Science at St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
Intent
To develop children's scientific knowledge and understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science, for now and the future.
At St Joseph’s Primary school, we believe that a high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help children 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. In our rapidly evolving world, science is a vital part of our curriculum intention. Science stimulates and excites pupils’ 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. Scientific method is about developing and evaluating explanations through experimental evidence and modelling. Pupils learn to question and discuss science-based issues that may affect their own lives, the direction of society and the future of the world.
All children are encouraged to 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. Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged.
In order for children to achieve well, they must not only acquire the necessary knowledge but also understand its value, enjoy the experience of working scientifically and sustain their interest in learning it. They need to learn about scientists who have made a difference in society and think about the role they play in the real world. Then they are more likely to continue to study science and use that learning for work, for family and to contribute as informed citizens.
Aims
- To develop a love of science; to enthuse children and make learning fun.
- To build on children’s curiosity and sense of awe in the natural world.
- To ensure children experience all five scientific enquiries: observation, testing, research, classifying and identifying and pattern seeking by becoming scientists in the classroom.
- To make learning purposeful, to make cross curricular links and for children to experience ‘real life’ concepts. (Maths, English, Computing in particular)
- To increase children’s scientific vocabulary and the language of science.
- To ensure children use a range of equipment accurately and safely through hands on investigations and observations.
- To develop learning in the outdoors; to increase children’s confidence and natural curiosity of the world around them.To give children varied opportunities, through active participation. All children are exploring and following their own lines of enquiry. At times investigations are child led.
Implementation
In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.
Due to mixed year groups in our school, Science units are taught on a 2 year rolling programme for KS1, LKS2 and UKS2. This ensures progression between year groups and guarantees topics are covered.
We ensure that all children are provided with rich learning experiences that aim to:
- Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.
- Help our children acquire a growing understanding of the nature, processes and methods of scientific ideas.
- Help develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world.
- Build on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.
- Encouraging open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and developing the skills of 3 investigation – including: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
- Develop the use of scientific language, recording and techniques.
- Develop the use of computing in investigating and recording.
- Make links between science and other subjects.
Impact
The successful approach at St Joseph’s results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them.
The impact of our curriculum is that children at St. Joseph’s enjoy science and this results in motivated learners with sound scientific understanding. by the end of each topic, the vast majority of pupils will have sustained mastery of the content, that is, they remember it all and are fluent in it; some pupils have a greater depth of understanding.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage the aim is to enable children to work scientifically to:
- ask questions and recognise they can be answered in different ways.
- investigate a wide variety of objects and materials in the natural and made world using all senses as appropriate.
- learn about themselves and living things.
- look closely at similarities and differences, patterns and change
- talk about their observations and sometimes record them.
At KS1 children should work scientifically by:
- Ask questions and recognise they can be answered in different ways.
- Observe closely using simple equipment
- Perform simple tests
- Identify and classify
- Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers
- Gather and record data to help answer questions
At lower KS2 children should work scientifically by:
- asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
- setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
- making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
- gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
- recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables
- reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions
- using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions
- identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes
- using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.
At upper KS2 children should work scientifically by:
- planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
- taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision, taking repeat readings when appropriate
- recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
- using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
- reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and a degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations
Wider Curriculum
Opportunities for incorporating English, maths and IT applications are identified within science medium term planning.
Children have the opportunity to participate in STEM Clubs.