Science

Intent

1. To provide an engaging curriculum that is broad, balanced and progressive.
2. To provide our children with the knowledge and vocabulary needed to be confident scientists.
3. To provide opportunities for focused, practical scientific enquiry and skills to be taught and practised.
4. To develop a natural curiosity about the world that we live in.
5. To offer our children new and exciting opportunities and experiences.
6. To promote our school and British Values.
7. To prepare our children for the next steps in their learning journey.

Implementation

·        Teachers expertly adapt the lessons to ensure that key knowledge and skills is accessible for all children. All children access the science curriculum through carefully adapting their teaching, resources and level of support.

·        Learning is carefully planned and sequenced to ensure that knowledge is remembered and built upon. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.

·        Science topics are well resourced across the school to ensure that lessons are practical, engaging and all scientific enquiry skills are practiced.

·        All children in KS1 and KS2 have at least 2 hours of quality science teaching per week

·        Where appropriate, science lessons start with a ‘wow’ activity to stimulate children’s curiosity and to generate questions for children to explore.

·        Play and practical exploration are key to developing a conceptual understanding in science and in engaging children in the enjoyment of science.

·        Topics are carefully planned to ensure that children are given the opportunity to explore and research famous scientists, past and present, and look at their role in the history of science.

·        Scientific vocabulary is key to enabling children to be scientists and investigate. Key vocabulary is planned for and explicitly taught so that children have the building blocks to explain their understanding. Key vocabulary is displayed on classroom working walls.

·        The local community is used as a stimulus for scientific exploration. The environment surrounding the school is utilised by teachers to enable the children to investigate and observe.

·        Teachers use assessment for learning throughout the teaching cycle to identify conceptual and procedural knowledge. This assessment information is used to inform teaching and quickly identify those children who require additional support.

·        Summative assessments are carried out at the end of each unit and children are assessed on both scientific subject knowledge as well as working scientifically skills.

·        Progression of subject knowledge and skills is carefully monitored from session to session and year group to year group to ensure children achieve their full scientific potential.

·        Through Science, children will draw upon their cross curricular skills such as reading and writing, computing skills, as well as many mathematics skills such as data collection, analysis and presentation of results using tables and graphs.

·        Teachers take advantage of opportunities to enrich or further supplement the planned curriculum through visitors, science events and school visits. 

Impact

The successful approach at Nicol Mere results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world.



Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them.

Through outstanding teaching and the enrichment opportunities provided, our children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Children learn the possibilities for careers in science, because of our community links and connection with national agencies including the STEM association. They have opportunities to learn from and work with professionals, ensuring access to positive role models within the field of science from the immediate and wider local community, all children feel that they are scientists and are capable of achieving. Children at Nicol Mere enjoy science and this results in motivated learners with sound scientific understanding. 

Nicol Mere Science Curriculum and Knowledge Organisers