INTENT

At Everton Primary School, we believe Science is an essential part of our curriculum; our intent is that children’s curiosity and enthusiasm is developed through fun, practical and engaging activities that will foster a healthy curiosity and sense of excitement about natural phenomena. Teachers will deliver the National Curriculum, promoting a real thirst for understanding of Science, creating ambition to become the scientists of the future. We aspire to ensure that all children are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science today and in the future.

Independently and through teamwork, children will form an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them. We endeavour to develop children’s scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding of important scientific ideas, key processes and skills through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Teachers aim to make science lessons thought-provoking and exciting, leading the children to wonder, ask questions, research and discuss their learning at home so that they become successful and confident learners. When teaching science, we ensure that the children can develop confidence in the skills of investigating, collaborating and evaluating as well as developing resilience so that they are being equipped for life to ask and answer scientific questions about the world around them.

IMPLEMENTATION

As we have 4 mixed classes at Everton, our Science Curriculum has been designed on a 2-year rolling programme. This is to ensure all National Curriculum is taught to all our pupils before they leave our school. We understand the importance of teaching the Science curriculum in a progressive sequence so skills are built on year on year.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we follow the ‘Birth to 5 Matters’ guidance. This guidance aims for all children in Reception to have an understanding of the world by the end of the academic year. The knowledge and skills needed to achieve these outcomes are taught mostly through playing and exploring during continuous provision times in the day where teachers plan enhanced activities, promoting curiosity, which give opportunities for children to learn through their own discovery as well as through some teacher-led activities. 

In Key Stage 1, the main focus of science teaching is to enable pupils to experience and observe the world around them. Pupils are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. To develop their understanding of scientific ideas, they experience different types of scientific enquiry to help them confidently answer their own questions; including grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, observing changes over a period of time and with guidance, noticing patterns and relationships. Most of their learning about science will be done through first-hand experiences but some appropriate secondary sources such as photographs and videos will be used too, to find out answers. Teachers will also demonstrate how to respectfully use scientific equipment and model scientific skills.

The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are key factors in developing their scientific vocabulary and how they articulate scientific concepts clearly and precisely, with independence. In Key Stage 1, they will begin to use simple scientific vocabulary to talk about and record what they have found out so they can communicate their ideas in a variety of ways. Pupils will also read and spell scientific vocabulary at a level that is consistent with their increasing reading and spelling knowledge in Key Stage 1. ‘Working scientifically’ is described separately in the science programmes of study but those scientific skills and methods are linked to the content of biology, chemistry and physics topics that are covered and are taught through this content.

In Key Stage 2, the foci of science teaching are to enable pupils to broaden their scientific view of the world around them and to develop their understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They will do this by exploring, talking about and testing their ideas and questions about every day and scientific phenomena. They will explore the relationships between living and non-living things and analyse relationships and interactions more systematically and with increasing independence. Pupils will ask their own questions, developing curiosity, and select the most appropriate type of scientific enquiry to answer those questions, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information.  Pupils will draw conclusions based on their observations and data and use scientific knowledge and language to write about and explain their findings.

The way in which we implement our curriculum:

• The standards for Science have been mapped out on our progression document, ensuring children year on year develop their Science skills.
• Science is taught every week of each term (see progression maps and Long Term Plans).
• Teachers use standards and break these down into smaller learning objectives; these are mapped out on Medium Term Plans, which develops sequential and cumulative learning and progression.
• In a science lesson, there will be: 1. Revisit and review, 2. Vocabulary development, 3. Teacher input (modelling), 4. Learning task and 5. Assessment of learning and review of the lesson.
• Within our lessons, a key component is to review previous learning, allowing children to understand their learning journey and giving them the confidence to be able to articulate their understanding and link learning together. Learning is reviewed in a range of ways: quizzes, games and mini assessments. Teachers also review through morning starter activities. This keeps learning refreshed and supports their long-term retention.
• Vocabulary is an integral part of our Science curriculum; we believe it is crucial we give our children the language to talk like Scientists, developing ambition to one day become an adult who works in this field. All children are given vocabulary mats at the beginning of each new unit; this vocabulary is then driven throughout the unit, ensuring children have a clear understanding of it and are equipped to use it.
• When a Science unit is studied, throughout all classrooms, a learning journey is built in Science books, displaying a build- up of knowledge and skills and allowing the children a key point of reference to review their learning.

IMPACT

The amazing Scientists of Everton Primary School will (by the end of Year 6):

• Primarily, consider themselves a scientist and know how to think and investigate as a scientist would.
• Know that precision is achieved through refinement of both questioning and of control of the variables in a scientific enquiry.
• Know that the level of accuracy and precision will determine the success of scientific enquiry.
• Know that the outcomes from fair tests supports factual understanding of a scientific enquiry which may differ from opinion.
• Know that the success of more complex scientific enquiries requires appropriate selection of the most effective method of classifying information.
• Know that an efficient and effective scientific enquiry should be based on an informed hypothesis.
• Know that accurate data can be a powerful tool when supporting or refuting scientific ideas/arguments.

Our Progression Document, Long Term and Medium Term plans display the learning for each point throughout our Science Curriculum.