INTENT

It is our aim at The Holt Primary School to develop children’s scientific knowledge and understanding of nature, processes and methods of science, for now and the future.   At The Holt Primary School our children study physical, chemical and biological sciences through direct experimentation and observation of natural processes. We hope to instill: a broad but detailed knowledge of scientific concepts and facts; an enthusiasm for scientific questioning and independent young scientist who work through the scientific process confidently. Pupils will build on their existing knowledge in this subject throughout each Key Stage.

'The important thing is to never stop questioning.' Albert Einstein

IMPLEMENTATION

Science will be taught as a separate lesson but will be linked to our Topic work where appropriate. We will encourage our pupils to be curious about natural phenomena and to be excited by the process of understanding the world around them. Key scientific terminology will be introduced each lesson and knowledge will be built upon throughout the school. Pupils will be encouraged to work scientifically and will able to carry out simple tests and experiments using equipment and to gather and record data. Whilst at The Holt Primary School, children will learn about plants, animals including humans, materials, seasonal change, habitats, rocks, light, forces, states of matter, sound, electricity, earth and space and evolution and inheritance. We will also have dedicated science days throughout the year and children will have the opportunity to apply other aspects of the curriculum to communicate and demonstrate their new learning.

National curriculum in England: science programmes of study - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In all Science lessons we will reinforce our school’s characteristics of good learning: Respect. Reflective. Responsible. Resourceful. Resilient. Reasoning.

IMPACT

Our Science Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. By the end of the primary journey, we aim to have developed for all our pupils the scientific knowledge to help understand the world around them and to see the impact that science has and continues to have in our lives presently and in the future.

If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes
• A celebration of learning at the end of a unit
• Pupil discussions about their learning

The impact of our science curriculum will be measured by assessment procedures which allow us to measure outcomes against statements outlines within our progression documents.

Assessment procedures

Teachers will use ongoing assessment for learning techniques to support the development of vocabulary and the acquisition of new knowledge.  A range of information gathering activities such as learning flashbacks and progress pauses will be used to ascertain how well children are learning within this subject and what they need next to support their understanding.