Science

Intent:

Science at Trewidland, focuses on providing high-quality education based on understanding the world we live in. Science is a vital part of the world’s future and so it is essential all pupils are taught aspects of knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a foundational knowledge and understanding of key concepts, pupils will be encouraged to recognise links between learning and develop a sense of curiosity about our diverse planet and natural phenomena.

The aim of Science is for the children to: acquire knowledge and understanding of the world we live in, to ‘think like a scientist’ and what this looks like and be able to be hands-on, engaging in purposeful challenges and investigations.

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

Implementation:

We use the National Curriculum objectives as outlined by the government and adapt these to suit our spiral curriculum which is centred around the scientific concepts and SECRET skills across key stage one and two.
The SECRET skills are interwoven throughout lessons to develop our character education in conjunction with concepts, knowledge and skills.
We tailor the learning to suit the class and individual needs. Teaching is adapted to meet the needs of children with SEND and all children in our mixed age classes.
The concepts used within science are: Evolution, Chemistry, Ecosystems, Energy, Forces and Living things (cells).
The teaching, learning and sequencing of science follows a weekly curriculum approach to ensure coverage and progression, but also incorporates a whole school focus once a year during March celebrating British Science Week.
Where possible, science lessons make links to other subjects such as Geography, English and Maths.
Each class teacher uses their expertise and experience and knowledge of their pupils to plan the progression of lessons based on the concept focus for the term, the intended skills as well as focusing on the knowledge base.
The working scientifically aspect is incorporated into each unit of work dependent on the programme of study.
Continuous professional development and teaching resources are offered to teachers on a yearly basis through the SMART day as well as on numerous occasions throughout the year where in-school workshops and staff meetings are utilised to establish up-to-date staff subject knowledge, as well as distribute teaching and pupil resources to support inclusive and challenging teaching.

Please see key documents below:

Trewidland Long Term Planning Overview

Science in the Early Years Overview

Knowledge Organisers:

As part of our quality science teaching, we use knowledge organisers to support the development of children’s vocabulary and understanding, as well as map out the knowledge and skills needed to master a concept. See each year groups below:

To support the implementation of effective working scientifically skills across the school, we have knowledge organisers which are as follows:

Working scientifically Y1/2

Working scientifically Y3/4

Working scientifically Y5/6

Impact:

By the end of Year 6, every pupil at Trewidland will have had the opportunity to engage in and lead a range of scientific experiments and investigations to broaden and deepen their knowledge of science, as well as start to ‘think like a scientist’. They will become more resilient and independent learners as they plan, do and review an experiment on their own or as part of a group, and apply their prior knowledge to make connections between the learning of scientific concepts which focus on the world we live in. The outdoors will be utilised regularly throughout science lessons and parents and the wider community will support science learning. Finally, pupils will have an awareness of the scientific career opportunities and pathways available to them, and will leave Trewidland with the science skills and knowledge they need to succeed in further education.