Curriculum
Science
Curriculum intent, implementation, and impact
Intent
At Wrekin View it is our intention to develop our pupils as scientists and immerse the pupils in a challenging, engaging, and relevant science curriculum. We provide a high-quality science education that provides pupils with the foundations they need to recognise the importance of science in every aspect of daily life. Our curriculum will enable pupils to become enquiry-based learners collaborating through researching, investigating and evaluating experiences. It will encourage respect for living organisms, for the physical environment and will increase pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our everchanging world. We expect our science curriculum to sustain our pupils’ natural curiosity so that they are eager to learn the subject content as well as develop the necessary investigative skills, fostering a life-long interest in science. We aim to develop pupils with secure subject knowledge, who are confident to question the world around them, explore possible answers independently and communicate their ideas effectively using specialist vocabulary. At Wrekin View, we endeavour to enable our pupils to approach unknown and unexplainable phenomenon with awe and wonder and understand how they can make a positive contribution to the world we live in.
Implementation
At Wrekin View, science topics are taught within each year group in accordance with the national curriculum.
- Topics are blocked to allow pupils to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each topic in depth
- Every year group will build upon the learning from prior year groups therefore developing depth of understanding and progression of skills
- Teachers promote enjoyment and curiosity through engaging practical lessons
- Pupils explore, question, predict, plan, carry out investigations and observations as well as conclude their findings
- Pupils present their findings and learning using science specific language, observations and diagrams
- In order to support pupil in their ability to ‘know more and remember more’ there are regular opportunities to review the learning taken place in previous topics as well as previous lessons
- At the start of each topic pupils will review previous learning and will have the opportunity to share what they already know about a current topic
- Effective CPD and standardisation opportunities are available to staff to ensure high levels of confidence and knowledge are maintained
- To support teaching, teachers access a range of resources and planning from ‘science bug’. This is an online science programme which provides inspiring plans, activities and practical investigations
- Pupils will have many opportunities to use scientific equipment and constant visual access to all new scientific vocabulary relevant to that unit
- Each topic block is a carefully planned learning journey which will enable children to answer a ‘key question’ at the end of block of work
- Teachers use highly effective assessment for learning in each lesson to ensure misconceptions are highlighted and addressed
- Effective modelling by teachers ensures that pupils are able to achieve their learning intention, with misconceptions addressed within it
- Differentiation is facilitated by teachers, to ensure that each pupil can access the science curriculum
- Pupils are given clear success criteria in order to achieve the learning intention with differing elements of independence
- Pupils are regularly given the opportunity for self or peer assessment, which will then be used to inform planning, preparation, differentiation and address misconceptions within that lesson, or for the next lesson
- Pupils will be given the chance to learn about famous scientists through time and their achievements to see what impact science can have in the real world
- Teachers find opportunities to develop pupil’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning, educational visits and workshops with experts
- Through enrichment days, such as our ‘WOW’ experiments day, ‘science week’, and ‘Wrekin View science fair’, we promote the profile of science and allow time for the pupils to freely explore scientific topics
The successful approach to the teaching of science at Wrekin View will result in a fun, engaging, high quality science education, that provides pupils with the foundations for understanding the world that they can take with them once they complete their primary education.
Assessment at Wrekin View is teacher based and formed using formal and informal strategies. These included demonstrating what they have learnt when answering the key question at the end of the unit, quizzes, use of mind maps, verbal/written outcomes, reflection tasks or presentations. Prior knowledge is checked at the beginning of a unit to allow for misconceptions and gaps to be addressed more immediately. There is a clear progression of children’s work and teachers’ expectations.
Pupils at Wrekin View will:
- demonstrate a love of science work and an interest in further study and work in this field
- retain knowledge that is pertinent to science with a real-life context
- be curious – able to question ideas and reflect on knowledge
- work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment
- be effective communicators showing confidence to use and explain scientific vocabulary
- be able to explain the process they have taken and be able to reason scientifically
- become increasingly independent in science, and complete pupil lead investigations
- complete mind maps at the start of a unit to ensure any misconceptions of a topic are addressed
- achieve age related expectations in science at the end of their year. Some pupils will have progressed further and pupils with special education needs and disabilities and those with gaps in their understanding will receive appropriate support
Impact
The successful approach to the teaching of science at Wrekin View will result in a fun, engaging, high quality science education, that provides pupils with the foundations for understanding the world that they can take with them once they complete their primary education.
Assessment at Wrekin View is teacher based and formed using formal and informal strategies. These included demonstrating what they have learnt when answering the key question at the end of the unit, quizzes, use of mind maps, verbal/written outcomes, reflection tasks or presentations. Prior knowledge is checked at the beginning of a unit to allow for misconceptions and gaps to be addressed more immediately. There is a clear progression of pupils’ work and teachers’ expectations.
