At St Helen's we want to make science exciting, engaging and relevant for all children in our academy. We want to give children a strong understanding of the world around them, whilst gaining specific skills and knowledge to think scientifically and understand the scientific processes around them in the world now and in the future. We intend learning in science to be through systematic investigations of the physical, chemical and biological aspects of their lives that rely mainly on first hand experiences, leading them to being equipped to answer specific questions about the world around them. It is our intention that, through investigative science, pupils at St Helen's Primary Academy will continue to deepen their respect for the natural world and it's phenomena and increase their care and appreciation of it. 

• Science skills are taught twice a week during Science lessons 

• From Y1- Y6 each class follows the Curriculum Ark Plus Scheme. 

• Each year group has been given a specific order to cover the topics so that it builds on prior knowledge.

• For each unit each member of staff has been provided with background knowledge, unit overviews, individual lesson plans which break down the learning into smaller chunks and all lesson resources needed are pre-planned which outlines knowledge (including vocabulary) that all children must master, ensuring progression and growth.

• Each child has an individual science book linked to that topic which they complete lesson by lesson.

• At the start of each new unit the children think about what they already know and what they would like to find out.

• At the start of each new lesson the children complete a mini- quiz to check understanding from the previous lesson. 

By the end of our science curriculum all pupils will have coherent knowledge and understanding of the 3 science disciplines: biology, chemistry and physics. This knowledge, alongside scientific skills, will allow them to ask perceptive questions, think critically and weigh evidence, drawing relevant conclusions. Our Science curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to make good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Tracking of knowledge in pre and post learning quizzes

• Pupil/ Teacher discussions about their learning 

• Reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes (Assessment tracker linked to the National Curriculum objectives).A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit taught.

• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning. Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.

•  Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).

• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for  a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.

• Annual reporting of standards across the Curriculum.

• Marking of work in books 

• Pupil discussions and interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).

• Annual reporting and tracking of standards across the curriculum.

• Photo evidence and images of the pupils' practical learning.

• Video analysis through recording of performance in lessons.

• Apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collection, presenting and analysing data

• Become aware of some of the big areas underpinning scientific knowledge and understanding

• Evaluate their results and identify further questions arising from them

• Be assisted in making their thinking clear, both to themselves and others

• Build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy their misconceptions.

Micro level - Formative assessment (Task by task) 

Ongoing AFL during lessons through: 

- Eliciting information through questioning and dialogue.

- Providing verbal feedback with clear direction on how to improve.

- Helping children to understand how to become successful (criteria) and discussions.

Meso level - Lesson by lesson assessment 

- Practical knowledge checks where possible at the start of the lesson to ensure children are remembering more vocabulary and skills over time.

- ‘Do Now’ retrieval quizzes at the start of every lesson to recall key content and vocabulary from the previous lesson.

Macro level - End of unit

End of unit assessment based around content and knowledge taught throughout the unit. 

Data analysis to inform future planning and coverage. 

Mega level - Standardised test 

No Standardised tests are in place for the Science Curriculum.

I like science because we have been learning about plants and  how they grow- EYFS

I am really interested in science because we learn lots of different things.- Year 1

I like science because we learn about the world and how it works. My favourite topic was habitats- Year 2

Science is interesting because you learn about things you might not know about-Year 3

My favourite topic this year has been States of Matter. I enjoyed learning about solids, liquids and gases- Year 4 

Science is fun because you get to learn about things like chemical reactions and our solar system.-Year 5 

I like that our science topics link to other lessons  and we can use our knowledge from science to help us- Year 6