Science

The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge

Intent

The intent of our science curriculum at St. Thomas of Canterbury is to allow all our naturally curious and inquisitive children to develop both substantive and disciplinary scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding, which stimulates them to understand the uses and implications of science and its place in society, today and for the future.

We intend to encourage respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provide opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence. Through building up a solid body of key foundational substantive knowledge, vocabulary and concepts, pupils are encouraged to recognise the power of critical thinking, problem solving skills, rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about the wonders of the natural world.
We encourage them to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, analyse causes and develop appropriate questioning techniques when analysing and comparing scientific results.
We intend to ensure that all children are exposed to high quality teaching and learning experiences, which allow children to explore their outdoor environment and locality,. Our science curriculum incorporates high quality ‘hands on’ practical lessons and investigations where children are encouraged to think about their own understanding of the world, to ask questions and to explore ways in which these questions can be answered through investigation.
Children are taught the disciplinary techniques of how to make predictions, plan investigations, keep tests fair, use equipment safely, measure and record their results, draw conclusions and present their results using a range of methods to communicate their scientific information, including I.C.T., diagrams, graphs and charts with the intent of developing scientifically literate citizens.
The National Curriculum provides a structure and skill development for the science curriculum being taught throughout the school, which is taught through discrete units. We intend to provide all children with a broad and balanced science curriculum which revisits and builds upon both substantive and disciplinary knowledge taught in previous year groups. This detailed and connected approach secures the fundamentals of science in a logical manner as it connects new learning to prior learning. It also allows pupils to access a much higher level of subject knowledge towards the final stages of school and into their future, where they may consider careers in science and technology.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in science. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following:

Science is taught weekly in planned and arranged discrete units by the class teacher following the National Curriculum. Where appropriate, units will be linked to other curriculum learning. These units are taught on a yearly rolling programme. This ensures progression of detailed knowledge between year groups, guarantees topics are covered, secures understanding and enables the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge.
Where it is appropriate to do so, certain topics are revisited more than once during the academic year. For example, Year One investigate and conduct appropriate tests and observances as part of their ‘Plants’ unit during winter, spring and summer months. This allows children to identify the many varieties of seasonal plants, how different plants grow and flourish in certain conditions and how conditions impact growth. This approach places science into a real-life context and develops curiosity of the world around them.
Through our planning (which takes account of any mathematics and wider curriculum links) we involve problem solving opportunities that allow children to use disciplinary knowledge and skills to explore and investigate scientific concepts for themselves. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom. Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers frequently assess learning through the use of precise questioning in class to recap and test substantive conceptual knowledge and disciplinary skills. They provide immediate feedback, address any misconceptions (which influences future planning), and assess children regularly to identify any gaps in learning. All children are given the opportunity to access the curriculum by means of using resources appropriate to their learning needs. Theis ensures that curriculum goals have been achieved.
We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real life evidence. In doing so, they develop a scientific attitude towards their learning, develop an open mind and a willingness to change their opinions in the light of any new scientific evidence presented to them.
Working Scientifically skills (disciplinary knowledge) are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts (substantive knowledge) are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years, in-keeping with the topics.
Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, and the various Working Scientifically skills (disciplinary skills and knowledge) in order to embed scientific understanding. They find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning using both the school and local environment. They arrange exciting visitors to school or trips to consolidate learning and encourage a love and sense enjoyment for the subject.

Impact

This engaging and practical approach to teaching science at St. Thomas of Canterbury results in a fun, engaging, high-quality and hands-on scientific education. It provides children with the foundations for understanding the real world and the place of science in society. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. Where appropriate, so much of science lends itself to outdoor learning and so we provide children with opportunities to experience this. Through different avenues, e.g. workshops and trips, children have the understanding that science has and continues to change our lives and they learn about the possibilities of careers in science and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age-related substantive knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also skills (working scientifically through disciplinary skills) which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.

All children will have:

A wider variety of skills linked to scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/investigative skills.
An explicit and rich scientific vocabulary which will enable them to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
High aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.

Enrichment

In addition to their mainstream learning, pupils are invited to participate in exciting school-wide science investigations, projects and visits, all with the intention of bringing science out of the classroom and relating the subject to real world contexts.

Our KS2 ‘Science Club’ develops a deeper understanding and appreciation of the subject among our older pupils who are then able to share their knowledge with younger pupils throughout the school, particularly during the whole school’s participation in ‘British Science Week’.

‘British Science Week’ activities encourage our pupils to work collaboratively in school and at home with their families, allowing them to share what they have been learning at school. Children are encouraged to believe that they can be a scientist and that they can have a positive impact on the world by listening to scientists speak about their work either via pre-recorded videos or via Skype thus encouraging and love and fascination for science. We have strong links with our local secondary school who welcome our pupils to science workshops. This gives our pupils an insight into the way in which their scientific learning will develop and grow and where it may lead them beyond their education.

Pupils are encouraged to tend to plants and remove litter for our school grounds to develop their passion for preventing environmental issues. Trips and visits in all year groups consolidate classroom learning and encourage a of love for the subject.