Science

INTENT

Science teaching at Victoria Road Primary School aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them whilst 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.

At Victoria Road 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 in Key Stage One and studied again in further detail throughout Key Stage Two. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory.

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.

DESIGN/IMPLEMENTATION

The curriculum is led and overseen by the science lead. Our science lead regularly celebrates the work carried out across the curriculum. Science is taught throughout the school up to 2 hours a week.  Other opportunities are also taken advantage of in other curriculum areas, such as reading and STEM activities.

Our science curriculum follows:

• Weekly sessions in all terms over the year, with additional activities linked to reading, literacy and maths.
• Ensures coverage and progression in all substantive and disciplinary skills relating to Science.
• In each new unit of learning, teachers will revisit substantive and disciplinary knowledge to further embed prior learning and identify misconceptions.
• A cycle of lessons for each subject is carefully planned for, to include progression and depth including vocabulary.
• The cycle of lessons will develop long term memory by allowing for repetition of learning within the year and year on year.
• STEM inspired activities are used throughout the year groups to challenge pupil’s scientific thinking, resilience and reasoning skills.
• Fieldtrips/fieldwork – teachers are encouraged to use outdoor learning opportunities where there is relevance to their unit of learning. This enables children to have an understanding of the science around them.

IMPACT/ACTIONS/PRIORITIES FOR THIS YEAR

The successful approach to the teaching of science at Victoria Road Primary School will result in a fun, engaging, high quality science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world that they can take with them once they complete their primary education.

Children at Victoria Road Primary School will:

• demonstrate a love of science work and an interest in further study and work in this field.
• retain knowledge that is pertinent to Science with a real life context.
• children demonstrate knowledge of a diverse range of scientists.
• be able to question ideas and reflect on knowledge.
• be able to articulate their understanding of scientific concepts and be able to reason scientifically using rich vocabulary linked to science.
• work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment.
• achieve age related expectations in Science at the end of their cohort year.

Assessment at Victoria Road Primary School is teacher based and formed using formal and informal strategies.

Formative assessment is used as the main tool for assessing the impact of Science as it allows for misconceptions and gaps to be addressed more immediately rather than building on insecure scientific foundations.

Next steps:-

• Assessment opportunities embedded across the school.
• Moderation sessions.

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