Intent

Science teaching at Edleston Primary 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. We aim to expose pupils to first hand experiences to enhance learning and for them to have a love and curiosity for exploring the world around them.

At Edleston Primary, scientific enquiry skills will be embedded in each topic studied. These topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school, allowing children to build upon their prior knowledge and increase their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory and get them ready for the next stage of learning.

We want to encourage the use of a range of skills including observations, planning and investigations in a real-life context and inspiring them to question the world around them, becoming independent learners in exploring possible answers to questions in a scientific manner.

Implementation

Each class carries out at least one lesson of science per week, taught in blocks half termly and, where possible, will link to themed learning lessons and class texts. Each lesson will have a learning challenge to engage and consolidate learning. The curriculum is designed to build on previous learning and ensures there is a range of scientific enquiry opportunities in real life contexts. Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built upon prior knowledge.

Our local area and school outdoor environment are used to give children first hand experiences and visits/workshops from experts also enhance the learning process. As part of our themed/cultural learning, children are also encouraged to explore the lives of well-known scientists.

In the EYFS, science falls under the ‘understanding of the world’ area of learning where the children will explore similarities and differences of places, objects, materials and living things. They will cover topics such as ‘caring for the environment and ‘living things’, ‘sound’ and observations of plants and animals.

In Key Stage 1, pupils are helped to develop their understanding and are beginning to develop their scientific skills to answer questions posed. Concepts are taught by reinforcing the five areas of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions. By the time they enter lower Key Stage 2 they begin to independently ask their own questions and develop their own scientific enquiries to answer those questions so that by the end of upper Key Stage 2 they can independently ask and answer their own questions using appropriate scientific knowledge and skills.

Impact

We believe that at Edleston children will develop an enjoyment and curiosity for scientific concepts and the world around them, based on first hand experiences provided in the classroom and through use of the local area. They will have the experiences and confidence to pose and answer scientific questions, knowing how to explore these and work scientifically to find answers. Evidence from Flashback 4s, discussion, books, annotated photographs and termly assessments should show good progress, a breadth of knowledge building on prior learning in order to consolidate learning and prepare them for the next stage.