Science

Intent

At Weedon Bec, it is our intention to develop in all of our children a lifelong curiosity and interest in the sciences, encouraging them to ask questions and explore. Our science lessons will develop enquiring minds, thinking skills and offer children a chance to make choices, form opinions and work collaboratively. We aim to shape our children into citizens who will be knowledgeable about the world around them and equipped to cope in a world increasingly shaped by science and technology. When planning for the science curriculum, we intend for children to have the opportunity, wherever possible, to learn through varied systematic investigations, leading to them being equipped for life to ask and answer scientific questions about the world around them. By following a well-structured, sequential curriculum, all pupils participate in fun and engaging scientific experiences, which creates inquisitive, enthused and knowledgeable pupils. Progressively, our children will build on key concepts, scientific vocabulary and skills and enable all pupils to achieve highly and reach their defined end points.

Implementation

As children progress through the year groups, they build on their skills in working scientifically, as well as on their scientific knowledge, as they develop greater independence in planning and carrying out fair and comparative tests to answer a range of scientific questions. Each science unit has an accompanying knowledge organiser which can be used to help reinforce the key knowledge for each unit as set out in the science national curriculum. The knowledge organisers help children to consolidate and retain the science knowledge they have learnt and also reinforce key scientific vocabulary from each unit. The PlanIt Science scheme of work ensures that children have a varied, progressive and well-mapped-out science curriculum that provides the opportunity for progression across the full breadth of the science national curriculum for KS1 and KS2. The progression of skills for all subjects and working scientifically are developed through the year groups and scientific enquiry skills are of key importance within lessons. The progression of these skills is set out in the Science Progression Map. Each lesson has a clear focus. Scientific knowledge and enquiry skills are developed with increasing depth and challenge as children move through the year groups. They complete investigations and hands-on activities while gaining the scientific knowledge for each unit. Interwoven into the teaching sequence are key assessment questions, identified in green on lesson plans. These allow teachers to assess children's levels of understanding at various points in the lesson. They also enable opportunities to recap concepts where necessary. The sequence of lessons helps to embed scientific knowledge and skills, with each lesson building on previous learning. There is also the opportunity to regularly review and evaluate children's understanding. Activities are effectively differentiated so that all children have an appropriate level of support and challenge. Our detailed lesson plans include adult guidance to ensure that teachers are equipped with secure scientific subject knowledge, enabling them to deliver high-quality teaching and learning opportunities while making them aware of possible scientific misconceptions.

Impact

In Science, progress is measured through a child’s ability to know more, remember more and explain more. This can be measured in different ways in our units. The use of green key questions ensures opportunities are built into the lesson for ongoing assessment. Attainment and progress can be measured across the school using our assessment spreadsheets. The impact of using the full range of resources included in the science unit will also be seen across the school with an increase in the profile of science. The learning environment across the school will be more consistent with science technical vocabulary displayed, spoken and used by all learners. Whole-school and parental engagement will be improved through the use of science-specific home learning tasks and shared use of knowledge organisers. Children who feel confident in their science knowledge and enquiry skills will be excited about science, show that they are actively curious to learn more and will see the relevance of what they learn in science lessons to real-life situations and also the importance of science in the real world.