Lilleshall Primary School
Science Policy 2020 - 2021
Rationale
Science stimulates and excites pupils’ wonder about phenomena and events in the world around them. It satisfies their curiosity with knowledge. It is concerned with observing, questioning, experimenting, deducing and reaching conclusions about what has happened based on evidence. Through the fourteen big ideas of Science, children understand how major scientific ideas contribute to the quality of our lives – their influence on industry, business and medicine. When children are studying, teachers should foster their enjoyment of exploration, manipulation, comparison, argument and testing.
Aims
Science is a core subject within the National Curriculum. The aims of teaching Science at Lilleshall Primary School are consistent with our school philosophy.
The aims of Science are:
The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
In the teaching and learning of Science, we can identify several objectives.
National Curriculum
The National Curriculum identifies four main areas of Scientific enquiry:
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Working Scientifically.
Scientific enquiry at Lilleshall Primary School includes: observing over time; pattern seeking; identifying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing (controlled investigations); and researching using secondary sources. Pupils seek answers to questions through collecting, analysing and presenting data.
The National Curriculum states that ‘the programmes of study for science are set out year-by-year for key stages 1 and 2. Schools are, however only required to teach the relevant programme of study by the end of the key stage.’ At Lilleshall Primary school we work on a two year cycle for KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2, as displayed on our school website.
Science in the classroom
Timetabling
Science is a core subject and therefore needs to be carried out on a weekly basis and we aim to make the best use of cross curricular links as part of our creative curriculum. Educational visits are also planned to further pupils’ understanding through experiential learning.
Foundation Stage
During the Foundation Stage, young children are given opportunities within the Early Learning Goals – Knowledge and Understanding of the World – to find out more about the world in which they live. Children investigate objects and materials, using all their senses as appropriate, finding out about, and identifying, some features of the living things, objects and events that they observe.
The principal focus of science teaching in key stage 1 is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. They are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They are helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most of the learning about science should be done through the use of first-hand practical experiences, but there should also be some use of appropriate secondary sources, such as books, photographs and videos.
Pupils are encouraged to read and spell scientific vocabulary at a level consistent with their increasing word reading and spelling knowledge at key stage 1.
The principal focus of science teaching in lower key stage 2 is to enable pupils to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. They do this through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments, and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. They ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out.
Pupils are encouraged to read and spell scientific vocabulary correctly and with confidence, using their growing word reading and spelling knowledge.
Upper Key Stage 2
The principal focus of science teaching in upper key stage 2 is to enable pupils to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They do this through exploring and talking about their ideas; asking their own questions about scientific phenomena; and analysing functions, relationships and interactions more systematically. At upper key stage 2, they encounter more abstract ideas and begin to recognise how these ideas help them to understand and predict how the world operates. They also begin to recognise that scientific ideas change and develop over time. They select the most appropriate ways to answer science questions using different types of scientific enquiry, including observing changes over different periods of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out comparative and fair tests and finding things out using a wide range of secondary sources of information. Pupils draw conclusions based on their data and observations, use evidence to justify their ideas, and use their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain their findings.
Pupils are encouraged to read and spell scientific vocabulary correctly and with confidence, using their growing word reading and spelling knowledge.
Planning the science curriculum
Long Term Planning
In order to ensure the NC requirements for science can be covered at both key stages there is a long term plan which is displayed on the school web site.
The NC requirements have been organised into units of work and are allocated to specific year groups to ensure a balanced coverage showing continuity and progression.
Medium / Short Term Planning
It is important at this stage for teachers to identify and plan for a range of relevant activities. In each unit of work this will include:
The medium and short term planning will also identify:
Ways of working
The experiences and knowledge children bring to any new learning experience are extremely important. In order to take forward children’s learning, they need to make links between their existing knowledge and understanding and the new evidence brought to light during scientific activities.
Teachers should aim to provide opportunities for children to:
This may be through a brainstorm, topic web or discussion and gives the teacher valuable information about where the children need to develop key understanding, skills and attitudes.
This may be through direct teaching or illustrative work. The children should be involved with hands on activities, as this is when they will learn most effectively. A quality learning wall should be present in each classroom to provide children with opportunities to independently extend their scientific knowledge. Learning walls should be changed at the start of a new unit.
There are ideas for investigations in each unit of work but teachers should not decide on the investigation to be followed before the children have had input in deciding areas they would like to investigate and need to, in order to develop conceptual understanding. The children should be fully involved in the development and formulation of scientific questions.
