Science

Subject Lead: Miss Z McCulloch

Curriculum Rationale - Science

Intent

At Lingey House Primary School, we recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life and as one of the core subjects taught in Primary Schools, we give the teaching and learning of Science the prominence it requires. The Scientific area of learning is concerned with increasing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our world, and with developing skills associated with Science as a process of enquiry. It will develop the natural curiosity of the child, encourage respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provide opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence so that children think ‘like scientists’. We aim to foster a lifelong love of science for our pupils and an understanding of the many careers associated with this subject.

 

Implementation

Early Years

In the Early years, science is taught through the children learning about the world around them in their learning through play. The focus in EYFS is about developing scientific language from an early age with an aim that children can use this scientific language confidently and accurately. They will also have lots of opportunities to investigate independently and as part of adult focussed activities. These investigations will be designed to develop enquiry skills and spark children’s interests.

Key Stage 1 and 2

The National Curriculum will provide a structure and skill development for the science curriculum being taught throughout the school. Children have weekly lessons in Science throughout Key Stage 1 and 2 and are taught in topic blocks.

Link to curriculum overview

At Lingey House, we embed ‘working scientifically’ skills into our topics and these are introduced to the children through our Science Superheroes.  Children are given opportunities to use these skills to discover the answers to a range of enquiry questions and experience problem solving opportunities that allow children to find out for themselves.

Children will:

• Use scientific vocabulary with confidence
• Work scientifically
• Observe patterns over time
• Identify, classify and group
• Research
• Collect and analyse data
• Apply mathematical skills when analysing data and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching.

The curriculum has been carefully planned and sequenced so that children are able to reactivate their prior learning from previous year groups and units which increases their enthusiasm for their learning whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory. All year groups start with the ‘Animals including humans’ topic and other topics are sequenced according to the time of year and prior learning. Specialist Scientific vocabulary is taught and built upon; we strongly encourage all pupils to use scientific vocabulary that is appropriate for their year group, so that they are exposed to a vocabulary rich curriculum.

Learning & Local Links

Throughout KS1 and KS2 children will have the opportunity to make links with other topics like using electricity within a design and technology project or extend their knowledge such as using their knowledge of rocks and soils when learning about mining. As much of the learning, where possible, will be practical. We will use our school grounds to teach some our studies.

Additional opportunities are provided in Science, such as celebrating Science Week, whole school science workshop afternoons and educational visits linked to the science curriculum, such as visits to the Centre for Life.

 

Impact

As a result of strong teaching and learning in Science, the pupils at Lingey House will have a sound understanding of how Science works in the world around them, what it is to be a scientist and they will have the skills to investigate scientific questions, answering them in an accurate and systematic way.

 

Overview