Science
Intent - The vision
At Holy Trinity Pewley Down School, all of our children are scientists! Our intent is to give every child a broad and balanced science curriculum which enables them to confidently explore and discover what is around them, so that they have a deeper understanding of the world we live in. We want our children to love science and have a zest for learning it! We want them to have no limits on their ambitions and to grow up wanting to be astronauts, forensic scientists, toxicologists, or microbiologists. We want our children to remember their science lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and to embrace the scientific opportunities with which they are presented with hope and confidence! To achieve this, it involves exciting, practical, hands-on experiences that enable children to experience heaven in the moment and encourage curiosity and questioning. Our aim is that these stimulating and challenging experiences help every child secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary, as well as promoting a passion for the subject! At HTPD, we have a coherently planned and sequenced curriculum which fits in with our topic-based learning and has been carefully designed and developed with the needs of every child at the centre of what we do. We want to equip our children with not only the minimum statutory requirements of the science National Curriculum but to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of later life.
Implementation - How we achieve our goal
At HTPD, we have developed a science curriculum model based on termly or half termly topics for each year group which follow the requirements set out in the National Curriculum for KS1 and KS2.
- Every year group will build upon the learning from prior year groups therefore developing depth of understanding and progression of skills.
- Teachers promote enjoyment and foster interest of the scientific disciplines: biology, chemistry and physics.
- Children explore, question, predict, plan, carry out investigations and observations as well as draw conclusions about their findings.
- Children present their findings and learning using science-specific language, observations and diagrams.
- In order to support children in their ability to ‘know more and remember more’ there are regular opportunities to review the learning taken place in previous topics as well as previous lessons.
- At the start of each topic, children will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic.
- Effective CPD and standardisation opportunities are available to staff to ensure high levels of confidence and knowledge are maintained.
- Effective use of educational visits and visitors are planned in order to enrich and enhance the pupils’ learning experiences within the science curriculum.
- Teachers use highly effective assessment for learning in each lesson to ensure misconceptions are highlighted and addressed.
- Effective modelling by teachers ensures that children are able to achieve the learning intention, with misconceptions addressed within it.
- Pupils are regularly given the opportunity for self or peer assessment, which will then be used to inform planning, preparation, differentiation and address misconceptions within that lesson, or for the next lesson.
- Cross-curricular links are planned for with other subjects such as maths, English, geography, and computing.
Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS)
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supports children’s understanding of science through the planning and teaching of ‘Understanding the World.’ Children find out about objects, materials and living things using all of their senses looking at similarities, differences, patterns and change. Both the environment and skilled practitioners foster curiosity and encourage explorative play, children are motivated to ask questions about why things happen and how things work. Our children are encouraged to use their natural environment around them to explore. Children enjoy spending time outdoors exploring mini-beasts and their habitats, observing the changing seasons, plants and animals. Children regularly participate in cookery and baking sessions, allowing them to experience changes in state as ingredients are mixed, heated and cooled.
Impact - How do we know our vision has come to fruition?
The impact of this curriculum design will lead to outstanding scientific progress over time, across key stages, relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Through various workshops, trips and interactions with experts our science curriculum will lead pupils to be enthusiastic science learners and understand that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. We want to empower our children so they gain an understanding that they have the capability to change the world. This is evidenced in a range of ways, including through pupil voice, their finished pieces of work and their overwhelming enjoyment for science.