Science

Science Intent, Implementation and Impact

At St. Anthony's Catholic Primary school, we aim to equip our children with the knowledge and skills they need to become resilient and super scientists!

Our curriculum drivers link to science through:

Faith and Spirituality links to our science curriculum as they are both concerned with understanding the fundamental nature of the universe, the world around them and their place within the world.

Knowledge and Experiences link to science as it allows the children to experience the world around them and make connections between their own experiences and the knowledge they develop of the world.

Resilience links to science as the children will learn problem-solving and analytical skills within their science lessons which will develop them as critical thinkers.

Intent

We want our children to have a knowledge and an experience of the magnificent world around them. Science should foster a healthy curiosity in children, to allow them to be inquisitive and never stop asking questions, so they become independent learners who wish to explore the universe and everything within it. We believe Science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge. We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus: our children can acquire key scientific knowledge through practical experiences, using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments, and explaining concepts confidently in all three branches of Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics). Our curriculum develops the scientific thinking of each child whilst encouraging them to respect the world around them, through the help of vocabulary rich teaching and developing a host of life skills through healthy questioning and inquiry. Our children will use their knowledge, skills and experiences to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Through well-structured and engaging science lessons, we enable all children to:

Be curious and explore their world building a wealth of scientific knowledge and skills.
Become effective problem solvers using science to answer the challenges that the world is facing.
Develop excellent skills in maths to enable data handling and analysis.
Emerge as effective exponents of STEM through the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
Challenge themselves to address every question with investigation, prediction, observation, data collection, synthesis, analysis, and a thorough evaluation of their findings.
Communicate their understanding and ideas with a wide technical vocabulary.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS & DISABILITIES (SEND)

Children with SEND are taught within the science lessons and are encouraged and expected to take part when and where possible through additional support from an adult or scaffolded work that is suitable for the abilities of the child.

Where applicable, children’s Individual Education Plan (IEPs sometimes known as SSPs) incorporate suitable objectives and teachers keep these objectives in mind when planning work.

When additional support staff are available to support groups or individual children, they work collaboratively with the class teacher. Within the lesson, teachers not only provide activities to support and challenge children who find science difficult but also activities that provide appropriate challenges for children who are high achievers.

DIFFERENTIATION

Differentiation can be used discretely in science lessons through the use of direct questioning during the input of lessons with questions pitched to allow children the right amount of support or challenge to show their understanding. Through the Mission Assignment, differentiation is shown through BAD tasks.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children can achieve high standards in science, leading to them being equipped for life to ask and answer scientific questions about the world around them. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following:

Science is taught, planned and arranged in topic blocks on a 2-year cycle in classes 1 to 4 and 1-year cycle in class 5 using the Developing Experts scheme of work, as well as adaptions by the class teacher. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge as well as scaffolding support to cater for the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

This acquisition of key scientific knowledge is an integral part of our science lessons. Linked knowledge organisers enable children to learn and retain the important, useful and powerful vocabulary and knowledge contained within each unit. Rocket words are explained then used and modelled by staff within lessons to aid pupils understanding. The progression of skills for working scientifically are developed through being embedded into lessons within our 2-year cycle and scientific enquiry skills are of key importance within lessons, which are known as ‘Mission Assignments’.

Each science topic has a ‘Big Question’, which allow pupils to explore and develop their understanding in an age-appropriate way, which is vital to ensure that we build on the skills and conceptual knowledge that has been previously taught. Each lesson has an ‘Enquiry Question’ to identify the key knowledge that should be retained. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills and assess children regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all children keep up.

We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years, as planned within our 2-year cycle. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.

Enrichment days and activities, such as Science Week and other extra-curricular activities, visits, trips and visitors to complement and broaden the curriculum. These are purposeful and link with the knowledge being taught in class.

Impact

Our approach to science at St. Anthony’s results in an engaging and high-quality education that provides children to showcase their skills by asking insightful questions and making connections between their observations and scientific theories. There are opportunities within lessons to assess the learning through low stakes questioning and quick recall questions to retrieve knowledge that has been taught in previous lessons or years. Pupil voice is used to further develop the science curriculum, through questioning of pupils’ views and attitudes towards science, to assess the children’s enjoyment of science, and to motivate learners.

The impact of our curriculum means that the children at St. Anthony’s will:

Show high levels of engagement and a love of science.
Retain and recall key scientific vocabulary and ideas.
Question ideas and reflect on knowledge.
Articulate their understanding of scientific concepts and be able to reason scientifically using rich language linked to science.
Work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment.