Science Co-ordinator: Mrs Carly Kesterton
Intent
At St. Peter’s our intent for the Science curriculum is to cultivate a sense of curiosity and wonder about the natural world, fostering a lifelong passion for science in our children. We aim to provide a high-quality Science education that enables all children to:
- Develop Scientific Knowledge and Understanding: Children will gain a secure understanding of key scientific concepts that underpin everyday phenomena, ensuring that they can make sense of the world around them.
- Engage in Scientific Inquiry: Our curriculum is designed to immerse children in enquiry-based learning, encouraging them to ask questions, formulate hypotheses, conduct experiments, and draw conclusions.
- Make Connections: We encourage children to relate their scientific learning to real-world contexts, enhancing their comprehension of how science interlinks with other subjects and daily life.
- Promote Skills for the Future: We aim to develop essential scientific skills including critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and effective communication, equipping our children for future educational and career pathways.
Implementation
The planning and sequencing of our curriculum will enable pupils to build on previous learning and enable children to know more, remember more and do more. Scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding knowledge and skills into long-term memory. As children move through the school, we have organised our topics carefully to allow children to build their knowledge within Science and through links with other subjects such as Maths, Geography and Computing.
- Breadth and Depth of Curriculum: Our Science curriculum follows the National Curriculum, ensuring that all areas of scientific knowledge—biology, chemistry, and physics—are addressed and revisited over time, allowing for deep learning and integration of concepts.
- Enquiry-Based Learning: Each unit of work incorporates enquiry-led projects, where pupils are encouraged to take the lead in their investigations. We provide hands-on, practical experiences, which include experiments, trips, and outdoor learning to contextualise scientific theories.
- Differentiation: Our teaching strategies are tailored to meet the diverse needs of all learners. We employ a variety of teaching methodologies and resources, incorporating visual aids, digital technology, and collaborative group work to engage pupils of all abilities.
- Assessment for Learning: We employ formative assessments throughout the learning journey, using tools such as quizzes, practical investigations, and peer assessments to inform our teaching practices and adjust our strategies to improve learning outcomes.
- Professional Development: Continuous professional development for teaching staff is also prioritised, ensuring that our educators are well-informed about the latest scientific research, pedagogical strategies, and Ofsted expectations.
Impact
The impact of our Science curriculum is evident through:
- Pupil Engagement and Enjoyment: Observations and pupil interviews demonstrate high levels of enthusiasm and engagement in Science lessons. Our enrichment activities, such as science fairs and science clubs, further ignite pupils' interest and participation.
- Lifelong Skills: Through our curriculum, pupils develop not only scientific knowledge but crucial skills such as resilience, curiosity, and the ability to communicate scientific concepts effectively, preparing them for future study.
USEFUL WEBSITES
KS1 Science
KS2 Science