Science:

Intent:

At St Mark's C.E. Primary School, we aim to instil a life-long love of Science through a curriculum that enables them to explore and discover the world around them. To accomplish this, we provide lessons rooted in scientific enquiry with practical hands-on experiences that will encourage the natural curiosity that all children have. Pupils will ask questions, have opportunities to explore, plan fair tests and investigate areas of interest and we aim to provide them with the skills and understanding to use a range of resources and equipment to support their investigations.

From EYFS up to KS2, our pupils will build up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts. They will be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.  We provide our children with wider opportunities in science and make links to other subjects so that they develop an understanding of scientific processes and an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future.

Implementation:

Children are taught Science through explicit weekly Science lessons where learning shows progression both within topics and across key stages within the strands of the National Curriculum. Teachers plan to suit their children’s interests, current events, the use of any support staff and the resources available, basing their individual lesson plans on medium term planning; these plans ensure full coverage of the ‘The National Curriculum programmes of study for Science 2014’ and, ‘Understanding of the World’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage.”

Each year group builds upon the learning from prior year groups, therefore developing depth of understanding and progression of skill.  The “Working Scientifically” objectives are embedded into each topic with the children having opportunities to explore, question, predict, plan, carry out investigations and observations as well as conclude their findings. Children have access to key language and meanings in order to understand and readily apply to their written and verbal communication of their skills.

Highly effective assessment for learning issued in every lesson to ensure misconceptions are highlighted and addressed. Tasks and activities are differentiated effectively to ensure that all learners are able to access the curriculum and make progress. Teachers then use a range of evidence to support their summative assessment at the end of each unit.

Cross curricular links are made wherever possible and Science is taught discretely in many different contexts, for example writing an information text on the life cycle of a plant in English and exploring the names muscles and bones in PE. Education visits and visitors are planned, to enrich and enhance the  learning experiences within the Science curriculum.

Impact:

Our approach to the teaching of Science at St Mark’s will result in a fun, engaging, high quality Science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world, which they can build upon once they reach secondary school and into their adult lives.

The vast majority of children will leave St Mark’s reaching age related expectations. Their work shows a range of different topics and evidence of the curriculum coverage for all Science topics.  They become increasingly independent in working scientifically, selecting their own tools and materials, completing pupil lead investigations and choosing their own strategies for recording.  Ultimately, we aim to foster a love of Science, which is evident in our enthusiastic and keen young scientists.