Intent 

In Science, we would like our children to:

• Think independently and raise questions about their scientific learning.
• Have confidence in a range of practical skills, taking the initiative in planning and carrying out scientific investigations.
• Have excellent scientific understanding and be able to demonstrate this in written and verbal explanations, solving challenging problems and reporting scientific findings.
• Have high levels of originality, imagination or innovation in the application of skills.
• A passion for science and its application in past, present and future technologies.

Implementation

We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in science lessons. Our principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding. Sometimes we do this through whole-class teaching, while at other times we engage the children in an enquiry-based research activity. We encourage the children to ask, as well as answer, scientific questions. They have the opportunity to use a variety of data, such as statistics, graphs, pictures, and photographs. They use computing in science lessons where it enhances their learning. They take part in role-play and discussions and they present reports to the rest of the class. They engage in a wide variety of problem-solving activities. Wherever possible, we involve the pupils in ‘real’ scientific activities, for example, researching a local environmental problem or carrying out a practical experiment and analysing the results.

We recognise that there are children of widely different scientific abilities in all classes and we ensure that we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this in a variety of ways by:

• setting common tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses;
• setting tasks of increasing difficulty (we do not expect all children to complete all tasks);
• providing resources of different complexity, matched to the ability of the child;
• using classroom assistants to support the work of individual children or groups of children.

Impact

Children will ask questions and investigate them independently in order to develop their skills in scientific enquiry.

Children’s skills will develop progressively as they move through school.

Children enjoy and are enthusiastic about science.

Children will use their scientific knowledge to understand the world.

Children will use their scientific skills to be curious about the world around them.