An Oxton St Saviour's Scientist

Intent  

The 2014 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 skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, and that the knowledge can be taught through this.

At Oxton St. Saviour’s Primary, we encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at the school and beyond.  The Science curriculum stimulates and excites children’s curiosity about the world they live in and promotes respect for the living and non-living things. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes. Throughout the programmes of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group.  The key knowledge identified by each year group is informed by the national curriculum and builds towards identified phase ‘end points’ in accordance with NC expectations. 

Key skills are also mapped for each year group and are progressive throughout the school.  These too ensure systematic progression to identified skills end points which are in accordance with the Working Scientifically skills expectations of the national curriculum.  The curriculum is designed to ensure that children are able to acquire key scientific knowledge through practical experiences; using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently.  The school’s approach to science takes account of the school’s own context, ensuring access to people with specialist expertise and places of scientific interest as part of the school’s commitment to learning outside the classroom.  Children are encouraged to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings and a love of science is nurtured through a whole school ethos and a varied science curriculum which takes our pupils beyond the National Curriculum to promote their science capital in as many diverse ways as possible.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all pupils 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 units by the class teacher, following the school’s long term plan.
• Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of each topic, as part of the KWL strategy (What I know, What I would like to Know and What I have Learned); KS2 use a carousel of activities to elicit this information. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children’s starting points and that it takes account of pupil voice, incorporating children’s interests.
• Through our planning, we involve problem solving opportunities that allow children to apply their knowledge, and find out answers 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, involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess pupils regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all pupils progress. Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion.
• We build upon the knowledge and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, 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 evidence.
• Working Scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure that skills are systematically developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching.
• Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, and the various Working Scientifically skills in order to embed scientific understanding. Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts.
• Children are offered a range of extra-curricular activities, visits, trips and visitors to complement and broaden the curriculum. These are purposeful and link with the knowledge being taught in class.
• Regular events, such as STEM fortnight and project days or themes eg. Wild June allow all pupils to come off-timetable, to provide broader provision and the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. These events often involve families and the wider community.
• Throughout each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children, checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.

Impact

The approach at Oxton St. Saviour’s results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world.

The impact of our curriculum is measured through:

• Continuous assessment of learning through focussed questioning, the level of support required and pupil’s engagement throughout lessons.
• Adaptation of lessons based on continuous assessment, evidence for which can be seen in the children’s books and teacher’s planning. 
• Each science lesson beginning with a recap of substantive and disciplinary knowledge from previous lessons.
• Carrying out ‘pupil voice’ to demonstrate progression of learning, understanding and vocabulary.
• Displays showing the engaging activities, skills and learning.
• Monitoring of children’s work by the subject leader and staff.
• Providing ongoing CPD based on the outcomes of monitoring.

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