Illustrative / Discovery Activities
Illustrative or discovery activities are designed to give children experiences of a key idea in science. For example, materials, forces or a key process in investigations. They are focused by the teacher through the use of open-ended questions and should include as much hands on experience for the children as possible. Through illustrative activities children are able to develop their knowledge of a concept and the vocabulary within it. This is a key step in the process, which allows children to formulate their own questions for investigation.
Working Scientifically
There are three different types of investigation. These are:
Modelled investigation – where the teacher models the whole investigative process completing the entire recording, encouraging the children through discussion and questioning.
Intermediate investigation – where the teacher models parts of the investigation and then the children complete key parts themselves e.g. teacher models planning but the children predict for themselves. This allows the teacher to focus on teaching the key skills needed to complete different aspects of the investigative process.
Supported independent investigation – where the children undertake the whole investigative process and have guidance from the teacher where necessary.
In Key Stage 1 children use a planning format to support them in planning investigative work. As children move into Key Stage 2 they begin to develop their recording of investigative work through more formal planning frames.
It is important that teachers plan for a balance of each type of investigation over a term. Clearly the modelled and intermediate investigations will take less time as the teacher is taking the lead.
Continuity and Progression
The schemes of work have been organised to ensure that there will be progression. Where children are visiting the same attainment targets more than once, progression is planned for through the identification of key learning objectives and relevant aspects of the programmes of study at each stage. Some of the units of work have been linked to other curriculum areas to create meaningful contexts. In some cases science work may be done discretely.
Progress in Science can be characterised by:
Cross – curricular links
Science is seen as having particular links to work in other curriculum areas, including Geography, Mathematics, English, Design and Technology, ICT, Music, and Art and Design. Science provides opportunities for teaching the following areas.
Teaching staff are encouraged to use these links and use science to support their creative curriculum planning.
Resources
There are a range of school based resources for use in science work which are updated on a regular basis.
Science equipment and materials are labelled and stored in the resources cupboard and should only be accessed by teaching staff. The teachers should ensure that they are kept tidy and that equipment is returned promptly.
Books and posters are also stored in the resources cupboard. Teachers may also request project loans from the Schools Library Service to provide both written and audio-visual resources for a topic. There is a growing stock of reference books for each Science topic in the library area.
As gold members of the library service, we can access www.curriculumvisions.com which has a wide range of reading and video materials that the children can access at school and at home to widen their scientific knowledge.
Equal opportunities
It is important that all children have access to the science curriculum regardless of disabilities or gender and racial issues. This will be done in line with the school’s equal opportunities policy. Teachers will also need to refer to the SEN policy to ensure support for less able scientists. It is essential that children with difficulties in literacy are not held back in their science work through recording their work. Teachers may feel it is appropriate on occasions to scribe for a child to ensure that it is their scientific thinking that is recorded and assessed and not literacy skills.
Assessment and reporting
All children will be assessed in science throughout each topic. This begins with children completing a mind map of current knowledge (which is added to throughout a unit) and an end of topic STEM test. The assessment will be of the child’s knowledge and how they work scientifically.
When planning investigations, teacher’s should choose an area of assessment to focus on, for example, recording results, and use the child’s work to assess if they are working towards age related expectations, have achieved age related expectations or are greater depth in that area. Children who are working at greater depth are identified for the purposes of internal tracking. Appropriate targets are then to be set for the child to work towards.
There is a school format for recording assessment of Scientific knowledge and skills. The science assessments will be kept in the class teacher’s assessment folder and will move through the school with the class indicating progress. The assessment grids we use are displayed on the school web site. They clearly indicate new learning along with repetition of skills and knowledge as the children move through school.
There is an opportunity to share assessment details and targets with children and parents at parent evenings. There will also be a formal report on children’s individual development and progress in science in the end of year reports. Greater depth is not a requirement to report at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. However, in order to provide a curriculum which is challenging and appropriate for all children, we trach greater depth children internally.
Homework
On occasion, teachers may feel it appropriate to set homework in science. This is under the teacher’s discretion and may take the form of research in a specific area of science or form the basis of finding out what children know already in a specific area. All homework set should be in line with the school’s homework policy.
Role of the Co-ordinator
The co-ordinator will take responsibility for the following tasks:
Success Criteria
Policy approved by Governors