Science

At Two Moors Primary School, we provide a broad and balanced science education which will enable each child, regardless of ability or background to reach their full potential. The curriculum fosters natural curiosity in the children and will prepare them for the next phase of their education. The science curriculum is progressive throughout the school and is carefully taught to ensure that knowledge and skills are interwoven, spaced and revisited over the six years ensuring sequential coverage of the National Curriculum. 

We want our children to: 

- Develop and extend their curiosity, scientific knowledge and understanding about the world around them. 

- Ask and answer scientific questions. 

- Develop a scientific approach to problem solving.

- Use practical experiments and explorations to develop the skills of investigation, including: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating. 

- Understand and use scientific vocabulary.

- Use a range of methods to communicate their scientific information and present it in a systematic, scientific manner, including I.C.T., diagrams, graphs and charts. 

- Develop a real interest in science and its application in past, present and future technologies. 

- Actively make links between science and other subjects. 

- See how science can be used in future careers.

Our science curriculum is based on the 'Developing Experts' scheme of learning. We believe that this scheme is one of the best in terms of resources, engagement, excitement and also ensuring long term memory recall by allowing the children opportunities to use that past knowledge, whether in low-stakes quizzing, mini flashbacks or other types of assessment. It also allows children the chance to talk, discuss and debate scientific ideas so teachers can identify misconceptions within their understanding. 

Science is a vocabulary rich subject - and as such, activities are planned to ensure children understand the technical and scientific vocabulary they will be working on. Assessment, ongoing and summative, plays a huge part in our teaching of science; ongoing tasks within lessons enable teachers to identify who is understanding the learning and who might need some more support or challenge. Quizzes at the end of lessons and units allow for a more summative approach to the children's learning. Lessons will also include a link to careers that can be learnt about for each unit which will make the children realise that what they are learning has a real life purpose. 

Children work independently and collaboratively, using a wide range of resources, through investigative and enquiry-based learning opportunities to help all children gain a coherent knowledge of the concepts, knowledge and skills in science. Children record their work in their science books in Key Stage Two and in class diaries in Key Stage One. 

Children are supported and challenged to help them meet age-related expectations each year. We monitor the impact of our science teaching through: 

- Using pupil voice to discuss individual learning. 

- Monitoring pupils’ progress books, science books and class science diaries (Y1-4) for quality of work, progression of skills and depth of knowledge and understanding. 

- Moderating assessments for attainment and progress across year groups and across the key stages.

- Visits to science lessons 

- Monitoring the knowledge and understanding the children retain over time and the number of children who are successfully meeting the end of year milestones. 

- Monitoring the number of children who are successfully meeting the end of year expectations.