Intent Implement Impact

Vision

Science has changed our lives and it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Therefore, all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science.

At Milton Park Primary, our vision is to give children a science curriculum which enables them to explore and discover the world around them, confidently, so that they have a deeper understanding of the world we live in.

We believe that these opportunities will ensure that our children are confident, life-long learners who will explore the world around them.

The Science Curriculum will:

•         Embed powerful knowledge

•         Have enquiry-based lessons

•         Have clear progression of knowledge, concepts and skills.

Intent

A balanced curriculum that develops scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.  As they move through the school they will develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them. Our children will be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Implement

Ofsted state:

‘Learning can be defined as an alteration in long term memory. If nothing has altered in long-term memory, nothing has been learned.’

We follow the National Curriculum and have sequenced the subject content carefully to best suit the needs of our children and to compliment effective learning strategies.   To ensure that knowledge is embedded in long term memory, spacing and retrieval will be used to reactivate prior knowledge at regular intervals and at the beginning of each unit reference will be made to what has been previously learnt to elicit prior knowledge.  A dual coding approach will also be used so that all children are able to access learning and it will ensure that reading or recording skills are not a barrier to scientific learning.

Several of the topics are interleaved throughout the school in different year groups ensuring progression of knowledge and skills and we will ensure that where a topic has been taught previously, prior knowledge is checked and misconceptions addressed before moving on.

Working scientifically will be a focus and one skill will be a specific focus for a term. All skills may be used throughout the year but by focussing on explicitly teaching one a term, we will develop the children’s skills and ensure progression.  

Impact

Our Science Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making expected or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes.
•  

Completion of TAPS enquiries to elicit understanding and show evidence of working scientifically.