Science
Intent:
At Bratton Fleming, 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. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and 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 embrace the scientific opportunities they are presented with.
To achieve this, it involves exciting, practical hands on experiences that 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 love and thirst for learning.
At Bratton Fleming, we have a planned and sequenced curriculum which has been carefully designed and developed with the need of every child at the centre of what we do.
Our curriculum design is based on evidence from cognitive science – that learning is most effective with spaced repetition and that retrieval of previously learned content is frequently and regular to increase both storage and retrieval strength.
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:
Teachers use the National Curriculum, Ventrus Curriculum Approach and Chris Quidley Companions as a basis for planning. Within this, much of our teaching and learning for science is linked to other subjects where appropriate but may also be taught discretely.
- Every year group will build upon the learning from prior year groups therefore developing depth of understanding and progression of skills.
- Children will explore 4 threshold concepts – working scientifically, biology, physics and chemistry.
- Children explore, question, predict, plan, carry out investigations and observations as well as conclude their findings.
- Children present their findings and learning using science specific language, observations and diagrams.
- 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 use of education visits and visitors are planned, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s 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 their learning intention, with misconceptions addressed within it.
- Cross-curricular links are planned for, with other subjects such as Maths, English and Computing.
- 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.
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 which allows them to experience changes in state as ingredients are mixed, heated and cooled.
Impact:
The impact of this curriculum design will lead to good 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 ensure that children who are achieving well, as well as those who need additional support, are identified, and additional provision and strategies are planned in and discussed with class teachers.
Ongoing assessments take place throughout the year. Teachers use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately.
We work to improve staff knowledge and confidence, leading to a stronger profile in Science and raised pupil achievement.
We want to empower our children so they understand they have the capability to change the world. This is evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice, their work and their overwhelming enjoyment for science.