St Mary’s Primary School – Science Curriculum Statement

Curriculum Area: Science    

Curriculum Leader: Mrs Cowling

Intent

Our science curriculum aims to provide the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

The national curriculum for science 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.

We aim to motivate and inspire children through a curriculum that stimulates, engages and challenges all learners. Our curriculum aims to develop key scientific knowledge and concepts, whilst instilling a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.

Science at St Mary’s is designed to deepen knowledge and develop skills, with literacy at the heart, ensuring effective progression across all year groups. Specialist vocabulary for science units is taught and built upon, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged.

Implementation

In science, we implement an inclusive curriculum that meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum.

It is timetabled for 2 hours per week in Key stage 2 and 1 hour per week in Key stage 1.

Being a mixed-age school, we have carefully sequenced the curriculum to ensure that progression is made year on year. 

The curriculum overview document shows progression between year groups based on the 3 strands of science: Chemistry, Biology and Physics. 

Working Scientifically skills are explicit in lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career, and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced. Through careful planning, we provide problem solving opportunities, allowing children to find out for themselves how to answer questions in a variety of practical ways. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given appropriate equipment to use their scientific skills to discover the answers.

A series of stimulating lessons are planned, with clear knowledge and skills -based learning objectives and subject-specific vocabulary. Previous learning is revisited in lessons to develop recall. Post-learning tasks are planned to demonstrate progress, knowledge and understanding. Teachers assess learning in science against knowledge-based and skill-based learning objectives.

Our curriculum is delivered through highly effective ‘quality first teaching’. Enrichment opportunities, including outdoor learning, inspirational visitors and exciting educational visits, provide our children with rich experiences and enhance teaching, learning and knowledge.

We base our curriculum on a science scheme through Grammarsaurus which we adapt to suit our learners. It offers practical, research, reading and writing opportunities.

Impact

Our well-planned science curriculum links investigations and learning to 'real-world' problems. It ensures that children are given essential knowledge, skills and concepts which they can link to the 'real-world'  to explain what is occurring, how things react and to explain causes. Learning is progressive, developmental and most of all stimulating to their general interest. Children develop the skills of creativity, perseverance and co-operation to enhance their ability to learn confidently in the whole curriculum.