What is Science?

“We find out about different things like plants and animals and nature”
Year 2

“We have been learning about how to make an electrical circuit”
Year 6

“Science is about learning how the world works”
Year 4

“In science lessons, we learn about how things work and why things happen”
Year 5

Intent

At Alphington, we are creating our future scientists!

Science teaching at Alphington Primary School aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. Alphington Primary School understands the need for all pupils to develop their scientific ability as an essential component of all subjects and as a subject in its own right. A good understanding of scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding helps to support pupils work across the curriculum.

Scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. Topics, such as plants, are taught in Key Stage One and studied again in further detail within Key Stage Two. This is mapped on our curriculum overview. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory.

All children are encouraged to develop and use a range of skills including observations, planning and investigations, as well as being encouraged to question the world around them and become Independent Imrans and Problem Solving Pollys in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Scientific vocabulary is for topics is taught and built up (use of widgit), and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged.

At Alphington Primary School, we believe that a high quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity and our pupils should be taught to develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

Science in our school is about developing children’s ideas and ways of working that enable them to make sense of the world in which they live through investigation, as well as using and applying process skills. The staff at Alphington Primary School ensure that all children are exposed to high quality teaching and learning experiences, which allow children to explore their outdoor environment using our rich environment including the forest area and Pearl’s Land, the polytunnel and pond, thus developing their scientific enquiry, investigative skills and love of nature. Devon Wildlife Trust work alongside our children inspiring them to become invested with supporting nature, understanding of the world around them feel a connection with the natural world.

They are immersed in scientific vocabulary, which aids children’s knowledge and understanding not only of the topic they are studying, but of the world around them. We intend to provide every child at Alphington Primary School a broad and balanced science curriculum which builds upon their science capital.

Implementation

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.

Planning for science is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of The National Curriculum programmes of study for Science . Science teaching at Alphington Primary School involves adapting and extending the curriculum to match all pupils’ needs. Where possible, Science is linked to class themes. Science is taught as discrete units and lessons where needed to ensure coverage or within theme lessons if the link is appropriate. Science units are taught on a year rolling programme. This ensures progression between year groups and guarantees topics are covered. Teachers plan to suit their children’s interests, current events, their own teaching style, the use of any support staff and the resources available.

We ensure that all children are provided with rich learning experiences that aim to:

• Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.
• Help our children acquire a growing understanding of the nature, processes and methods of scientific ideas.
• Help develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world.
• Build on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.
• Encouraging open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and developing the skills of investigation – including: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
• Develop the use of scientific language, recording and techniques.
• Develop the use of computing in investigating and recording.
• Make links between science and other subjects.

Science is generally taught once a week for an afternoon or morning (two hours), but is discretely taught in many different contexts throughout all areas of the curriculum. For example, through Outdoor Learning and plant identification or through work in the polytunnel growing vegetables, or graph work in mathematics.

Sometimes class teachers identify a need to block science lessons where investigations are taking place over a short, sustained period of time (shadows and weather mapping) however, over a unit, the allocation of science will remain at an average of 2 hours per week.

Impact

The impact of the science curriculum at Alphington will be measured using the following methods:

• Regular monitoring of children’s science books
• Regular learning walks
• Planning scrutinies
• Pupil voice
• Staff audits
• Resource audits

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 that 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.
• Good engagement within STEM subjects at Alphington Primary School.
• A richer vocabulary which will enable to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
• High aspirations, which will see them through to further study at their next stage of education.