Science
At Capenhurst CE Primary, we believe that science is vital to the world’s future prosperity and that our pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Pupils will be encouraged to develop the ability to think and explain things rationally and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. Through our science curriculum, pupils will be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
At Capenhurst CE Primary School, children will:
- develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
- develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of scientific enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
- be equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
At Capenhurst CE Primary, we encourage children to be curious, resilient and compassionate throughout their time at the school and beyond. The science curriculum fosters a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and promotes respect for the living and non-living. 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, as well as the application of scientific skills. We ensure that the Working Scientifically skills are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at the school so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently and continue to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings.
Implementation
Teachers create a positive attitude to science within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in the subject. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following:
- Science has been planned in arranged topic blocks over a long term plan covering two years. This is due to our classes often being mixed age and ensures that every child is taught the appropriate skills which then follows on, or adds to, what they have previously been taught.
- Through our 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 high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and monitor children’s progress using objective tracking sheets for each science topic taught.
- 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.
- Working scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed throughout the school, in keeping with the topics.
- 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 as and when necessary.
- Children are offered a wide 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.
Impact
The impact of learning within the lesson is assessed using focused questioning and observations with feedback provided at the point of teaching. At the end of each lesson, books are collected, reviewed and teachers will give feedback to pupils about their work, usually at the start of their next science lesson.
Before teaching a unit of work, the children are asked what they already know about the topic and what they would like to know, and each pupil is given an overview of objectives which they will cover in that unit of work. At the end of each unit of work, the children then complete a self-evaluation gird to say whether they feel they have achieved each objective, but also to say what they have learnt and enjoyed and what they would like to know more about.
Following a unit of work, the class teachers will then complete an objective tracking sheet specifically for that unit of work in order to assess whether pupils are working at, below or above age related expectations. At the end of each academic year, class teachers will have developed an accurate overview of each child’s ability in science.
Monitoring
The science subject leader will monitor the teaching and learning of science through termly subject scrutinies, staff meetings to address common areas and introduce new routines and practices and lesson visits. Once trained, the subject leader will undertake a ‘deep dive’ once per academic year. The outcomes of all monitoring activities will be shared with the staff and school leaders.
