Science

 

Intent:

As one of the core subjects taught in Primary Schools, we give the teaching and learning of Science the prominence it requires. At Glade Primary, we aim to recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life and help all our pupils to set aspirational goals within the subject.

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At Glade, we aim to:

• Increase pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our world, and with developing skills associated with Science that allow children to explore the world around them.

• Teach and develop a range of deep transferable skills which can be used to promote their social and cultural development.

• Prepare pupils for life after school and tackle social disadvantage.

• Increase pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our world, and with developing skills associated with Science that allow children to explore the world around them.

• Inspire our pupils to become inquisitive, resilient, creative, independent and active global citizens with the confidence to use and build on their cultural knowledge, learning and experiences - both inside and beyond the classroom.

• We endeavour to teach children those transferable skills that enable them to reach other areas of the curriculum by providing opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence.

• Use scientific learning to help support basic skills such as data handling and explanation.

• learn from others’ cultural capital and have an appreciation of other science learning.

• Allow the natural curiosity of the child to develop and we aim to promote this discovery, whilst allowing children to use and respect the world around them: both the physical environment and living organisms.

• Encourage outdoor learning, where possible, by using the woodland areas at Glade and other outdoor spaces in the local area.

• Promote our curriculum drivers: well-being, creativity and global citizenship.

 

Implementation:

At Glade Primary School, our teaching of Science offers opportunities for children to develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific topics covered.  We also expect to give our children the opportunity to fully cover the scope of the 17 sustainable development goals, which can be well represented in Science. Through the use of varied teaching methods, we hope that our children will be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future.

All our year groups use the National Curriculum to provide a structure and skill development for the science curriculum being taught across the school. To support our pupils in developing as independent learners, we regularly review the science planning, ensuring that it is relevant to the National Curriculum, representative of current global, scientific and environmental issues and supports and represents our cohort of children and, therefore, is inclusive, diverse, age-appropriate, language-rich and links to the wider curriculum, where possible. From this, we create a long-term plan, which identifies the aspects the pupils will be studying throughout the academic year.

 

Following on from this, we create a medium-term plan for science alongside other aspects of the wider curriculum which provides specific opportunities for scientific learning but also allows scope for supporting scientific understanding and contextual learning.  For example, lessons include the use of a range of methods to communicate their scientific information and present it in a systematic, scientific manner, including I.C.T., diagrams, graphs and charts. We expect the children to develop a respect for the materials and equipment they handle with regard to their own, and other children’s safety.

Throughout their learning journey at Glade, pupils learn the correct scientific terms and that these terms are integrated within the learning journey thus supporting their ability to explain their understanding of the full range of areas studied.

 

At Glade, we promote learning outside the classroom including in our outdoor areas and have a wide range of environments onsite. This, digital and other high quality resources, allows for concrete examples of a range of environments for different aspects of disciplinary knowledge.

 

Impact:

We strive to ensure that the impact of the Science curriculum we provide will give children the confidence and motivation to continue to further develop their skills into the next stage of their education and life experiences. This confidence is displayed through our annual science weeks, different science fairs and learning opportunities. Assessment of these skills is also evidenced using both individual class books and class learning journals.

With the design of our Science curriculum, our children at Glade:

• Develop a strong pupil voice (Article 12 UNCRC) with the ability to articulate their ideas clearly, regardless of background

• Children leave Glade with a deeper understanding of the world and science and know the importance of celebrating its diversity and supporting a greener future for Earth.

• Have a real love for science and a fascination and curiosity about the world around them

• Establish connections between themselves and contemporary scientific and environmental issues.