Science
Intent
At St John Fisher School, science is taught using the National Curriculum guidelines. We are committed to delivering lessons which inspire and motivate the children. We believe that 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 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. They are immersed in scientific vocabulary which aids children’s knowledge and understanding not only of the topic they are studying, but of the world around them.
We ensure that all children are provided with rich learning experiences that aim to:
- Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.
- Help our children acquire a growing understanding of the nature, processes and methods of scientific ideas.
- Help develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world.
- Build on our children’s natural curiosity and develop a scientific approach to problems.
- Encourage open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and develop the skill of investigations including: observing, measuring, predicting, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
- Develop the use of scientific language, recording and techniques.
Implementation
In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.
Planning for science is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of ‘The National Curriculum programmes of study for Science 2014’ and ‘Understanding of the World’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Science teaching at St John Fisher School involves adapting and extending the curriculum to match all pupils’ needs.
Impact
The impact of our science curriculum is measured through the monitoring cycle in school. This includes:
- Lesson observation
- Book looks
- Learning walks
- Discussions with class teachers
- Pupil Voice discussions
Monitoring is used to measure whether:
- Children enjoy and are enthusiastic about science in our school.
- There is a clear progression of children’s work and teachers’ expectations in our school.
- Children’s work shows a range of evidence of the curriculum coverage for all science topics.
- Children are becoming increasingly independent in science, selecting their own tools and materials, completing pupil lead investigations and choosing their own strategies for recording.
- Feedback from teachers has an impact on our pupils, often with next step questions to push learning on.
- All children are making progress, including SEND and disadvantaged children.
- Children are developing a richer vocabulary which will enable to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
- Children have high aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.
Enrichment
The children in KS2 take part annually in a Forensic Science day during British Science Week. They explore how to brush for fingerprints; how to use chromatograph;, why DNA at the scene of a crime is useful and how to analyse a boot print as well as exploring a range of other crime related science investigations.
Science Long Term Plan
science curriculum map 2023 24.pdf
Year 1 and 2 Knowledge Organisers
Year 3 Knowledge Organisers
knowledge organiser year 3 light.pdf
knowledge organiser year 3 forces and magnets.pdf
knowledge organiser year 3 animals incl humans.pdf
knowledge organiser year 3 plants.pdf
knowledge organiser year 3 rocks.pdf
Year 4 Knowledge Organisers
knowledge organiser year 4 animals including humans.pdf
knowledge organiser year 4 living things and their habitats.pdf
knowledge organiser year 4 changing state.pdf
knowledge organiser year 4 sound.pdf
knowledge organiser year 4 electricity.pdf
Year 5 Knowledge Organisers
knowledge organiser year 5 space.pdf
knowledge organiser year 5 properties of materials.pdf
knowledge organiser year 5 forces.pdf
knowledge organiser year 5 living things and their habitats.pdf
knowledge organiser year 5 animals including humans.pdf
Year 6 Knowledge Organisers
ko animals including humans year 6.pdf
ko year 6 living things and their habitats.pdf
ko year 6 evolution and inheritance 2 1 .pdf