SCIENCE
The National Curriculum (2014) states that:
"A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
Aims
The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
- develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
- develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
- are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. "
Intent
At St Margaret Mary’s Infant School, we foster a hands-on curiosity for exploration of the world. We strive for the children to develop their ideas and ways of working that will enable them to make sense of the world in which they live through practical investigation. We develop pupils’ enjoyment and interest in science and build on their enthusiasm, encouraging children to ask questions about what they notice and to treat the living and non-living environment with respect and sensitivity.
Implementation
At St Margaret Mary’s Infant School, Science is taught following the aims and content of the National Curriculum. It is, where possible, taught through creative topic based work. Our Science teaching provides children with first-hand experiences and opportunities to work scientifically in order to develop their scientific understanding. The children are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They are helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using for example, books, photographs and videos. We encourage our children to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate and record their ideas and findings in a variety of ways.
We use both our indoor and outdoor environment to support the teaching and learning of Science. Most lessons are taught through the use of first-hand practical experiences using our school grounds and also through educational visits such as to Knowsley Safari Park. We also invite visitors such as Animals Take Over to enhance the classroom learning.
Impact
Our children will develop a real sense of awe and wonder about the world they live in. They will have a good understanding of key scientific concepts and skills and be able to communicate their ideas using scientific vocabulary.