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"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."
Albert Einstein
Our Science Vision
Our Science Vision
Science at St Mary's aims to develop children's conceptual understanding of the world around them. We want children at St Mary's to see themselves as scientists who can use their knowledge to make sense of the world around them. To support this vision, we make links with real life throughout our science curriculum. Core concepts run throughout the curriculum and help children link their ideas together as they progress through our school.
Our Science Curriculum
Our Science Curriculum
At St Mary's, we follow the National Curriculum science programme of study. This includes both knowledge and skills-based objectives.
We are proud of the ambitious nature of our science curriculum. Working scientifically, skills and techniques are delivered across year groups and topics throughout the school.
Our class teachers and LSAs hold a wealth of in-depth subject knowledge and expertise enabling them to plan, resource and deliver varied topics effectively.
Topics are planned carefully so that children progress through the science curriculum in a logical way. Children develop their science knowledge and skills across year groups, meaning they consistently build on prior learning.
Our intent statements are our starting points. Class teachers use the previous year’s intent statement as a guide to know what substantive knowledge children will be starting with and which skills they have developed within each core concept.
The National Curriculum for science uses a spiral approach to ensure children revisit topics as they move through primary school, allowing them to recall and retain knowledge and skills. This helps them to know more and remember more.
Science in the Early Years
Science in the Early Years
The science curriculum at St Mary's begins in the crucial Early Years Foundation Stage. Here, children are given regular and wide opportunities to investigate the world around them.
Science is covered in the ‘Understanding the World’ area of the EYFS Curriculum. It is introduced through activities that encourage every child to explore, problem solve, observe, predict, think, make decisions and talk about the world around them: the building blocks of becoming a Scientist!
In Foundation 2, our children explore creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environments. They observe and manipulate objects and materials to identify differences and similarities. They learn to use their senses to make observations, to explain why some things occur and to talk about changes. Children are encouraged to ask questions about why things happen and how things work. Children are asked questions about what they think will happen to help them communicate, plan, investigate, record and evaluate findings.
All these things help to form a strong foundation enabling them let their light shine as scientists in Key Stages 1 and 2.
Science at KS1 and KS2
Science at KS1 and KS2
Science at St Mary's is planned and delivered by our highly skilled, confident and knowledgeable class teachers. Children either have weekly science lessons and develop their skills and knowledge over the term, or are taught a 'block' of science intensively over 2 weeks. This depends on the nature of the topic and the way it used in conjunction with other subjects.
Teachers take every appropriate opportunity to include practical activities, experiments and investigations in science. Children link their theoretical science knowledge to observations of it working in practice and use the skills they have been developing to support their learning. Our children tell us that they love this aspect of science as it helps them to understand and remember more.
Where possible, our teachers coordinate their science lessons with current maths and English objectives. From maths, statistics and data handling are commonly linked to science lessons. English skills such as explanation texts and instructions often support writing in science lessons.
Investigating how light travels
Investigating air resistance
Science lessons at St Mary's start with a 'science review'. These are short activities that help children recall and remember key learning, important vocabulary and skills from previous lessons. Recalling this information supports children in the lesson and helps them retain their learning.
Each lesson within a topic has a clear aim and focuses on at least one working scientifically skill.
Children leave St Mary's with a robust subject knowledge of the topics they focus on in primary science and they become proficient in the ‘working scientifically’ skills outlined in the national curriculum. These skills are applied across the curriculum and throughout year groups. They are used to develop children’s in-depth subject knowledge as they move through the topics.
The core concepts that run through science pull the subject knowledge and the skills together, creating a strong link and helping children consolidate their learning.
Working Scientifically
Working Scientifically
Part of the national curriculum for science is 'Working Scientifically'. These skills are taught in science lessons and transcend topics. Children will develop these skills across many topics and build on them across year groups.
Assessment and Retention
Assessment and Retention
Assessment of children's 'working scientifically' skillset happens in lessons. Each skill is planned and delivered by class teachers in ways that best suit their year groups and learners, ensuring that children have the best chance to retain that skill and any associated knowledge.
Formative assessment (throughout lessons and as part of science reviews) informs teachers about what knowledge children start with – this assessment allows them to pitch lessons to meet the needs of the children and provide adaptations where required.
Science 'working walls' form an important part of our learning environments across school. They serve as reminder to children of prior learning and support children with retention of key vocabulary. Working walls are used as part of science reviews to help children remember more about what they have been learning.
What do our children say about Science?
What do our children say about Science?
The success of the delivery of the curriculum is evident in children’s books and in talking to the children about their work in Science. Here is just a sample:
I enjoy learning new words and testing things out!
(Ella Y2)
I like when we do experiments to prove a hypothesis. (Joseph Y4)
I enjoyed the experiments on Science Day where we changed the cabbage juice into different colours by using different acid and alkaline liquids. (Theo Y6)
We had to test whether light bulbs would turn on if we put different materials in the circuit. We found that metal conducts electricity. It was really interesting. (Oliver Y6)
I like science because it is messy! When we did the rocks and soils we tested which rocks would crumble and which were stronger. We found out that the chalk was the softest and the crystals were the hardest. (Christopher Y3)
It’s fun. I think it’s really good how we can discover things for ourselves and link our learning to other topics. (Alicia Y6)
Useful websites to use at home...
Useful websites to use at home...
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