St Ann's CofE Primary School

Intent 

The aim of Science education is to give pupils the knowledge they need to live healthy and fulfilled lives as well as creating citizens who make positive contributions to the future of our planet and society. We teach Science in a way that fosters a curiosity and a lifelong love for the subject. We will give our students lots of opportunity for practical, hands-on experiences and the knowledge to make sense of, revel in the wonders of and respect of the natural world. We will explicitly teach them the skills and knowledge they need to become methodical, analytical and inquisitive scientists and will encourage children to persevere with their own scientific exploration. We aim to inspire the next generation of scientific leaders and enable all students to make informed decisions and contribute to creating a sustainable future for our planet, demonstrating to children that advancements and developments in science gives us hope for a better world.

We want our children to:

• Have sufficient scientific knowledge to understand both the uses and implications of science, from the past, present and future.
• Ask questions and make observations about how Science impacts upon their daily lives and how it shapes the world around them.
• Understand of some of the major issues facing our planet and an appreciation of the importance of science to wider society.
• Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of scientific enquiries.
• Use their knowledge of the key concepts of science taught to predict, investigate, observe and measure the outcomes of scientific enquiries.
• Analyse data and present conclusions following a scientific enquiry, using scientific knowledge and theories to evidence their findings.

Implementation

Science is taught in a weekly session using the Plymouth Science Scheme.  Each unit of work follows a similar format, with the first session setting the learning in the context of prior knowledge, which will be built on during the unit. Each subsequent session begins with a review of prior learning and key vocabulary followed by activities to develop new learning and finishes with a review of what the children have learnt. Substantive knowledge is taught and developed through scientific enquiry, and every lesson includes a working scientifically focus. Mind maps and key vocabulary are added to the class working wall to support the learning as the children move through the unit.