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Science

Curriculum Aims:

At Hadley Wood we want to foster a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and the world around them. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes. We aim to create passionate scientists who appreciate the value of science in the wider world and the potential it can offer for the future of the universe.

We believe in:

  • building on what pupils already know and inspiring them ask high quality questions to further their curiosity
  • all children having access to active, well resourced, pupil centred learning opportunities which will engage and encourage future aspirations
  • the success for every child and that learning is meaningful to all
  • the development of child independent learning and effective, quality feedback

At Hadley Wood, the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum define our science curriculum. We have chosen to follow the Snap Science Scheme of Work (SoW). This SoW covers all areas of the curriculum in a balanced, exciting and interactive way and fits in with our science curriculum aims.

As part of the Long Term Plan, year groups are allocated science topics to ensure that children cover all aspects of science as they progress through the school. Snap Science outlines ideas for planning which are adapted by class teachers to meet the needs of our pupils.

We aim for all children at Hadley Wood to:

  • 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 develop knowledge and understanding of important scientific ideas, processes and skills and relate these to everyday experiences;
  • equip children with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
  • to develop attitudes of curiosity, originality, co-operation, perseverance, open mindedness, self-criticism, responsibility and independence in thinking;
  • learn about ways of thinking and of finding out about and communicating ideas;
  • retain and develop their natural sense of curiosity about the world around them;
  • ask and answer scientific questions;
  • develop the accurate use of scientific vocabulary through a range of enjoyable and interesting experiences;
  • develop the skills to make systematic enquiries.

How we plan for and teach Science:

Science is taught weekly by the class teacher.  Scientific concepts are linked to practical experiences whenever appropriate to reinforce core understanding.

We ensure that the ‘Working Scientifically’ skills are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at our school so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, carrying out practical investigations and explaining concepts confidently whilst continuing to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings. We achieve this through the ‘Science Ninja approach to learning’ whereby children are rewarded for demonstrating and improving their practical science skills during science activities and investigations.

In line with other wider curriculum areas, we use ‘The Big Question’ approach to teaching and learning in science to guide the core content of our lessons and establish a curriculum which is designed with progression, achievement and experience as its core whilst consciously balancing skills and knowledge. As children move through the school the skills and knowledge they acquire are revisited, consolidated and built upon, in order for the children to have the opportunity to achieve in all scientific concepts. For example, the topic of light is taught in Year 3 and the concepts are consolidated and built upon in Year 6.

How we evaluate learning in Science:

The impact of our Science curriculum can clearly be seen in the children’s Science books. At the end of each unit the children have the opportunity to showcase their learning by answering the Big Question that has been studied throughout the unit to showcase the progress in knowledge and skills. This will support teachers with identifying the strengths and areas of development of each child based on the learning that has taken place. Class teachers will use this information to support the pitch of future lessons and identify any scaffolding required to develop key concepts.

There is an assessment grid for each class where progress in Science is recorded. These are Excel grids developed internally by the school and are based on the work of Michael Tidd (a Headteacher from Nottingham who was part of the Assessment Change Programme). The expectations for the year group are recorded in the left-hand column of each grid with the pupil names across the top. As the pupils demonstrate some understanding of the skill, the teacher enters the relevant level of understanding shown in both scientific skills and knowledge: Developing (D), Secure (S), and Exceeding (E). Excel will calculate each pupil’s progress over that year group as a percentage of the whole.

These files are held centrally on the MLE (Office 365) in each year group’s Assessment File and are available for class teachers, teaching assistants, learning assistants, the Inclusion Manager, subject leaders and SLT. Anonymised data will be shared with Governors who are responsible for ensuring effective pupil progress.

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