Science

Intent
We strive for all children at Sketchley Hill to develop an enquiring mind about the world around them, relating science to everyday life in an increasingly scientific and technological environment. We aim to do this by:

Encouraging open-mindedness, self-assessment and perseverance.
Developing the skills of working scientifically by: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
Supporting and developing children’s literacy and mathematics by encouraging a cross-curricular approach though the Creative Curriculum.
Providing opportunities to enrich the science curriculum by: STEM Week across all year groups, inviting Science/Engineering experts to deliver workshops in school and teaching science through Art and D&T.
Developing the simultaneous use of scientific and mathematical vocabulary.
To love science and have the self-confidence to explore problems, puzzles and scientific challenges.

Implementation
Teachers plan to suit their children’s interests, current events, their own teaching style, the use of any support staff and the resources available.

Foundation Stage (reception pupils): Pupils explore science topics through making predictions, using their senses and investigating materials and their properties. Science is taught through the strand of, ‘Understanding our World’. Science teaching and learning also takes account of the requirements outlined in the EYFS framework for learning, 2014.
Teachers and teaching assistants support pupils to develop a solid understanding of things occurring around them in their day-to-day lives. Children are encouraged to be creative and inquisitive as they participate in activities. Pupils are encouraged to use their natural inquisitiveness, while taking part in exploratory play in specific scientific areas, as well as areas that link across the EYFS framework.

Key Stage One (year one and two): During Key Stage one, pupils observe, explore and ask questions about living things, materials and the world around them. They begin to work together to collect evidence to help them answer questions, whilst recognising that questions can be answered in a variety of ways. This can be by finding patterns, classifying and grouping objects, researching using a variety of sources and the carrying out of fair testing.
Pupils use reference materials to find out more about scientific ideas. They share their ideas and communicate them using scientific language, drawings, charts and tables. Science may be learnt through stories and literacy. Science lessons in Key Stage one are either taught discretely or where possible connected to other curriculum areas. Pupils often use the outdoor areas in their science learning.

Key Stage Two (years three – six): Children will broaden and extend their scientific view of the world around them. They will do this by developing their scientific questioning. They will ask and predict outcomes which will be compared with their scientific findings. Using a range of scientific language, they will be able to talk about and write about what they have found out. Pupils carry out a range of scientific enquiries including: observations over time, fair testing, pattern seeking, classifying, grouping and researching using other sources (including computing resources). Children in Key Stage Two learn to plan science investigations by only changing one variable to make it a fair test.

Impact
We use a range of assessment techniques to find out what children understand and what we need to do to promote further development.

Informal Assessment is usually done while a task is being carried out through discussion and specific questioning between child and teacher; also through observations of children working in groups.
Completed work within a unit is marked against the SHQ and WILF for that session. The whole school marking scheme is used.
At the end of the year, EYFS teachers assess children against the early learning goals for Understanding the World.
At the end of each year (year 1-6) and Key Stage, children are assessed against National curriculum objectives and a NC level given. This is recorded on a whole school tracker so standards and progress, throughout the school, can be monitored by the curriculum leader.
Children’s attainment and progress is detailed to parents in a report at the end of each year.

Entitlement (SEND)
Science is a foundation subject in the National Curriculum. The fundamental knowledge, skills and understanding of the subject are set out in the National Curriculum.

All pupils are entitled to access the Science curriculum at a level appropriate to their needs arising from race, gender, ability or disability. Experiments may have to be adapted to individual requirements.