“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin

Children are naturally curious. Science at primary school should nurture this curiosity and allow them to ask questions and develop the skills they need to answer those questions.

Intent of our Science Provision

At Whitehouse Community Primary School, we aim to give all of our children an excellent first experience of science to develop their scientific knowledge and vocabulary as well as developing an understanding of why it matters and the skills needed to continue investigating and discovering science for themselves. We aim to provide all of our children with a broad range of scientific opportunities, both inside and outside of the classroom, whilst following our bespoke spiral curriculum. Our school ensures that all children have the opportunity to work scientifically by providing a wide variety of practical and interactive science investigations. We believe that it is imperative our children see the purpose of their scientific enquiries, within real-life contexts and think broadly about the world around them through creative and thought-provoking lessons. Our curriculum aims to equip our children with a broad range of relevant scientific knowledge and life skills which will broaden their opportunities for further education and future employment.

Implementation of our Science Provision

The careful sequencing of our spiral curriculum is critical for our children to learn, revisit and deepen their scientific knowledge and skills throughout their primary years. At Whitehouse our science curriculum has been developed to provide full coverage within the Science National Curriculum linked, where possible, to our enquiry based approach. Science is taught in half termly unit blocks, allowing for a greater breadth of learning opportunities. The science curriculum is designed to be progressive, allowing our children to build upon their  prior knowledge, understanding and skills year on year as they move through the key stages. In addition to this, introducing, revisiting and deepening understanding of scientific vocabulary remains a core part of our school’s approach. Lessons are planned using year-group specific targets and three-step scaffolded learning objectives. Throughout the course of the year, all children will participate in at least one lesson of science each week and will take part in a range of indoor and outdoor investigations, working both independently and collaboratively with their peers.

Across the Key Stages, children will work towards mastering scientific skills. Children will study a range of topic formulating their own questions and developing their observation skills in order to articulate their understanding using key vocabulary. As the children progress, they will develop the skills needed to plan their own relevant investigations, including formulating an aim, hypothesis, method, results, conclusion and evaluation. This will help prepare them as they move on to secondary school.

Teachers plan enrichment opportunities including practical workshops, parental engagement sessions and trips or visits.

Impact of our Science Provision

Our science provision equips the children with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science today and for the future.

• Children are equipped with a range of transferable scientific skills which prepare them for future scientific endeavours and increase their understanding of the wider world and experiences in their own lives.
• Children produce high quality work which is evidenced in their science work books and other cross-curricular work. Sequences of lessons show progress of skills and knowledge.
• Exemplary work is displayed around the school promoting the subject and increasing motivation, confidence and engagement.
• Our children’ confidence in their science knowledge and enquiry skills is evident through their excitement about science, they are actively curious to learn more and see the relevance of what they learn in science lessons to real-life situations and the importance of science in the real world.
• The incorporation of The Whitehouse Way Values (perseverance, reflection, responsibility, courage) are evident in children’s approach to science, through their increased confidence and aspirations for later life.
• Teacher assessment, peer assessment and children’ self-assessment show progress and attainment in science. Assessments are recorded and monitored on classroom monitor and analysed yearly.
• We achieved the Primary Science Quality mark and feedback from the reviewers who awarded this stated ‘The commitment to leading science in primary schools over the last year has been outstanding and the positive impact on teaching and learning is very clear’.