Intent
We are committed to provide an exciting, engaging and personalised curriculum that ensures pupils can make sense of the world around them.
We aim to do this by:
- Ensuring children acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
- Develop scientific enquiry skills while building upon prior learning.
- Develop and use a range of skills including observations, planning and investigations, as well as being encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions.
- Vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged. Concepts taught should be reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry, so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions.
- Provide our children with wider opportunities in science and make links to other subjects.
Specific subject coverage:
Throughout the science curriculum, children will cover topics to develop a greater understanding within Physics, Chemistry and Biology, building upon this as they progress through the school. All of this is underpinned through working scientifically and developing practical enquiry and investigation skills.
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:
Through planning, we involve problem solving opportunities that allow children to find out 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 quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess children at the end of each topic to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all children keep up.
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 evidence.
Where possible links are made to other curriculum areas to allow children to link knowledge and apply their learning in other areas.
Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, and become increasingly confident with their scientific skills in order to embed scientific understanding.
Impact
The successful approach at Gwladys Street results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world. Our curriculum ensures children learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them. Children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Children learn the possibilities for careers in science as a result of our community links and connection with national agencies such as the STEM association. Pupil voice is used to further develop the Science curriculum, through questioning of pupil’s views and attitudes to Science to support the children’s enjoyment of science and to motivate learners.
Teachers assess children’s scientific skills through assessment focussed investigations and end of term written assessments themed based. Assessment judgements are tracked on the school’s pupil tracker.
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