Science

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.”

Albert Einstein (inventor, physicist, mathematician)

At Milton St John’s CE Primary School, we recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life. As one of the core subjects taught in Primary Schools, we give the teaching and learning of Science the prominence it requires.

At Milton St John’s, our vision is to provide a hands-on science curriculum, which empowers pupils to explore and discover the world around them. We aim to do this through practical and exciting experiences, which encourage curiosity and foster learning. Through hands on, enquiry-based activities, pupils will confidently experience the joy of exploration, discoveries and improvements. Our vision is that all our pupils will leave school as scientists.

Scientists at Milton St John’s will be:

• Naturally excited and curious to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.
• Prepared for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.
• Confident in their understanding of the nature, processes and methods of scientific ideas.
• Able to develop a logical scientific approach to problems.
• Taught the skills to conduct effective and fair science investigations by developing the skills of observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
• Confident with their use of scientific vocabulary, recording and techniques.
• Able to make links between science and other subjects.

Our curriculum drivers underpin all we do and are an essential part of our learning. The drivers help our children to ‘RISE’ up and play a vital role in their community; locally, nationally and globally. They are listed below:

• Respect for the opinions and beliefs of others
• Independence & Resilience
• Spirituality
• Engagement & Curiosity

Intent

Science is concerned with increasing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our world and developing enquiry skills. It is our intent that our Science curriculum, will develop the natural curiosity of the child, encourage respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provide opportunities for the critical evaluation of evidence. We believe that our pupils should be encouraged to think analytically and creatively. Teachers promote discussion through rich, open-ended questioning, which promotes higher-order thinking, reasoning and explanation; this articulation consolidates pupils’ learning and develops their ability to raise questions of their own. Through scientific talk, pupils will develop the ability to articulate, discuss and explain their thinking. We will provide the pupils with the necessary resources to allow them to access the curriculum and encourage them to use this, where appropriate, to explain their logic and reasoning.

At Milton St John’s in conjunction with the aims of the National Curriculum, it is our intent that pupils:

• Have engaging and fun science lessons.
• Are challenged and develop key scientific understanding.
• Explore the world around them.
• Work by using range of scientific methods.
• Link their science learning to real-life experiences.
• Develop the skills to be independent learners.
• Use their curiosity to make and do scientific things.
• Confidently discuss and develop their ideas.

Implementation

At Milton St John’s pupils have weekly lessons in Science throughout Key Stage 1 and 2, using various programmes of study and resources. When there is a natural link between a science topic and other curriculum areas, teachers should endeavour to work in a cross-curricular manner e.g. to link the teaching of rocks with the history topic of the Stone Age. In Early Years, Science is taught through the children learning about the world around them in their learning through play. 

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following;

• Science will be taught in planned and arranged topic blocks by the class teacher. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge.
• Through our planning, we involve problem solving opportunities that allow pupils to find out for themselves. Pupils are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers.
• Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills; and assess pupils regularly to identify and address any gaps in learning.
• We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years.
• Working Scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching.
• Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, and the various Working Scientifically skills in order to embed scientific understanding.

We endeavour to ensure our Science curriculum will give pupils the confidence and motivation to continue to further develop their skills into the next stage of their education and life experiences.

Impact

The impact of this approach is that Milton St John’s has a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides pupils with the foundations for understanding the world and means that all pupils leave our school with the confidence, knowledge and skills surrounding the Science National Curriculum. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that pupils learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. So much of science lends itself to outdoor learning and so we provide pupils with opportunities to experience this. Through various workshops and trips, pupils have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Pupil voice is used to further develop the Science curriculum, through questioning of pupil’s views and attitudes to Science to support the enjoyment of Science and to motivate learners.

Click here to view our Science Progression Map.

Click here to view our Working Scientifically Progression Map.

Click here to view our Science Vocabulary Progression Map.