Intent

At Wanstead Church School, our Science curriculum inspires children to become scientists by developing an excitement and curiosity about the natural world.

We develop Wisdom, Compassion and Strength in our Science curriculum:

Wisdom: Our Science curriculum provides children with the foundations they need to recognise and understand the importance, the uses and implications of science in every aspect of daily life. Children learn to be logical and apply reasoning to theory, whilst translating what they have learnt through practical activities and scientific enquiry. Our children learn an appreciation of the power of rational explanation and gain knowledge within each of the specific disciplines of Science: biology, chemistry and physics.

Compassion: Our Science curriculum teaches our children to be considerate of the environment around them and to show respect for living and non-living organisms. Children are encouraged to work collaboratively and to be considerate of differing thoughts and opinions.

Strength: Our Science curriculum fosters a sense of wonder about natural phenomena.  Our children are encouraged to be inquisitive and resilient as they apply and perfect their scientific skills and knowledge to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum and beyond. Children are encouraged to develop their independence as they use different types of scientific enquiries to answer their own questions and discuss results that differ from their original hypothesis.

Implementation

The Science Subject Leader is responsible for the curriculum design, delivery and impact in this subject. To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.

In the Foundation Stage Science is an introduction to the world around them through investigation. It is largely a practical subject which develops a spirit of enquiry by encouraging curiosity and reason.

Science is taught in discrete lessons for at least 1 hour in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 using the Science Bug teaching materials. We ensure that teachers have the same expectations during Science lessons that they would have when teaching English or Mathematics, e.g. that any mathematical task (such as measuring or drawing graphs) is pitched at an age-appropriate level to ensure sufficient challenge. However, it is vital that any Mathematical or English barriers do not impede a child’s scientific learning, thus meaning dialogic learning is a central part to our Science teaching.

The Science curriculum at Wanstead Church School is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills taught in each Key Stage. Teachers plan lessons for their class using our Curriculum Overviews, which incorporates Working Scientifically, and the resources on Science Bug.

When teaching Science, teachers follow the children’s interests to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced. Before planning a unit of work, teachers assess children’s prior knowledge and understanding to ensure work is pitched at the correct level.

A variety of teaching approaches are used based on the teacher’s judgement. Teaching key subject-specific vocabulary is a key part of our science curriculum. The vocabulary children will need for that unit is identified on the school’s progression document and this builds upon the vocabulary they have learnt in earlier years.

In Key Stage 1 and 2, Science assessment is based on the teacher’s assessment of children. At the end of a unit, teachers identify whether a child is working at the expected standard for that objective.

Science provides excellent opportunities to enhance the learning of more able children through planning lines of enquiry, asking open-ended questions, analysing results and drawing conclusions based on scientific findings.

At Wanstead Church School, we provide a variety of opportunities for Science learning inside and outside the classroom. It is essential children observe and immerse themselves in their local environment to apply their learning practically to real-life situations. We also believe it is important that parents are involved in their children’s Science learning in an ever-evolving world. Every year, we visit Forest School during Science Week where the children join neighbouring schools to watch and learn from Science experiments together.

Impact

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught
• Marking of written work in books
• Interviewing the children about their learning (child voice)
• Moderation staff meetings where children’s books are scrutinised
• External moderation of children’s work at the end of each Key Stage
• Formal reporting of standards at the end of each Key Stage.