SCIENCE
The National Curriculum (2014) states that:
"A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
Aims
The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
- 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. "
Intent
At St Margaret Mary’s Infant School, we foster a hands-on curiosity for exploration of the world. We strive for the children to develop their ideas and ways of working that will enable them to make sense of the world in which they live whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them think and reason scientifically. We want them to gain an understanding of scientific processes and a knowledge of how these fit into the world of work as well as having a rich range of scientific vocabulary. We develop pupils’ enjoyment and interest in science and build on their enthusiasm, encouraging children to ask questions about what they notice and to treat the living and non-living environment with respect and sensitivity.
Implementation
At St Margaret Mary’s Infant School, Science is taught using the Developing Experts scheme of work, following the aims and content of the National Curriculum. Science is arranged, planned and taught through topic blocks as well as adaptions by class teachers. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge as well as scaffolding support to cater for the needs of all our children, including those with SEND.
This acquisition of key scientific knowledge is an integral part of our science lessons. Linked knowledge organisers enable children to learn and retain the important, useful and powerful vocabulary and knowledge contained within each unit. Rocket words are explained, used and modelled by staff within lessons to aid pupils understanding. This vocabulary is then repeated throughout the lesson, quizzed on at the end and repeated at the beginning of the following lesson.
The progression of skills for working scientifically are embedded into lessons and scientific enquiry skills are of key importance within lessons, which are known as ‘Mission Assignments’. All our lessons contain a balance of the different ‘Working Scientifically Skills’ and ‘Scientific Enquiry’ types, so that children practise a broad range of skills throughout the curriculum. We promote the importance of an investigative approach through regular ‘hands on’ experiences. Children work scientifically during lessons and work collaboratively developing skills and investigating different concepts and ideas. The children are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They are 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 for example, books, photographs and videos.
We use both our indoor and outdoor environment to support the teaching and learning of Science. Most lessons are taught through the use of first-hand practical experiences including using our school grounds. We further build our children's science capital through educational visits, such as to Knowsley Safari Park and through educational visitors such as Animals Take Over to enhance the classroom learning.
Impact
Our children will develop a real sense of awe and wonder about the world they live in. They will have a good understanding of key scientific concepts and skills and be able to communicate their ideas using key scientific vocabulary. The successful approach at Developing Experts results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. Frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom is embedded throughout the science curriculum. Through various workshops and trips, children are beginning to understand that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Children learn the possibilities for careers in science, as a result of our expert films and curriculum links to industry, ensuring that children have access to positive role models within the field of science from a range of science disciplines and Stem related industries. From this exposure to a range of different scientists from various backgrounds, all children feel they are scientists and capable of achieving. At St Margaret Mary's Infant school, we aim to ensure every child enjoys science which results in motivated learners with sound scientific understanding.