Intent
Our science curriculum encourages our pupils to ask questions and supports them in discovering ways to work scientifically to seek their answers. We want our children to be ambitious and connect with science and see how science fits into everyday life and different professions.
We encourage our pupils to understand that scientific questions can be answered in different ways and that we all continue learning no matter how much experience we have. We want our pupils to remember their science lessons as Bramley Oak, we aim to achieve this by providing practical hands-on experiences that encourage curiosity and questioning and to help every pupil secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary. We use Switched on Science by Rising Stars as a base for our planning and progression and draw on the expertise within this scheme.
Our aim is that the learning experiences we provide help our pupils to secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary. We have a coherently planned and sequenced curriculum which has been designed and developed with the need of every child at the centre of what we do. Science is taught as a discrete subject and sequenced throughout the year to ensure that children have opportunities to revisit learning across different contexts and make links with prior learning, for example at Forest School or Outdoor Learning, in PE, PSHE, or in STEAM projects. We want to equip our children so that they are prepared for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of later life.
Implementation
At Bramley, our science curriculum is aligned with the National Curriculum. Our topics are taught in blocks to allow our pupils the time and space to develop their knowledge and skills and study each unit in depth. Our curriculum is progressive and is designed to allow pupils to build on prior knowledge.
Our teachers promote enjoyment of the subject by creating opportunities for as much hands on experience as possible where our pupils can explore, question, predict, plan, carry out investigations and observations as well as conclude their findings. Our pupils learn to present their findings and learning in a range of ways, using subject specific vocabulary.
Cross curricular links are carefully planned, for example, presenting findings in a digital format using technology; consolidating mathematical skills of Venn diagrams, charts, and graphs; taking accurate and timed measurements of capacity, mass or temperature etc using a range of instruments. Literacy is also a key component of science; however, we use effective differentiation to ensure that pupils can access age-appropriate content regardless of their literacy levels to build and sustain high engagement and appropriate challenge of the subject content.
Retrieval practice at the start of every session provides opportunity for pupils to need to keep remembering key knowledge and vocabulary; these retrieval practice opportunities also enable pupils to see how what they are learning now connects to prior learning in different topics. We provide our pupils with knowledge organisers at the start of every topic; these detail the key learning and vocabulary pupils will need to support them in their acquisition of knowledge and act as a retrieval practice tool, which supports with independence.
We enhance our teaching of science with additional opportunities for enrichment and engagement, for example with British Science Week (BSW). During BSW, our pupils will enjoy a week packed with investigations, research and experiments, pupils will enter competitions and take part in enrichment visits to local science centres. We will end this week with a big event, where we will also invite families in to enjoy the wonders of the exciting scientific performance.
Intended Impact
The impact of our curriculum leads to pupils knowing more and remembering more. Pupils are more confident to engage in this area of the curriculum and are curious about the natural world, pupils ask questions and are curious. Assessment throughout the lesson means that teachers are able to support pupils and provide further challenge where appropriate and assessment at the end of the learning using our assessment tracker tool means that any gaps in learning will be identified and used to inform further planning. Our pupils develop an understanding that Science is all around us and that discoveries and research change and improve lives every day.
How Parents and Carers can support at home
Here are some useful websites you can access at home to support and extend science learning:
Key stage 1
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z6svr82
Key stage 2
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z2pfb9q
All children:
This website allows you to search by key stage and area of science for interactive games and activities online.
