Halstead Community Primary School

Intent

Our Science Curriculum embodies our values of:

Personal Excellence by ensuring the children make progress in the knowledge and skills of science, applying them when using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently and continuing to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings.

Respect and Friendship by ensuring children know how science both reflects and shapes our history, and understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Inspiration by teaching children about key scientists who have shaped the scientific landscape.

Determination and Courage by challenging children and encouraging them to think critically, testing their previously held ideas. In doing so, they will also be encouraged to develop a bank of skills and an understanding of the processes required to be able to do good science.

Equality by learning about scientists of different races, genders and cultures to inspire, engage and challenge the children.

We incorporate, wherever possible, the work within the topics making links with other curriculum areas. The children are encouraged to reflect upon and evaluate their work and that of others to enable them to develop their ideas and reason.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in science. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following;

·       Science will be through the International Primary Curriculum topics.

·       We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.

·       Working scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years, in-keeping with the topics.

·       Regular events, such as Science Week, the Primary Engineer competition or Young Eco Engineers, provide broader provision and the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills in real-world contexts.

Impact

Through our Science curriculum, the children will:

·       acquire the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world

·       learn about and engage with the local environment, through first hand experiences

·       have an understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity

·       learn the possibilities for careers in science and learn from and work with professionals, ensuring that children have access to positive role models within the field of science from the immediate and wider local community

·       feel that they are scientists and are capable of achieving