If you have any questions regarding the curriculum we teach, please contact the school office directly and the office staff will pass your enquiry on to the relevant Curriculum Leader.
Science Curriculum Leader: Mr S.Eccles
Intent
At St. Michael’s School we believe that science for all pupils is integral to understanding the world in which we live. Pupils are taught how to explore and investigate concepts and subjects, developing an interest and enjoyment of Science as they learn about the world around them through experimentation and investigation. Science in the National Curriculum involves both procedural and conceptual understanding and at St Michael’s we value the development of practical skills, which will enable the children to better understand the facts and concepts they learn.
As pupils progress through the school they are introduced to an ever-widening vocabulary of relevant scientific terminology, learn to record their work in appropriate ways and gain an awareness of the value of ICT in obtaining and presenting their findings. Pupils also develop their skills of Working Scientifically, allowing them to design and complete their own investigations into scientific phenomena.
Implementation
We follow the National Curriculum as the basis for science teaching at St Michael’s. We use a variety of resources from a variety of sources and publications to ensure that our children receive the best all round teaching from different schemes, while focussing on teaching the objectives provided by the curriculum.
We ensure that there are opportunities for children to develop their skills of Working Scientifically in each unit. The unit of work is planned to build upon prior learning so that progression is assured as pupils move through school. Curriculum objectives, particularly from the Working Scientifically strand, are used to provide challenge and progression for work across each year of a Key Stage.
Within Foundation Stage we teach science as an integral part of topic work undertaken throughout the year. As the Reception class is part of the Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum, we relate the scientific aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early learning Goals which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged 3 – 5 years. Science makes a significant contribution to the objectives in the Foundation Stage profile, developing children‘s Knowledge and Understanding of the World.
Time Allocation
Key Stage 1 - minimum 1 hour per week
Key Stage 2 - minimum 1 hour per week
Teaching and Learning
We use a variety of learning and teaching styles to deliver the science curriculum and organise science lessons so that pupils are offered opportunities to learn in different ways including:
We encourage pupils to ask as well as answer scientific questions, thus taking charge of their own learning and acknowledge that children learn in a range of ways and have preferred learning styles. We encourage independence and create opportunities for pupils to design and complete their own investigations into scientific phenomena.
Impact
Children develop their knowledge and understanding of:
Children also improve their personal skills:
If you have any questions regarding the curriculum we teach, please contact the school office directly and the office staff will pass your enquiry on to the relevant Curriculum Leader.
Science enables the acquisition of skills, concepts and attitudes that allow children the opportunity to make discoveries about the world around them. This is encouraged through observation, prediction and practical investigations based on first hand experiences and secondary sources such as books, photographs and videos. Scientific knowledge is built up over the key stages along with the use of specialist vocabulary so they can talk about scientific concepts clearly and precisely. Scientists from the past and present are studied.
If you have any questions regarding the curriculum we teach please contact the school directly