National Curriculum Guidance

A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes, and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

Our Intent

Science is the study of the physical and natural world through observations and experiments. At St Oswald’s C of E Primary School, we aim to give our children an engaging and exciting science curriculum which enables them to confidently explore and discover the world around them. We encourage all children to be inquisitive, independent thinkers and to be confident to ask and answer questions about the universe. By developing the natural curiosity in our children, we prepare them to flourish and seek wonder in the ever-changing world.

Our intent is that the teaching of science will:

    • Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry, and physics
    • Develop understanding of the nature, processes, and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
    • Equip children with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future
    • Develop an enthusiasm and enjoyment of scientific learning and discovery
    • Inspire and motivate children to nurture and grow their curiosity

Our Implementation

At St Oswald’s to ensure high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the school. In addition to engaging science lessons, we are committed to providing exciting and inspiring experiences for all children including trips, visitors, and a whole school Science Week.

The key areas of implementation we use are:

  • Planning Documents
    • Progression Maps

    • Progression map – Working Scientifically Skills

  • Long Term plans

  • Medium Term plans

Flow Chart

The flow chart serves an overview of how the subject is taught to ensure consistency in the following areas:

    • Lesson structure
    • Learning environment
    • Planning/resources
    • Assessment
    • Wider school life: how we enhance the curriculum e.g. visits, celebrations, theme weeks

Impact

At St Oswald’s we see our children flourish through the wide-ranging curriculum we provide them with. We strive for the whole curriculum to be exciting, engaging and for all children to feel a sense of success.

In Science, we aim for the impact to be:

    • Children make good progress. The number of children achieving expected standard is above the national average.
    • Children work together collaboratively to plan and carry out investigations and can learn from each other.
    • There is a focus on enquiry which runs through the curriculum ensuring that every child is accessing the different areas to enquiry, every half term.
    • Children enjoy science and can talk about the discoveries of famous scientists. They understand the place of science in our world.
    • Our children can create questions for their learning and begin to explore answers to these questions.