Science

Brandesburton Primary School Science

Subject Leader : K . Platten

Intent

First and foremost develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.  Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity and we want our pupils to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave and analyse causes. The science curriculum is designed to fully reflect the school aims of providing a curriculum that motivates, inspires and meets the needs of all pupils. The skills of ‘working scientifically’ are embedded into our lessons to ensure these skills are developed and built upon over time.

Implementation

Careful consideration is given to aligning science topics with the overarching key stage theme wherever possible to help to build and retain knowledge and enhance cross-curricular learning. This gives pupils the opportunity to make real life historical and geographical links to their developing scientific knowledge. We have developed the use of class floor books for recording scientific investigations to more easily show progression from year group to year group. Suggested investigations to demonstrate and develop working scientifically skills have been mapped to the Key Stage One and Key Stage Two long-term plans. Science units fully align with the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and build progressively, with staff able to refer to knowledge matrices that show prior and successive learning opportunities. An effective programme of CPD is available to staff to ensure high levels of teacher confidence and knowledge to impact positively on teaching and learning. Teachers are encouraged to make use of a range of planning and resources from Developing Experts and Explorify. Pupil learning experiences are enhanced by visitors, visits and workshops to increase science capital.

Impact

We endeavour to increase children’s knowledge and understanding, so that they become proficient in selecting and using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results as well as becoming increasingly confident in their ability to draw conclusions based on real evidence.  Our curriculum delivery is designed to promote critical thinking, questioning skills and the use of a wider range of vocabulary in communicating with their peers. We aim to help them understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future and provide our learners with the foundations for understanding the world.

End points:

By the end of EYFS, pupils will:

  • explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants;
  • know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
  • understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter

By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils will:

  • be encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice.
  • be helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information.
  • begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways.

By the end of Key Stage 2: pupils will:

  • pupils will broaden their scientific view of the world around them through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions.
  • ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information.
  • draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out
  • read and spell scientific vocabulary correctly and with confidence, using their growing word reading and spelling knowledge