Science

Our Curriculum Intent for Science 

Young children are naturally curious and passionate about learning. At Fleet Infant School we provide a stimulating science curriculum that nurtures children’s natural curiosity and their on-going intellectual development. The exciting, practical, hands-on experiences which we give them, will encourage curiosity and questioning. Our inquiry-based curriculum draws from our local environment, where possible, and supports children in experiencing the joy of having wonderful ideas, exploration and investigation – that is, the joy of finding out.

By the end of KS1 we will ensure a continually evolving knowledge and bank of core skills which will equip them for an ever changing world.

Our learning in action!

Science is linked to whole school topics wherever possible.  Where necessary, science is taught as discrete units and lessons to ensure coverage.  We recognise that science has links to other subject areas. Such links include, for example, writing instructions in English, creating graphs and tables in computing, and interpreting data in maths.

Our science teaching and learning:

• Is fun and engaging and allows children to develop their curiosity by asking and answering questions
• Encourages open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and investigative skills including: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating
• Develops scientific vocabulary which enables our children to communicate their understanding of taught concepts
• Provides our children with the skills, knowledge and understanding to prepare them for their continued education and for life in an increasingly scientific world

The Curriculum Leader for Science evaluates the impact of the curriculum through topic reviews, moderation activities, curriculum team subject reviews, learning walks, pupil interviews, data analysis and work sampling.

Teachers use non-core assessments to check planned skills/knowledge have been remembered and pupils have a high level of automaticity/independence. Teachers use assessment to identify useful feedback and to plan/adjust subsequent learning.

Inclusion

When planning Science lessons we consider learners with SEND. Teachers consider the needs and barriers of individual children and the key learning of each lesson, and Science unit, identifying the specific new learning. Teacher will present new information in a way that all learners can access. Complex ideas will be broken down into simpler parts for pupils to learn and practice. Appropriate strategies will be used to focus learner's attention on the new content and visuals will be used to support the access of all learners. If appropriate, we plan for an additional adult in the lesson and share their responsibilities with them in advance.