Science

At Eastbrook Primary School we believe that our science curriculum provides our children with opportunities to learn about, ask questions and evaluate aspects of the world around them and to develop knowledge, curiosity and enquiry skills. In addition, we understand the importance of raising aspirations to promote a life-long love for science, to inspire a future generation of scientists (Wellcome Trust, 2017).

The science curriculum at Eastbrook Primary School has been developed so that as our children progress through the key stages, their knowledge, understanding and skill set is continually built upon and embedded. It offers and wide and rich variety of different experiences, including the use of the school grounds, practical and hands-on sessions and focused outreach visits. Our science teaching and learning is planned within the International Primary Curriculum, providing opportunities for cross curricular links.

Science is relevant to most everyday situations and to our children’s character development and through our teaching of science we enable our children enjoy learning about different science concepts and using this to support their understanding of their world now and how they may mould the future.  

Our curriculum ensures that all children:

• Have opportunities to develop their scientific knowledge and understanding within the key disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics

• Gain hands on, practical experiences and develop a respect for the equipment that they are using, enabling them to answer scientific questions about the world around them

• Develop a broad and rich scientific vocabulary which is built upon as they progress through the school

• Build a love for science which they share with their peers, supporting adults and family

End Point

Science education at Eastbrook School provides the foundation of understanding the world through biology, chemistry and physics which is a fundamental part of our everyday lives. It helps to explain so much of the world around us and enables advances in many areas including health, communication, the environment and leisure.  All pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science entwined with their development of scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding. Scientific enquiries skills support their understanding and help them to answer every day scientific questions about the world around them. 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 science curriculum spiral design clearly supports the building of knowledge, skills and virtue in increasing complexity. The teaching is well sequenced to remind and revisit main concepts through different topics in the spiral curriculum.

Way Points

As the future for our children change, the role of science and the demand for science-based careers in their future becomes ever more important (HM Government, 2017). It is necessary that we inspire and innovate the teaching of science to ensure that our children remain curious, interested and invested about science and their future.  

By the end of Early Years Foundation Stage

Our EYFS science education is designed to introduce our young children to a range of ideas and practices related to the natural world around them. Inquiry based play is key to the science in our EYFS curriculum and through this, our children will leave early years as question askers, good thinkers and naturally curious.  

By the end of Key Stage One

The main focus of science teaching in Key Stage One is to ensure that children have opportunities to be curious. Children will have hands on practical experiences, observing the phenomena and looking closely at the natural and human-constructed world around them. The children’s questioning skills are developed to ensure they have the skills needed to ask questions and be able to answer them using their working scientifically skill set, including observing over time, pattern seeking, grouping and classifying, carrying out simple tests and finding out things using secondary sources of information. The main areas of science that children will be exposed to are plants, animals including humans, materials, living things and habitats, and seasons. Children use science specific vocabulary in line with their reading age at Key Stage One (National Curriculum, 2013).

By the end of Lower Key Stage Two

At the next stage of science teaching, children are encouraged to broaden their view of the world around them. Through discussion, testing and developing ideas, children are beginning to understand functions, link different concepts and build relationships between pieces of knowledge. Utilising their skill set developed in Key Stage One, children are now encouraged to ask their own questions and determine the best way of answering them. Children are supported in drawing conclusions from their results, both verbally and written, and are able to present their findings with using a wider science vocabulary with confidence. Children will be able to explore different concepts within animals including humans, rocks, electricity, light, sound, plants, living things and habitats and states of matter (National Curriculum, 2013).

By the end of Upper Key Stage Two

In the final stage of their primary science career, children now discover and ask questions about more abstract science concepts. They use their working scientifically skill set to answer their questions, allowing them to analyse functions, concepts and relationships more systematically. They use their knowledge to understand the world around them at a more complex level and are beginning to understand that this knowledge can be used to change and impact the future (National Curriculum, 2013).

Sequencing 

Our science curriculum is a spiral based curriculum where knowledge is returned to at different stages of the child’s primary science career.  Each skill has been mapped out to make cohesive links between the key stages and to understand exactly how these skills are developed (Appendix A.)  A key example of this is the study of plants. In year one, the children learn the names of different flowers and trees. These parts are then given a function in year two and are used to explain how plants grow from seeds and bulbs. To further understand the growth of plants, children in year three investigate the transport system of water and nutrients, recap and develop knowledge on the parts of the plants and begin to understand the life cycle of plants and seed dispersal. Finally, in year 5, children can describe the life cycle of different plants.

Adaptation 

Eastbrook School has inherent significant factors that impacts on pupils’ knowledge and skills:

• The number of mid-term intake students for every year group

• The number of students with English as an Additional Language (EAL)

• The number of students with Social Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH)

• The number for students from economically deprived homes

• The number of mid-term admissions without any previous or low English language

• The variation in cultural experience amongst pupils

• The number of students without any formal science education prior to admission

The science curriculum sequencing and planning ensures coverage of gaps in knowledge and skills for every cohort of students.

Pedagogic adaptation

Teaching science using different strategies:

• modelling

• practical experiments

• using visual diagram/pictures

• using video clips

• use of spiral curriculum to address gaps and develop sticky knowledge

Cultural Capital

To address this disparity in science experiences and ensure our children have a science rich experience, to build their science capital and develop a love of learning, in line with our character values, we:

• Link our science units through the teaching of IPC where practically possible, making science relevant and current

• Use practical and engaging methods of teaching including Now Press Play, educational visits, guest speakers and fieldwork.

• Opportunities to interact and discover more about science-based careers, inspiring future scientists

• Hold a yearly science week based on a current trend or theme

• Host the ‘Great Science Share’

Transferable Skills

Within our science curriculum we aim to inspire in pupils the character virtues of perspective, social intelligence, appreciation, curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Examples of decussating skills and knowledge are listed below.