Science
Science Curriculum Statement
Aim
At Snapethorpe Primary, Science is taught discretely with a focus on building knowledge and enquiry skills to ensure full coverage of the curriculum which is both progressional from early years to Year 6 and engaging to pupils. Our Science curriculum has been mapped out in order to meet the objectives of the National Curriculum with the additional focus of specific knowledge we believe is important for children to use in their everyday life.
We will deliver a Science Curriculum that:
- Builds upon prior knowledge and a progression of skills to ensure all children have a secure understanding and knowledge of key science concepts.
- Develops creativity and challenges all of our learners through inclusive teaching practice.
- Will develop aspirational learners with an awareness of the key role that science plays within our community and the world.
- Encourages our children to be self-motivated, independent, curious and resilient learners by developing enquiry-based skills and sessions.
- Encourages outdoor learning to create meaningful experiences within their natural environment.
- Exposes and teaches children to explicit vocabulary that they will be introduced to throughout a unit of work enabling them to confidently explain what they have learnt.
- Covers specific units half termly that is relevant to their year group, this information can be found on our whole school coverage documents, medium term plans and newsletters to parent which are sent out half termly.
Implementation
- The curriculum is led and overseen by the science curriculum leaders, who will regularly monitor, evaluate and review science teaching and learning, celebrating and sharing good practice. Formative assessments will be integrated into every day science teaching to ensure teachers have an in-depth knowledge of the children’s learning and inform their next steps.
- The National Curriculum 2014 and the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework 2021 provide the basis for our science curriculum, which is then tailored to meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school through the identification of key knowledge statements on the medium term plans.
- Teachers will plan science lessons which will allow children to build upon prior knowledge and understanding and these prior learning links are identified on the Science medium term plans.
- Teachers will plan enquiry-based lessons so that children can develop their working scientifically skills and this will support children’s journeys to become independent and resilient learners.
- Children have access to a wide variety of Scientific resources which supports their learning and understanding within lessons.
- Each unit is supported with explicit vocabulary which is displayed in classrooms for children and teachers to refer to throughout science units ensuring children develop the understanding of terminology and use it appropriately.
- In Year groups 1-6 the children have an opportunity at the start of each unit to share and review prior knowledge which supports with the recall from long term memory. At the end of each unit, children can apply their newly developed knowledge to a mini quiz which allows teachers to assess their class and follow up any gaps in knowledge the following half term.
Impact
The teaching of Science will promote and develop transferable skills such as observation, communication and teamwork and allow mathematical skills to be applied. Children will become resilient, independent and curious scientists who ask questions and find things out for themselves. Children will be enthusiastic and motivated scientific learners and through a hands-on enquiry-based curriculum will experience the joy of exploring ideas and investigations. We believe that these opportunities will ensure that our children are confident, life-long learners who will explore the world around them.
Through assessments, the majority of pupils will be working at age related expectations; this will be evident in their work produced in Science books as well as scores on their mini quizzes at the end of each half term. Children will be able to confidently recall key knowledge from their unit of work and share explanations of key vocabulary stated on the medium term plans.
Below you can find the whole school overview for the Science coverage per year group and the medium term plans for each unit.
To find further information relating to learning in individual year groups, please use the year group tabs on the website homepage.
