Science

Science

Easingwold Primary School - Science Curriculum Statement

‘Excellence for All’

Our School Vision

Outcomes for Pupils:

An unwavering ambition to ensure all children are equipped with the academic and social skills needed to be ready for the next stage in their education.

Fostering a thirst for the acquisition of knowledge and recognising that learning is a life-long skill.

Embracing a culture of self-awareness and respect to allow us to grow as citizens.

Teaching and Learning:

Empowered creative and inspirational staff who inspire children to achieve highly.

Enabling our children to widen their horizons and aspire to personal excellence through the development of a broad and exciting curriculum which places experiences as a high priority.

Permitting the taking of risks by means of exploring new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

Intent – What do we want to achieve?

The primary aim of our whole school curriculum is to provide ‘Excellence for All.’ To achieve this, we want develop children as curious, independent and resilient learners who have a secure understanding of themselves, their community and the wider world in which they live. We want them to have high aspirations and make positive contributions to their community and society. It is of the utmost importance to us that we provide pupils with indelible experiences from which they can learn and develop a range of transferable, lifelong skills.

We believe a high-quality science education gives all children a strong sense of excitement, curiosity and understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. At Easingwold Primary, scientific knowledge and concepts are embedded in each topic the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this knowledge into the long-term memory. Concepts taught are reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry including, observing over time, pattern seeking, identifying, classifying and grouping, comparative and fair testing and researching through secondary sources. Our intent is that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions, including applying their mathematical knowledge when collecting, presenting and analysing data. Our aim is that children will question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas, probe and remedy their misconceptions is encouraged at every opportunity.

Implementation - How will we achieve this?

Science at Easingwold Primary is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Teachers have identified the key knowledge, vocabulary and skills of each blocked topic and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds progressively and that children develop skills systematically. Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of each topic and retrieval opportunities are built into the start of each lesson to support the children in remembering more of what they have learnt. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children’s starting points. Lessons are designed to provide appropriate support and challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and rigorously checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.
Cross curricular outcomes in science are specifically identified and planned for. The science provision is also well resourced to support effective teaching and learning. The local area is fully utilised to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice. School trips and visits from experts are provided to give first hand experiences, which enhance children’s understanding.

Impact – How do we know we have been successful?

The impact of our science curriculum is that our learners are equipped with the scientific skills and knowledge to help them to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave and analyse causes. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be able to articulate rational explanations clearly and precisely using the specialist vocabulary they have learnt. Their skills and knowledge will develop progressively as they move through the school to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and will enable them to be fully equipped for their secondary education. The children will be able to discuss their learning and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through a range of activities. The children’s learning is assessed against the age-related expectations from the 2014 National Curriculum.

Science Policy