Intent
At Sutton in Craven School, our science curriculum is designed to foster curiosity, challenge and community.
Our intent is to give every child a broad and progressive Science curriculum which enables them to confidently explore and discover what is around them, so that they have a deeper understanding of the world we live in. We want our children to be excited about science with scientific enquiry at the heart of each unit.
Implementation
Our science lessons are coherently planned and sequenced with the child and their interests at the heart of what we do. A new strand of the science curriculum is taught every half term, its frequency dependent on the objectives and links to other aspects of the curriculum. This means it could be taught weekly over a half term or as a block over a series of afternoons to allow the children to be fully immersed in that topic.
We challenge children and spark curiosity through investigation and provide our children with the tools, resources and vocabulary needed to answer those big questions through scientific enquiry.
Lessons are adapted so that learners with additional needs can access the same quality education as their peers.
We recognise the importance of children being able to apply their English skills across the curriculum, however teachers also plan alternative ways for their classes to record their learning.
Understanding in science is assessed regularly through a variety of formative assessment methods. Misconceptions are addressed immediately and where necessary, teachers will adjust subsequent lessons based on their assessments.
Scientific enquiry takes place in every topic in every year group and there is a coherent progression in the development of these skills across the year groups following the Working Scientifically strand in the National Curriculum.
We are lucky to work in collaboration with 6 other local primary schools and the Ogden Trust, who provide us with funding to enhance the teaching of physics in primary schools. This includes CPD for staff, topic themed resources and extra-curricular opportunities for the children across school.
Science resources have recently been audited which allows teachers to easily access the resources required to implement a quality curriculum. There is money set aside in the budget for new science resources when required, plus extra resources provided through our partnership with the Ogden Trust.
Where appropriate, high quality fiction and non-fiction texts are used to compliment science topics.
Impact
By the time our children leave our school, we want them to be equipped with the knowledge and skills they require in order for them to succeed in future opportunities, responsibilities and experiences.
The impact of the science curriculum is measured by how much pupils to know and remember. Evidence which will contribute to impact of Science includes results of assessments and low-stakes quizzes, pupil voice, learning walks, lesson observations and and work scrutiny. The Science curriculum will be monitored by the Subject Leader and SLT.
