Science
Curriculum Statement
Science at Stamshaw Junior School
Intent
At Stamshaw Junior School, we recognise and value the importance of science in every aspect of daily life. We aim to provide children with the knowledge and skills to observe and understand what is happening around them. Whether they question why leaves are falling from trees as they walk out of their front door or they experience tadpoles transforming into froglets in our school pond, we aim to create awe and wonder and ultimately, curious, enthusiastic and resourceful scientists. Our intention is to do this by increasing pupils’ knowledge, experiences and understanding of our world, and by developing skills associated with science as a process of enquiry.
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In accordance with the National Curriculum, our curriculum for science at Stamshaw Junior School aims to ensure that all pupils: |
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Develop their scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific science strands for each year group. |
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Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them. |
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Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. |
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Use 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. |
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| Develop an enthusiasm and enjoyment of scientific learning and discovery. | |
We endeavour to ensure that 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.
Implementation
At Stamshaw, children have weekly science lessons which focus on one National Curriculum strand per half term. The knowledge and skills learned each year are revisited and explored in further depth as the children progress through the school.
Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children can achieve high standards in science.
Due to our extensive school grounds, coastal location and other local facilities, children have plenty of opportunities for first-hand science. Opportunities to learn about living things and their habitats in their natural environment can be observed and investigated using the school pond area, nature trails and outdoor classroom, forces can be explored at Stamshaw Adventure Playground where gravity, pushes, pulls and friction are demonstrated, and local wildlife such as geese, foxes and deer, which can regularly be observed on our school field, support the learning of animals, including humans. We provide interactions for our children with experts in the science field. These include Portsmouth University Cosmology department who support learning of the Solar System, Earth and Space.
Recently, we have linked with UTC who now provide outreach workshops and assemblies, including: Light in Year 3, Sound in Year 4, Forces in Year 5, and Electricity in Year 6.
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Our approach to the teaching and learning of science include the following: |
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Science will be taught in topic strands by the class teacher. |
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‘Developing Experts’ is used as a resource to support and enhance children’s learning. |
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Knowledge harvest is used at the start of each new strand to identify what children already know, what they would like to find out and key questions they would like to know the answers to. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom. New knowledge is added to their Knowledge Harvest regularly to show progress. |
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Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. |
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Teachers use questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess children regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning. |
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We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years, with National Curriculum strands being revisited as the children move through the school. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence. |
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Working Scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years, in-keeping with the strands. |
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Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, and the various Working Scientifically skills in order to embed scientific understanding. |
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Impact
Teachers use formative assessment each lesson to inform future learning and next steps, ensuring children are well supported and/or challenged where required. We have started to use end of unit summative assessments each half term to assess the children’s attainment and to identify where our children’s subject knowledge and working scientifically skill levels stand when compared to national, age related expectations.
The science subject leader monitors the effectiveness and impact of teaching and learning in the classroom through regular book looks, lesson walks and through pupil discussions and surveys.
The successful approach at Stamshaw Junior School results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world.
Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. So much of science lends itself to outdoor learning and so we provide children with opportunities to experience this. Through various science activities and interactions with experts, children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity.
Science Progression of Sequencing