Policy

Burton Road Primary School

Science Policy

Written June 2021

Updated January 2023

 

Miss T Densley

 

Science Rationale

At Burton Road Primary School, we pride ourselves on having a Science curriculum that both informs and excites. We aim to provide essential knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics in a way which prompts the children to ask questions to further their own learning. Science allows the children to think about the past including scientific discoveries that have already been made as well as hypothesising about the future to make predictions. At Primary level, it is vital for the children to be able to understand and apply methods to investigations to enable the children to make their own discoveries that we believe will enable the children to remember more. We aim to deliver a science curriculum which is carefully sequenced and linked to help the children build upon existing knowledge and vocabulary. Our science curriculum allows the children to work scientifically by making cross-curricular links, particularly with maths. Our science curriculum encourages the children to make enquiries about the natural world in an investigative manner. We ensure that ALL learners have the opportunities to learn and make progress in Science, including those with SEND. We make it a priority to develop lessons that meet all children’s needs and adapt lessons where appropriate.

 

“The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he is one who asks the right questions.” – Claude Levi-Strauss

 

 

Primary Science helps pupils to:

 

  • Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding
  • Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science
  • Work scientifically through predictions, observations, identifying, classifying and carrying out fair testing
  • Develop their language and scientific vocabulary through meaningful conversations and sophisticated discussion

 

Knowledge and Skills:

 

Scientific knowledge will be progressed throughout the Key Stages in order to ensure that our children leave Primary school prepared for the Key Stage 3 curriculum. Our knowledge and skills progression documents outline how we will do this within biology, chemistry and physics.

Scientific skills including working scientifically expectations will be taught throughout science units and will be embedded into learning. Children will develop their scientific skills in a range of ways including through collecting, analysing and presenting data. This also provides opportunity for science to be linked to a number of other subjects including maths, computing, literacy, history and PSHE.

Throughout all knowledge and skills progression, we aim for the children to build up their knowledge of notable scientists from history and the modern day. We do this by making relevant links for the children.

 

 

Intent

Implementation

Impact

At Burton Road Primary School, we believe that all children should develop their scientific knowledge in a child-led way. We want the children to ask questions and hypothesise answers before carrying out investigative work in order to discover the results. We do this through an exciting and relevant curriculum which includes links to the natural world, key scientists and the children’s local area. We understand the importance of science enquiry and discovery in the children’s future life and aim to ensure that they are given solid foundations in building this.

Our long-term plan ensures that there is full coverage of the National Curriculum objectives across all year groups. We use the progression of skills and knowledge in order to ensure that children are building upon their learning each year. Where we have identified gaps in the children’s learning, we have built missed objectives into the following long-term plan. Because of this, our curriculum is always developing and updating as we change to meet the children’s needs. Medium term planning is created by the subject coordinator to ensure that lessons are progressive and build upon one another. Short term planning is created by the teachers in order to provide exciting lessons and promote a love of learning science. It also enables class teachers to ensure that tasks are matched appropriately to the needs of the children in their class.

The impact of our science teaching is measured through a cold task to begin units and hot tasks which show the learning that the children have retained. Cold tasks are completed by the whole task as a discussion activity as we find this to be the most beneficial use of our curriculum time. Hot tasks may include final pieces of work such as informative leaflets about the adaptations of an animal in year 6 or a video demonstrating children in year 2’s investigation and results. It may also be in the form of a quiz, which will test the knowledge that the children have retained.

Monitoring will take place by the science coordinator who will talk to children about their learning as well as looking at coverage of the curriculum in books. Teachers will inform the coordinator of the progress made in their class.