Carlton Colville Primary School

Below is our whole school Science overview for this academic year. For more detailed information about Science, please view the termly overviews within each of the year group class pages.

At Carlton Colville, we believe that Science should teach an understanding of and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about the world around us. We aim to stimulate children to find out why things happen in the way they do and encourage them to understand how science can be used to predict how things might behave, analyse causes and explain what is occurring. We aim to teach the children to work scientifically to stimulate creative thought and to help them understand the nature, processes and methods of science, to ask scientific questions and to begin to appreciate the way in which science will affect the future on a personal, national and global level.

To be a scientist at Carlton Colville we focus on the following science learning intentions:

• To work scientifically to develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science, through different types of scientific enquiry that help children to ask and answer scientific questions about the world around them.
• To develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding in the following areas:

-Biology: including plants, animals, habitats, evolution and inheritance
-Chemistry: including materials and their properties, uses and changes, rocks and soils and states of matter.
-Physics: including seasonal changes, light, forces, magnets, sound, electricity and earth and space.

• To understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
• To celebrate British Science Week.
   

The Science curriculum is led and overseen by our STEM Team. A regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and staff support takes place along with the celebration and sharing of good practice. There is an ongoing commitment to evolve and improve the quality and impact of Science on offer to all the children.

A variety of pedogogical approaches and methodologies are used to teach science, including through cross-curricular science led themes and discrete science-based teaching. Our principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding. Sometimes this is achieved through whole-class teaching, while at other times we engage the children in enquiry-based research activities. We encourage the children to ask, as well as answer, scientific questions and they have the opportunity to collect, analyse and present a variety of data, such as statistics, graphs, pictures, and photographs.

The children take part in role-play and discussions, and they present reports to the rest of the class, enabling them to make their thinking clear to themselves and others, to develop their use of scientific vocabulary and to articulate scientific concepts clearly. They engage in a wide variety of problem-solving activities, and wherever possible we involve the pupils in real scientific activities, for example, investigating a local environmental problem, or carrying out a practical experiment and analysing the results.

We recognise that in all classes children have a wide range of scientific abilities, and we ensure that we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this in a variety of ways:

• Setting tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses;
• Setting tasks of increasing difficulty (we do not expect all children to complete all tasks);
• Grouping children flexibly within the classroom, and setting different tasks for each group;
• Providing resources of different complexity, matched to the ability of the child;
• Using teaching staff to support and extend the work of individual children or groups of children
   

Children are continually assessed focusing on the breadth of their learning, and more importantly, on the depth of their learning. Teachers will continually assess the acquisition of skills and knowledge throughout each session and will reinforce, support or challenge pupils accordingly to deepen their understanding and master techniques. Pupils are encouraged to peer and self-assess, e.g. considering form or effectiveness and how these can be modified and improved. As the children move through each year group, class teachers are assessing against the key indicators specifically if the children are working at a basic level, advanced level or deep level of learning. 

All staff can continually liaise with the STEM Team to improve their knowledge as well as being signposted to relevant training courses.  As a school we are also part of a local primary science partnership alongside other local schools and the charity ‘The Ogden Trust’. Through this partnership we gain free access to yearly CPD sessions from ‘The Ogden Trust’, as well as yearly funding for resources, trips and guest speakers linked to science.

Enrichment is imbedded into our science curriculum with an emphasis on meaningful events and activities. School visits are used effectively and build on learning with pre and post trip activities to make the most of the experience and embed the learning afterwards. Real life scientists or individuals who use science in their careers (STEM Ambassadors) come in to work with, inspire and motivate children as young scientists.

Several science based extra-curricular clubs are also run across the school by several different members of staff. These include the ECO Warriors, who are responsible for caring for the environment and promoting recycling, the Wildlife Wardens, who promote outdoor learning, enhance habitats for wildlife within our school grounds, teach other children about wildlife and work alongside our wildlife expert Mr Tim Page each month, and Gardening Club, who work to improve and maintain our working school allotment and grow a wide selection of plants.

Assessment
ur bespoke assessment systems enables teachers to make informed judgements about the depth learning and the progress each pupil has made over time. Critically this then enables teachers to identify and therefore address any gaps in pupil’s knowledge scientifically.
Through skilled questioning, teachers pick up on any misconceptions which they rectify through live feedback during the lessons and through marking of pupils' work.
 

• Children are taught a well thought out Science curriculum which allows for progression in all areas of Science (Working Scientifically, Biology, Chemistry and Physics).
• Well planned and resourced investigations/experiments are included within the curriculum, providing children with a hands-on and enriching experience and aide in developing their curiosity about the world around them.
• Each year group introduces and promotes the use of the scientific vocabulary outlined within our Science Progression Document.
• Exposure to a range of scientists from around the world and from a range of professions, further enhances the pupils’ cultural capital.
• Children experience visits linked to their science learning and/or attend clubs within or after school linked to science.
• Children learn skills and attributes that will benefit them beyond school and into adulthood such as: the ability to use time efficiently, work with others, show initiative, independence, resilience and manage risks effectively.
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Finley - "I like investigating if something is soluble or insoluble".

Phoebe - "I like making mixtures when we experiment with solids and liquids".

Jack - "I'm able to name the key parts of a plant and talk about its life cycle".

Amy - "Our bodies are amazing! I love learning about them".