Intent: 

Why our Science curriculum looks like this: 

At St Mary’s we want our children to be naturally curious and enthusiastic about the world around them. Our curriculum has been developed by staff to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum and to foster a sense of wonder about God’s World. Throughout our school children are encouraged to develop and use a range of working scientifically skills including questioning, researching and observing for ourselves as well as learning to work to cooperate, take risks, be resilient and value others’ roles. Through the areas of biology, chemistry and physics scientific language is taught and built upon as topics are revisited in different year groups and across key stages. We intend to provide all children regardless of ethnic origin, gender, class, aptitude or disability with a broad and balanced science curriculum and are committed to providing a stimulating, engaging and challenging learning environment.

Implementation:

How Science is taught at St. Mary’s:

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the school. Planning for science is a process in which all teachers ensure that the school gives full coverage of National Curriculum programmes of study for Science and Understanding of the World in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Wherever possible, Science is linked to class topics. At the start of each topic teachers take time to find out what our children already understand and want to find out. Our teachers use this to adapt and extend the curriculum to match children’s interests and needs, current events, the use of any support staff and the resources available. We include the use of technology, wherever appropriate, to aid teaching and learning. Through teacher modelling and planned questioning we want our children to wonder about and be amazed and surprised by the world around them as we recognise that our children sometimes lack experiences. Key scientific language is modelled throughout lessons enabling our children to be familiar with and use vocabulary accurately. Teachers are also encouraged to plan in trips and visitors to enhance our children’s learning experience.

Impact:

At St Mary’s we aspire to promote children’s independence and for all children to take responsibility in their own learning. Pupils often mark against success criteria how they feel about their learning in a lesson. Attainment data is tracked online using itrack primary.

The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age related knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.

All children will have:

• A wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/investigative skills.
• A richer vocabulary which will enable to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
• High aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.