Science Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement

We aim to create

Inquisitive, Inquiring, Investigators

Intent

At St. Chad’s, we recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life and believe that high quality Science education provides the foundations for understanding the world. We want our children to be naturally curious about the world around them throughout their time at school and beyond.  Through our common theme of ‘I wonder…’ and the use of a broad and balanced creative curriculum, children in all year groups and encouraged to be inquisitive and asks questions which allow them to foster a sense of interest and wonder about their world. Our carefully planned lessons and delivery of the Science curriculum enables children to learn how to work as scientists who actively explore, observe and investigate the world around them.

 

 

Implementation

At St. Chad’s, teachers foster a love of Science learning by delivering high quality, engaging and interactive lessons. Science lessons are planned using the Kent Scheme of Work which sequences knowledge and working scientifically progression through the school. Cornerstones Maestro is also used as a source for a variety of different scientific projects and investigations for the children to immerse themselves in and further enhance their love for the subject. Each topic begins with an ‘I wonder…’ question and a memorable experience to hook the children into their learning and create a sense of excitement which feeds into their subsequent lessons. At the beginning of each topic, each child also completes a ‘KWL’ grid. This allows the class teacher to assess prior knowledge and identify areas which the children are curious about and is used to inform future planning.

 

Pupils are frequently given opportunities to learn through active engagement and practical experiments in order to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills. We often work outdoors, allowing the children’s learning to take place in meaningful contexts. Scientific language is introduced regularly and progressively built upon as topics are revisited in different year groups and across key stages. We aim to give children to confidence to use this language to both communicate and question ideas through both teacher and child led scientific discussions. Scientific trips and visits from experts take place throughout the year and in all year groups to increase understanding, engagement and curiosity surrounding this subject. We promote the profile of Science and allow time for the children to freely explore scientific topics.

 

Impact

The successful approach to the teaching of Science at St. Chad’s will result in fun, engaging, high quality science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world that they can take with them once they complete their primary education. Teacher judgements and formative assessments are the main tools for assessing the impact of Science as it allows for misconceptions and gaps to be addressed more immediately rather than building on insecure scientific foundations. Following the successful delivery of the Science curriculum at St Chad’s, all children will achieve age-related expectations at the end of the year.