St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Intent

• Through our Science curriculum at St. Joseph’s School, we want all children to be aware of and have a good understanding of the world around them and the importance of Science and its uses in their everyday lives. As a school of wonder, we aim to nurture the naturally enquiring minds and curiosity that children have and foster their scientific potential. 

  We help each child to have a wonderful encounter with the world, to love God’s creation. Our children are given opportunities to have new experiences, to question and to love learning and to love life. 

•  We constantly provide enrichment opportunities to engage learning. We believe that childhood should be a happy, investigative and enquiring time in our lives, where there are no limits to curiosity and there is a thirst for new experiences and knowledge. 

• Children have weekly lessons in Science throughout Key Stage 1 and 2, using various programmes of study and resources. In Early Years, science is taught through the children learning about the world around them  and in their learning through play. Additional opportunities are provided in Science, such as British Science Week,  educational visits linked to the science curriculum, such as visits to Cliffe Castle museum, farm trips, wildlife centres, RHS centres and the Bradford Science museum.      
• As a school of knowledge, our science curriculum provides children with the knowledge they need to achieve and builds on pupils’ needs, strengths, interests and experiences. 

• The Science curriculum will ensure that lessons in each year group will deliver key knowledge, concepts and skills, whilst enabling children to become enquiry based learners. Pupils will be encouraged to use scientific thinking and vocabulary to make predictions and explain what is taking place and then analyse their results to gain an understanding of the scientific processes that occur all around them. In all these lessons, as in other subjects, working independently, creatively and collaboratively will be important as they are a necessity for any scientist of the present or future. 
• Ultimately, we intend that the skills, knowledge and scientific thinking that they learn through our Science curriculum will help our children to develop healthy habits, a love and awe of the natural world that God created and a sense of appreciation of the gifts that the Earth provides. This will help them to be considerate consumers and guardians who respect and look after the planet, for themselves and the next generation.

Science Policy

Implementation

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Science  is taught as part of a termly or half-termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum.

Progression is seen in the way children’s knowledge of key topics gradually expands throughout the school.

Progression in vocabulary is planned for and developed from one year group to the next.

Progression in scientific skills is systematically developed.

As a school of inclusion, we believe that all learning should be adapted to the needs of all children (SEN, EAL, more able, disadvantaged) and that the curriculum should be carefully planned to take account of everyone in the class so that all can succeed.

Science is best when we:

• Nurture enthusiasm for learning
• Have fun and engaging scientific opportunities both in and out of school
• Give children time to play and explore
• Make our learning purposeful and real
• Learn through practical hands-on and mind-on activities
• Seize every opportunity to develop scientific skills, knowledge and a sense of awe and wonder
• Exude our enthusiasm and passion for STEM
• Find and share STEM opportunities in the local area and with our school community
• Develop our scientific skills
• Learn through five types of enquiry - observing over time, identifying and classifying, pattern seeking, research, comparative and fair testing
• Ask and answer questions
• Record and share our learning in a variety of ways, to a range of audiences

At St. Joseph’s we implement and embed our approach in all that we do. Through planning we demonstrate a coherent sequence of learning and coverage of the National Curriculum and working scientifically  skills needed for our learners to develop to their full potential.

Long Term Overview

Impact

The successful approach to the teaching of science at St Joseph's School will result in a fun, engaging, high quality science education. This provides the children with the foundations for understanding the world which they can take with them once they complete their primary education.

  Children at St Joseph's 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 within a real life context
  • be able to question ideas and reflect on knowledge
  • be able to articulate their understanding of scientific concepts and be able to reason scientifically using rich language linked to science
  • work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment
  • most children will achieve age related expectations in Science at the end of their cohort year

   

Gallery of our Learning