Intent
At St Joseph and St Theresa’s, we recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life. We give the teaching and learning of Science high prominence. Because of this, we provide pupils with the foundations for understanding the world through biology, chemistry and physics. Pupils will enthusiastically and collaboratively; think scientifically, make predictions, plan scientific experiments and answer their own questions. Through this, they will have a wider appreciation of the world God made for us.
Our Science provision will develop the natural curiosity of the child, encourage respect for living organisms and the physical environment whilst providing opportunities for critical evaluation and evidence. Scientific enquiry skills are embedded within in each topic that pupils study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at our school. This allows pupils to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory.
We endeavour to ensure that the Science curriculum we provide gives pupils the confidence and motivation to further develop their skills into the next stage of their education and life experiences. Teachers will ensure that all children are exposed to high-quality teaching and learning experiences. This includes vulnerable learners, who will be supported to access the same curriculum as their peers and to achieve their full potential in the curriculum whilst meeting their individual needs. They will be encouraged to ask questions about the world around them and work scientifically to further their conceptual and scientific knowledge.
Implementation
Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within the classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all pupils are capable of achieving high standards in science.
Teachers are provided with planning time to construct their knowledge organisers (including vocabulary) that all pupils must be able to access. These take on a holistic role as they contribute to all of our other subjects in our school day i.e. maths, English, art, geography, history, music, PE etc. Our curriculum is progressive, learning builds upon the knowledge and skills developed in previous years. As the pupils’ knowledge and understanding increases, they become progressively more confident in their ability to predict and conclude their own results. By the end of KS2, pupils are able to choose their own hypothesis and explore their own conclusive results to compare.
Our curriculum is built around wonder and awe – we involve curiosity questions to invite pupils to think independently and find out for themselves. Pupils are encouraged to ask their own questions and opportunities are given to think more deeply about the scientific skills and research needed. They discover the answers using a question as a starting point, considering different possibilities. This curiosity and independent thinking is celebrated within the classroom.
Working scientifically skills are embedded through the six-part lessons structure with a focus on retrieval and links to prior learning. New vocabulary and challenging concepts are partnered with existing knowledge and explored through direct teaching. Children are continually building on their previous learning and familiarity is ensured. This is developed throughout the pupils’ time at school. The curriculum links directly to scientific knowledge, skills and understanding to ensure that learning is progressive and continuous.
Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment and working scientifically skills to embed and inspire science understanding. Teachers find opportunities to access outdoor learning and bring the outdoors back into the classroom. Through regular school trips, or events (such as Science Week and local area studies) pupils are able to broaden their mind set whilst acquiring and applying their knowledge and skills. These are purposeful and support the knowledge being taught in class whilst giving them the opportunity to see and experience Science in real life situations.
Impact
Pupils at St Joseph and St Theresa develop a wide range of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry skills. Pupils work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment their curiosity. Pupils enjoy, and are enthusiastic about science in our school and their work shows this. They are increasingly independent and active in studying and through this are becoming learned and more knowledgeable. By selecting their own tools and materials, completing pupil led investigations, being attentive when discussing partner work and choosing their own strategies for recordings, pupils are able to use their skills to further study, work and lead a successful life. Teachers demonstrate a rich vocabulary, which enables pupils to articulate eloquently their understanding of taught concepts. Pupils not only acquire the appropriate age-related knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also skills that equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.
SEND Toolkit for Science
