Science
Science Intent
At Walworth School we aim to ‘significantly improve the quality of all our children’s lives’ delivering a rich and varied curriculum that meets the requirements of the National curriculum whilst developing the key curriculum drivers we have identified:
- Knowledge and Skills
- Emotional awareness
- Citizenship
- Independence
- Life experiences and Understanding
At Walworth Primary School, we recognise the importance of Science as one of the core subjects taught in the primary curriculum. Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in science. Our curriculum drivers shape our curriculum breadth. They have been developed from an exploration of the backgrounds of our pupils, our beliefs about high-quality education and our values. They are used to ensure we give our pupils appropriate and ambitious curriculum opportunities that is sequential throughout the Key Stages. Cultural capital gives our pupils the vital background knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community who understand and believe in British values.
Our Science curriculum is designed to help pupils to become scientific thinkers, whilst giving them time to master the basics. Following our long term plan, pupils gradually progress in their expertise and understanding. To help pupils develop, direct instruction is used in the early stages of learning with discovery-based approaches introduced as expertise and understanding develops.
The teaching of subject specific vocabulary is an important aspect of the science curriculum, contributing to better by developing children’s confidence and motivation. The curriculum allows for further development of their skills for the next stage of their education and helps prepare individuals for adulthood, reasoning and inference skills, academic success / employment and better well-being.
What do we teach and why?
We provide a curriculum which sequentially increases pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our world and develops skills associated with science as a process of enquiry (through enquiry-based learning). Alongside this knowledge, children are taught the skills to become effective scientists. Children learn to;
- Use scientific vocabulary with confidence
- Work scientifically
- Observe patterns over time
- Identify, classify and group
- Research
- Collect and analyse data
- Apply mathematical skills when analysing data.
Children develop these skills to make accurate observations, plan investigations and make links to science in the wider world. Subject specific vocabulary is taught throughout each unit to broaden children’s understanding.
Due to the learning styles of the pupils of Walworth School, lessons have an emphasis on practical science wherever possible. Staff enrich scientific learning by organising stem-based activities outside of the school setting (i.e. Trips to the Life Centre, visits to farms etc) thus deepening knowledge and broadening children’s life experiences.
Science Implementation
How is our curriculum taught at a subject and class level?
Science units at Walworth School are taught in line with year group guidance from the National Curriculum. Resources and activities are differentiated to the level of individual children. Additional support is in place to ensure that any literacy or mathematical difficulties that children may have does not impact on their ability to work and learn scientifically. The science syllabus follows a carefully constructed 2 year cycle to ensure appropriate coverage within mixed year classes.
At the start of each unit, a diagnostic task is carried out to assess prior knowledge as we recognise that, due to the school having a transient population, children’s previous science experiences will be varied. Having established this, science is taught through carefully constructed progressive units which gives children opportunities to revisit any gaps in their knowledge. Science is generally taught for at least one afternoon per week although the flexibility in the school’s curriculum allows for lessons to be blocked into a week where appropriate. Vocabulary is taught specifically at the start of a lesson, allowing children to then use this appropriately.
In Early years, science is taught through the early learning goals associated with ‘Understanding of the World’. The focus in EYFS is about developing scientific language from an early age with an aim that children can use this scientific language confidently and accurately. They will also have lots of opportunities to investigate independently and as part of adult focussed activities. These investigations will be designed to develop enquiry skills and spark children’s interest.
Within the identified units, teachers plan to include:
- Educational visits which are linked to the science curriculum (for example workshops at the centre for life), with older children wherever possible given the opportunity to visit workplaces where stem activities are applied.
- Problem solving opportunities which allow children to find out for themselves, formulate questions and use their scientific skills to discover answers.
- Opportunities for children to identify and select appropriate scientific equipment for investigations.
- The use of planned 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.
- Opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops in and out of school with experts.
Science Impact
The successful approach at Walworth Primary results in a fun, engaging, practical high-quality science education, which provides children with the foundations for understanding the world.
Progress of scientific knowledge and skills is tracked internally using the iASEND. This is recorded against the year group objectives the individual child is working at as opposed to the age-related expectations.
Teachers’ judgements are moderated internally by the Science co-ordinator within school and externally at Science cluster meetings.
Our SLT and governors are kept up to date with developments in the way science is run in our school with subject reports, action plans, lesson observations and review meetings.
