Intent:
Science is an integral part of a broad and balanced curriculum at Warren Park Primary School. We aim to teach all children the range of scientific skills and knowledge required to begin them on their journey of thinking and acting as a scientist. Our Science curriculum aims for pupils to build knowledge of key concepts and the relationships between them over many years; this prevents pupils from seeing science as a list of isolated facts. We strive to help children remember the content over the long-term to build expertise and explicitly teach pupils the concepts and procedures needed to work scientifically. Starting right from the Early Years, our Science curriculum encourages children to become independent scientists who are beginning to question and explore their own ideas, as well as question others. Using appropriate scientific vocabulary at each stage of their learning, they will be able to engage in well-structured discussions using their relevant scientific knowledge. Through our science curriculum, we aim to provide children with the skills needed to seek out the answers to scientific questions they have, helping them to make sense of the world in which we live. Through clear explanation, which builds upon prior knowledge and a strong understanding of the concept being learnt, teachers at Warren Park Primary School deliver lessons that are as practical and as memorable as possible – they promote curiosity both within and beyond the classroom and teachers encourage children to explore their ideas with their families at home. We ensure that our pupils have sufficient prior knowledge and understanding to learn from each and every activity which itself will have a clear purpose and will form part of a wider teaching sequence that is geared toward the development and progression of curious, resilient, young minds.
Implementation:
Through a three-teacher, flexible model, our learning journey is sequenced such that children will build the knowledge of key concepts, key facts and subject-specific vocabulary from the start of their school journey.
High quality in-class teaching is delivered at all age groups through weekly Science lessons to ensure the continuity of learning and use of scientific skills Teachers always have a clear purpose to begin a topic which is guided by the requirements of the National Curriculum. Each lesson forms part of our wider teaching sequence at Warren Park Primary School as our children work through the ‘Knowledge’, ‘Scientific Thinking’, ‘Exploration’, ‘Enquiry’, ‘Challenge’, and ‘Application’ elements of our Science journey.
Following a structured long-term plan, and an enquiry-led approach, we allow children to question themselves and others constantly – with the acceptance that there is not always an answer! Through clear instruction and purposeful, practical lessons, which enable extensive practice and development of key scientific skills, children not only experience success but see themselves as scientists.
We are incredibly lucky at Warren Park to have access to our Outdoor Classroom. Dedicated teachers ensure learning is as practical and as memorable as possible across two topics which are explicitly taught through two simultaneous longitudinal studies.
Through intelligent curriculum design, opportunities to take part in spaced practice are continually woven into the teaching sequence to ensure children remember the content over the long-term. Teacher assess in each topic and ensure children have the opportunity in ‘Summer Two’ to reason, justify and prove concepts – they independently apply their knowledge across the range of topics covered including those in the Outdoor Classroom.
Impact:
In Science, the children at Warren Park consistently achieve well when assessed at the end of their primary school journey.
Pupil progress is continually monitored using a school-wide program to ensure efficient and progressive scientific knowledge is understood. Frequent, spaced practice, end of unit assessment and teacher feedback provide children with the chance to develop and demonstrate their increasing levels of understanding of both the knowledge and the scientific enquiry – this supports the ongoing assessment dialogue. Children leave Warren Park Primary School with an understanding of the uses and implications of science in the ‘real world’ and are confident, resilient learners, willing to both be challenged, and challenge others.