and can happen at any point in a unit of work or lesson. It may be a five minute demonstration, a short activity to practise using an unfamiliar piece of equipment or an extended enquiry. What it must be is a varied and integral part of the learning process which promotes thinking as well as doing.  Therefore, we aim to make 70% of lessons include some aspect of practical work. 

Impact:

The Science curriculum is planned to demonstrate progression, build on and embed the skills taught as well as motivate pupils to pursue science in the future.  The result is 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.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

Pupil discussions and interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).

• Monitoring of planning, children’s work, and lesson delivery by the subject leader.
• Learning walks and discussions with staff (teacher voice).
• Progress of our Science curriculum is demonstrated through outcomes and the record of coverage in the process of achieving these outcomes.