Science at St Laurence's

 

At St Laurence’s we believe that science stimulates and excites children’s curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It also satisfies their curiosity with knowledge. Because science links direct practical experience with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels.

We believe that developing science knowledge will lead to a better understanding of ourselves and the world. It provides opportunities to appreciate scientific facts and concepts and to experience scientific discovery.

Science at St Laurence’s, is about developing children’s ideas and ways of working that enable them to make sense of the world in which they live through investigation, as well as using and applying working scientifically skills.

 

End of Key Stage One Expectations

At the end of KS1 pupils will have explored the world around them developing their understanding of key scientific concepts. This will be through exciting, practical, hands on experiences which will give them the necessary curiosity and questioning to build on in KS 2.

 

End of Key Stage Two Expectations

At the end of KS2 pupils will have been provided with a high quality Science Education through Biology, Chemistry and Physics to enable them to explore the world around them. Pupils will understand how Science has shaped the future and changed the lives of many.

Pupils will have developed their ability to think rationally, explain scientific phenomena, predict, investigate and analyse, developing a sense of excitement and curiosity within an ever changing world.

 

Our Aims for our Science Curriculum:

1. Underpinned by clear aims, values and purpose
2. Broad, balanced and has clear progression in subject knowledge and skills
3. Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world.
4. Foster concern about, and actively care for, our environment.
5. Help develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world.
6. Develop our children’s understanding of the international and collaborative nature of science.
7. Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
8. Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of scientific enquiries that help our children answer scientific questions about the world around them.
9. Equip children with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Scientific skills gained and explored:

1. Give our children an understanding of scientific processes.
2. Help our children to acquire practical scientific skills.
3. Develop the skills of investigation – including observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
4. Develop the use of scientific language, recording and techniques.
5. Develop the use of ICT in investigating and recording.
6. Enable our children to become effective communicators of scientific ideas, facts and data.

 

Intent

All pupils at St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School are entitled to be taught the key: knowledge, vocabulary and skills in the scientific disciplines to develop an understanding of the world around them at an age-appropriate level and in line with the National Curriculum. We aim to harness children’s natural excitement and curiosity and inspire them to pursue scientific enquiry. Throughout the primary years, children should learn to explain and analyse phenomena, make predictions and solve problems.

 

Teachers should aim to nurture a love for the natural world, excitement for future possibilities in science and provide many opportunities for pupils to respond creatively in their learning. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum at St Laurence’s, within science children are given opportunities to read a range of texts and extracts that are linked to all topics within the science curriculum. Children also have access to variety of science based texts within class to allow them to apply their understanding in context and to enrich their learning experience. Within science, there is a wealth of technical and challenging vocabulary and through our carefully designed curriculum we aim to close the gaps in children’s vocabulary and strive to allow all children to become confident and fluent in using a range of scientific vocabulary, developing their understanding along the way.

 

In addition to this, we will continue to raise the profile and quality of science across the whole school and put in place a development cycle that leads to sustained progress in science across the school. As a school within a deprived area, we will look to develop children’s science capital and aspirations through: interactions with adults in STEM careers, involving families and creating a curriculum that includes lessons with real life contexts.

 

Implementation

To implement a clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum that is informed by research evidence and best practice data, where teaching and learning show progression across all key stages within the strands of Science. Key vocabulary and meanings will be taught within each topic with a clear progression between year groups in order to understand and readily apply to their written, mathematical and verbal communication of their skills. The Science curriculum at St Laurence’s is designed and taught using strategies to enable children to embed their learning in their long-term memories. Clear and well thought out sequences of learning and ongoing assessments ensure that new knowledge and skills build on prior learning.

 

During science lessons, children will use a range of resources to develop their knowledge and understanding that is integral to their learning and develop their understanding of working scientifically, using increasingly complex equipment as they progress through the school. A clear and comprehensive scheme of work will be embedded, where teaching and learning will plan for practical investigative opportunities and, where possible, allow for links to be made to real life contexts. There should be opportunities for children to reflect on previous learning and be able to build on prior knowledge and link ideas together, enabling them to question and become enquiry based learners.

 

Where applicable, links to Science will be made to develop the children’s topical learning (cross-curricular) and opportunities to work with local scientists or visit local institutions (in person or virtually) will be actively encouraged to build children’s science capital. 

 

Subject lead and staff’s knowledge and confidence in teaching and delivering excellent science lessons will continue to be developed. CPD will be available for all staff enabling them to develop their own knowledge and skills, transferring this back into the classroom and onto our children.

 

Science will be monitored termly throughout the academic year in line with the school monitoring cycle through: book scrutinies, learning walks and questionnaires. Evaluations and changes are made when necessary.  All evaluations are shared with our SLT and governing body to ensure that all stakeholders have an understanding of our curriculum offer.

 

Assessment and tracking individual children’s progress is based on half-termly assessments that ensure good or better progress.  This impacts on accelerating the rate of progress for all, including those children with special educational needs. Vulnerable children and children with learning difficulties are identified early and well supported through intervention programmes that are individually tailored, effectively taught and closely monitored in terms of pupil outcomes. Using our Primary Progress tracking system in Years 1 to 6, we are able to see which pupils have made progress against the key objectives for Science, this is in line with the other core subjects of English and maths.

 

Impact

As a result of the above actions:

• Primary Science Quality Mark Awarded 2021
• Children are engaged and enjoy their science lessons.
• Children make good progress, building and consolidating their knowledge and skills, developing positive attitudes about science and its value to their lives and globally.
• Children’s knowledge and working scientifically skills are built on in each year group.
• Most children will achieve age related expectations in Science at the end of their cohort year.
• Children can retain knowledge that is pertinent to Science with a real life context.
• Children are be able to question ideas and reflect on knowledge, work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment and be able to explain the process they have taken and be able to reason scientifically.
• Children are confident in using and applying vocabulary across a range of scientific topics
• Teachers show consistent standards of teaching in each year group.
• Accurate assessment for learning takes place across the school.
• Children are well prepared for the next stage of education

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