Science
"Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science." Edwin Powell Hubble
Intent
At St. Andrew's CE Junior School, we want our children to develop inquisitive and curious minds that question the world around them. We aim to provide our children with a life-long love of Science and for them to know the relevance and importance of the subject to their lives and future selves. Science is the world around us and how it works, what is made of and how it lives. Our children will become the next generation responsible for being guardians of our planet and we aim to establish a care and respect for the natural world through relevant and engaging lessons.
Implementation
Our Science units follow those set out in the 2014 National Curriculum. Children are made explicitly aware of the form of Science they are studying (Biology, Chemistry or Physics) and how it relates to their previous learning or that in parallel subjects, such as Biology and Rainforests in Geography. Staff break down units based around lines of enquiry that satisfy the essential knowledge and understanding for each unit, and also focus on at least one significant scientist in each (for example, in Year 6's unit on Classification they will learn about the work of Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus). In each unit, classes carry out enquiries and they develop an understanding of the different forms this can take (enquiry skills) as informed by the Primary Science Teaching Trust. These are displayed in exercise books for children to refer to in lessons. Over the course of an academic year, class teachers will strive to ensure that each skill has been addressed at least once during classroom enquiries.
Learning is related to modern vocations and jobs to provide a real-world connection between the children's learning and its place in our world. A display exists in school with a dedicated vocation being highlighted, relevant to each year group's respective lines of enquiry.
We use knowledge organisers to guide key learning in lessons and children are free to look through these outside of Science lessons. We subscribe to Whizz Pop Bang magazine, and each class receives a copy of this each month. the subject leader dissects each edition and makes individual staff aware of relevant content, as necessary. Staff use formative assessment to monitor progress through units of work and to aid planning of next steps in learning sequences, in-line with our school's active feedback policy. At St. Andrew's we aspire for our children to use specific vocabulary pertinent to each unit and our knowledge organisers aide us in doing so. The Science subject leader attends CPD sessions organised by the local authority and disseminates relevant details to the rest of the staff.
Through the school's participation in British Science Week each year, the subject is given a high profile in the school and children are offered opportunities to further their learning at home with their families. Each academic year is rounded off with our Science Fair every July, where children showcase their learning of a particular key objective from the past year in small groups, presenting their exhibits to the rest of the school, staff, parents and governors.
Impact
Our children thoroughly enjoy their Science education and have a keen sense of curiosity. This is evident through the results of detailed pupil voice questionnaires, which highlight the children's enjoyment of Science Week and the school Science Fair especially. Our children are keen to answer questions about the subject and enjoy discussing what they have learned. The quality of Science lessons is consistently good and teacher judgements are monitored alongside book looks on an annual basis. The Science subject leader meets with their respective governor at least once a year to discuss their targets for the subject, areas for development they've identified, and aspirations they have for the subject.