Science

Welcome to Science!

Mr Jordan (Year 3 ) has ALWAYS loved Science, especially physics. He has followed this passion all the way to university. To this day, he still gets immense joy from setting up experiments and discovering about the world.

Miss Stephenson (Year 1) is super passionate about Science and looking after the environment. She has a First Class degree in Primary Science. She loves spending time outdoors and working scientifically whilst cooking. Science IS everywhere!

The Science team have all had a long-standing passion for the subject, having developed their knowledge while studying for numerous qualifications up to degree level. Spread throughout Norwood, they are able to support staff and children develop their knowledge and understanding of Science, and promote the skills they will need to be able to work and think scientifically and become the scientists of the future.

Intent

The 2014 National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all children:

• 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 skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, and that the knowledge can be taught through this.

At Norwood, we encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at the school and beyond. The Science curriculum fosters a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and promotes respect for the living and non-living. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes. Throughout the programmes of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group, as well as the application of scientific skills. We ensure that the Working Scientifically skills are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at the school so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently and continue to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings. Our children have incredible enthusiasm for Science and we are very well resourced with relevant equipment to help develop the children’s knowledge. Real-life Science skills are created through our Forest School teaching. Throughout this year, we are developing our investigation skills to ensure that our children embed the key principles of successful investigations.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to Science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in science. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following;

• Science will be taught in planned and arranged topic blocks by the class teacher, to have a project-based approach. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge.
• Through our planning, we involve problem solving opportunities that allow children to find out for themselves. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom. Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess children regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all children keep up.
• We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.
• Working Scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. This is developed through the years, in-keeping with the topics.
• Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, and the various Working Scientifically skills in order to embed scientific understanding.
• Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts.
• Children are offered a wide range of extra-curricular activities, visits, trips and visitors to complement and broaden the curriculum. These are purposeful and link with the knowledge being taught in class.

Impact

The successful approach at Norwood results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them. Frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom is embedded throughout the science curriculum.

By the end of a pupil’s time in Norwood, we want our children in Science:

• To be able to build on and consolidate their knowledge and understanding of the entire KS2 curriculum.
• To become confident and competent in planning and carrying out scientific investigations.
• To improve their scientific knowledge and understanding which will be demonstrated in written and verbal explanations, solving problems and reporting scientific findings.

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