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Science
"Science knows no country because knowledge belongs to humanity,
and is the torch which illuminates the world."
Louis Pasteur
Intent
At Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, we strive to create a love and interest for Science and to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. We aim to help our children to gain the knowledge, skills and understanding to become life-long Scientists. We want to instil a thirst for knowledge about the past and understand how events have shaped the world we live in today.
Our curriculum is based on three themes: Pride in our Place, Aspire and Achieve and Ignite Possibilities. Through these themes, we educate our children to take pride in Science all around us, to explore Scientific achievements and to learn from Science to help us to make a difference for the future. Our Science curriculum helps pupils gain a coherent, investigative knowledge and understanding of Science, including nature, inventions and important Scientific events and people, both in Britain and the wider world.
We follow the National Curriculum for Primary Science beginning with EYFS, Knowledge and Understanding of the World. A Science progression map from Y1-Y6 builds upon prior knowledge in a carefully sequenced curriculum and makes links to other subject areas where possible. Our Science curriculum covers a range of explorative units, which are built upon in subsequent years. Children learn how to plan and carry out their own investigations, whilst learning key Scientific concepts and reasoning.
Curriculum Theme Overview
Science Curriculum Overview
Implementation
Our Science curriculum is taught using the Great Teaching Toolkit, 2020. We endeavour to be consistent in our approach to create a supportive environment that is inclusive. We support all our pupils using adaptive teaching techniques, Voice 21 talk tactics and oracy sentence stems. We activate hard thinking through our thinking schools strategies and Q Matrix questioning to bring Science to life and develop a real sense of enquiry. At Our Lady Star of the Sea, we have a consistent recipe for teaching Science which follows Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction.
Recipe for Teaching at OLSS
Impact
The impact of our Science curriculum is measured through a variety of different strategies. Ongoing teacher assessment is used throughout lessons to inform teaching, as well as termly summative assessments. Retrieval practice is used throughout each lesson to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge before moving on. This is done through using cumulative quiz questions in each unit that builds through the sequence of learning. Children also use Knowledge Organiser front covers to continually look back and reflect on previous learning, allowing them to remember more core vocabulary from the lessons.
Children’s learning is monitored by regular book scrutiny by the Science Subject Leader in which constructive feedback is given to staff for future planning. Science is also monitored through learning walks and pupil voice.
All of this is used to inform further curriculum developments and provision.
At Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, staff work closely together as a team to ensure children receive the best Science curriculum to allow them to develop a love of learning, enquiring minds and a skill set to become keen Scientists.
Science week
Our Stars exploring Science
