Intent

Science teaching at Hindley Junior & Infant School aims to give all children a strong
understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future.
At Hindley Junior & Infant School, scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. Topics, such as Plants, are taught in Key Stage One and studied again in further detail throughout Key Stage Two. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory.

All children are encouraged to develop and use a range of skills including observations, planning and investigations, as well as being encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged. Concepts taught should be reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry, so that children learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions.

At Hindley Junior & Infant School we implement a Science curriculum that builds on prior skills and knowledge year on year. The science curriculum will be taught in response to driving questions which are aimed to be challenging, inspiring, creative, nurturing and encourage active learning. As far as possible, each topic must have an element which challenges the “Thinking Scientifically” element of the curriculum and focuses on building different aspects of enquiry skills.

Reception children explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures. They notice similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments. They understand some important processes and changes in the natural world, including seasons and changing states of matter.

At Key Stage 1 children observe, explore and ask questions about living things, materials and physical phenomena. They begin to work together to collect evidence to help them answer questions and to link this to simple scientific ideas. They begin to evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. They use reference materials to find out more about scientific ideas. They share ideas and communicate them using scientific language, drawings, charts and tables with the help of ICT if it is appropriate.

At Key Stage 2 children learn about a wider range of living things, materials and physical phenomena. They make links between ideas and explain things using simple models and theories. They apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas to familiar phenomena, everyday things and their personal health. They think about the effects of scientific and technological developments on the environment and in other contexts. They carry out more systematic investigations, working on their own and with others. They use a range of reference sources in their work. They talk about their work and its significance, using a wide range of scientific language, conventional diagrams, charts, graphs and ICT.
We want every child to see themselves as a scientist and never stop being amazed by the wonders our world has to offer; to carry on asking questions and explore the possibilities open to them.

The impact of our Science curriculum is that our learners are equipped with the scientific skills and knowledge that will enable then to be ready for their secondary curriculum and for life as an adult in the world outside the classroom. Children will be able to demonstrate their ability to interpret scientific thinking and suggest ways in which they might explore a scientific principle. Children’s learning is assessed against the age-related expectations for science.
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 good or better progress.

To track and measure the impact of Science teaching, we use Insight, our online assessment tool that aligns directly with our curriculum. This allows teachers to instantly monitor how individual classes or year groups are performing against our curriculum targets, helping to identify and address any gaps in learning. In addition to Insight, the subject leader conducts informal learning walks and pupil interviews, alongside reviewing children’s work, to ensure that learning objectives are met and knowledge can be recalled when prompted. These assessments show that pupils are not only engaged and excited about Science, but also able to retain and apply what they’ve learned, demonstrating the effectiveness of our curriculum.