Science Vision

Our intention at Pennington Infant School, we aim to deliver a Science curriculum that meets the requirements of the National Curriculum but also provides opportunities for children to be explorers.  We intend to see our children working as scientists at every opportunity by responding to questions, generating their own and carrying out investigations in order to find an answer. Our vision is to provide a hands on science curriculum, which empowers pupils to explore and discover the world around them.

Science is using evidence to make sense of the world, making new discoveries increases our sense of awe and wonder at the complexity of the world we inhabit.  It also helps us understand our relationships with the world around us (how the physical world behaves, the independence of all living things). We intend to do this through practical and exciting experiences, which encourage curiosity and foster learning. Our science curriculum offers a broad range of experiences designed to provide pupils with a progression of scientific understanding, skills and knowledge. Importance is placed on first hand experiences with children exploring independently and teachers facilitating.

The Science subject leader is responsible for the implementation, curriculum design, delivery and impact in this subject. This included regularly meeting with staff to review and quality assure the subject areas to ensure that it is being implemented well and coverage and breadth and balance is adequate. To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Science is taught in discrete lessons for at least 1 hour in Key Stage One. We ensure that teachers have the same expectations during Science lessons that they would have when teaching English or Mathematics and that any mathematical task (such as measuring or drawing graphs) is pitched at an age-appropriate level to ensure sufficient challenge. It is vital that any mathematical or English barriers should not impede a child’s scientific learning, thus meaning dialogic learning is a central part to our science teaching.

The science curriculum at Pennington Infant School is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills taught in each Key Stage. Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills document, which incorporates Working Scientifically.  When teaching science, teachers should follow the children’s interests to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced. Before planning a unit of work, teachers should assess children’s prior knowledge and understanding to ensure work is pitched at the correct level. A variety of teaching approaches are used based on the teacher’s judgement. Teaching key subject specific vocabulary is also a key part out science curriculum. The vocabulary children will need for that unit are identified on the school’s progression document and this builds upon the vocabulary they have learnt in earlier years. The key vocabulary will be identified in the vocabulary dozen on the children’s knowledge organisers.   Science assessment is based on teacher’s assessment of children. This is then reported on the school’s assessment document and the percentage of children working at, above and below the expected standard are identified. At the end of Key Stage 1 the results are submitted.  At the end of a unit, teachers will identify if a child is working at the expected standard for that objective. This is then passed on to the next class teacher as a record of the child’s progress throughout the year.  CPD will be offered to staff where needed, this may be a course to attend, an online CPD programme to take part in or the subject leader delivering training to the rest of the staff.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught
• Marking of written work in books
• Using dialogic learning tasks to assess children’s understanding
• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
• Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice)
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work
• External moderation of children’s work at the end of each Key Stage
• Formal reporting of standards at the end of each Key Stage
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum to parents

The science subject leader will continually monitor the impact science teacher is having on the children’s learning through book scrutinies to ensure the progress of knowledge and skills is being taught. They will also ensure the knowledge taught is retained by the children and continually revisited and that the learners are able to apply the skills they have been taught to a variety of different settings, showing independence with their learning.