“Science is magic that works.” 

Kurt Vonnegut

Science Lead in school – Mrs B Tennet

Curriculum Intent

At Toner Avenue Primary School, we strive to provide a high-quality science education that develops children’s  understanding of the world through the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. 

In an ever-changing world, where our children’s future jobs may not even exist yet, it is vital our children  understand how science has already changed their lives and how it may shape future prosperity. 

We seek to provide children with scientific knowledge, methodologies, and processes but also to give them the  real world uses of this science. Our children are encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation  through scientific yet exciting investigations, which build on their natural curiosity. They are expected to: 

  • Try to explain what is occurring; 
  • Use appropriate scientific vocabulary and ideas; 
  • Explain the ‘why?’ 

We provide a range of different types of scientific enquiry throughout children’s time at Toner Avenue and also encourage open-ended questioning, where they decide how to try to find the answer. It is important children  are not always directly guided to the ‘right’ answer and they realise that some of the most significant scientific  advancements occurred from mistakes or someone saying ‘What if…..?’ 

As well as using technical terminology accurately and precisely, children will also apply their mathematical  knowledge to their understanding of science, including: 

  • collecting, 
  • presenting 
  • and analysing data. 

We believe that as well as being able to understand a scientific enquiry for themselves, it is important our  children can also explain this coherently and with a critical mind to someone else. 

At Toner Avenue, we are passionate that a broad and balanced science education is the entitlement of all  children, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, class, aptitude or disability. Enabling all children to access a  scientific education should also encourage open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and  responsibility, which are skills they can apply in all walks of life. 

 

Curriculum Implementation

Toner Avenue Primary school will use a range of strategies to introduce, explore, and fully understand scientific learning. When required, this will be adapted to best suit each class and each individual learner so that they  are able to make their personal best progress with their learning. 

Each year group’s learning objectives will come from the national curriculum and these have been aligned to  fit with the associated umbrella topic at an appropriate time of year, within an appropriate sequence and within the children’s developmental stages so that they are best able to access the learning. To engage the children and support them making links to the real world, all science learning should be directly  and clearly linked to the unit.At the beginning of each unit, children should have the opportunity to reflect on their existing science  knowledge through discussion and explicit links to previous learning will be made (concept cartoons and gamification) 

Tasks should show a clear differentiation between groups of children to allow them all to show their  understanding of the learning objective. Differentiation should be by supporting a variety of learning styles  and recording mediums. It should not be by literacy ability/written output or degree of adult support. All  children should have an equitable opportunity to show their level of understanding, regardless of literacy  ability. Any children with specific SEN requirements need to be planned for, so they also have the same  opportunities to learn and show understanding. 

Provision for extension within the lesson or between different ability groups should be provided for where  possible, to ensure all children have the opportunity to show a developing understanding with the lesson. 

Across the year, children should have the opportunity to complete relevant investigations that engage them  with their learning and further their understanding. They should have the opportunity to focus on particular  working scientifically objectives and develop their skills in these areas. These will progress across the year and  also between year groups. 

Children must have the opportunity to use a variety of practical equipment.  

Children need to be shown that there are a variety of types of scientific investigations and be taught these  across their time in school: 

  • Fair testing 
  • Surveys and patterns in data 
  • Classification 
  • Exploring and observing over time 
  • Problem solving 
  • Investigating a ‘model’ 
  • Secondary research 

They will develop an understanding of what the differences are between these types of investigations, the  pros and cons of each, as well as when it is best to select a particular approach. As children move through KS2,  they may then be given the opportunity to choose their own approach to learning and how best to investigate.

Where possible, a display will be in class to support new scientific learning and could include: 

  • Supporting imagery 
  • Useful scientific vocabulary 
  • Definitions 
  • Real-life examples of the application of the learning 
  • Relevant examples of scientists/occupations in this field, particularly from minority groups/female  representatives 

The subject coordinator will conduct regular monitoring to check coverage and progression, giving timely and  focused feedback to all staff. Staff members will have access to ongoing training and other resources to  improve their confidence and ability to teach science effectively. 

 

Curriculum Impact

If our intent and implementation are successful, then at Toner Avenue  we would expect to see: 

  • A broad and engaging curriculum that makes use of a range of resources, such as visitors and local attractions 
  • Children and staff who are enthusiastic about scientific learning 
  • Children and staff who can speak confidently about science, including uses in the real world
  • Children who can use appropriate scientific vocabulary in oral and written forms
  • All children being successful in sharing their understanding of scientific concepts 
  • Children who can make links between different areas of science and other subject areas
  • Children who can recall prior scientific learning when required and use this to understand new  learning 
  • Children increasingly being able to instigate their own investigations confidently and interpreting their  findings 
  • Staff who are able to anticipate potential misconceptions and address these confidently 
  • Children meeting their age-related expectations in science consistently