We CARE • Curiosity - Aspiration - Respect - Enthusiasm

Science

Intent

Our aim is to develop a life-long love of science for all our pupils by providing a rich and exciting curriculum.

Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity. We want to inspire our children to become future scientists and have a positive impact on the world.

We follow the National Curriculum which aims to ensure that all pupils:

develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

At Cholsey Primary School, scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. Topics, such as plants are taught at Key Stage One and studied again in further detail throughout Key Stage Two. This allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this knowledge into the long-term memory.

All children are encouraged to develop and use a range of scientific skills. They are encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Specialist vocabulary is developed and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged. Concepts taught are 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.

National Curriculum Aims

Implementation

Children are encouraged to find answers to scientific questions themselves by applying existing knowledge and completing a range of different types of investigation. Over the course of a year children would carry out a range of investigations that involve different types of enquiry for example:

Observation over time
identifying and classifying
pattern seeking
research
comparative and fair testing

Lessons will typically start with a question – sometimes generated by the children – for example: What material would make the best raincoat? This would be followed by the opportunity to explore and discover possible solutions. Children are given the opportunity to: undertake debate and discussion; predict outcomes; conduct investigative work; complete observations and other recording methods; some of which involve detailed written responses. They also evaluate their findings through discussions.

Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts. We are fortunate to have a large woodland area on site which enables high quality practical science sessions to take place.

We build upon the knowledge and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, 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 that skills are systematically developed throughout the children’s school career and increasingly challenging concepts are introduced.

Click here to see an overview of what is taught in each year group.

Impact

Standards in science at the end of key stage 2 are consistently good and children go on to secondary education with a solid foundation. Our science leaders are passionate about their subject and their enthusiasm is infectious across the school. When asked, children report that they enjoy their science sessions and the variety of topics covered.