Intent

At Springdale we aim to prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world.  We foster concern about, and active care for, our environment and help them to acquire a growing understanding of scientific ideas.

 

We encourage natural curiosity open-mindedness, self-assessment, self-confidence, perseverance and responsibility. We develop our children’s social skills to work co-operatively with others and provide them with an enjoyable experience of science, so that they develop a deep and lasting interest.

 

We give our children an understanding of scientific processes and practical scientific skills. They develop the skills of investigation including; observing, measuring, predicting, experimenting, researching, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.  During investigations they will use scientific language, recording and techniques and technology. We enable our children to become effective communicators of scientific ideas, facts and data.

 

Implementation

At Springdale Primary school, science is taught during one afternoon each week in both Key stage 1 and 2. In the Early years foundation stage (EYFS) science is taught as part of ‘Understanding the World’ helping children to make sense of their physical world and their community.

 

In EYFS we provide a range of personal experiences, which increase the children’s knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, children listen to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems that help to foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world.

 

Across school, from year 1 to year 6, children are taught using the objectives from the 2014 programme of study (see appendices). These are broken down into four subject areas in key stage 1 and five subject areas in Key stage 2. Class display boards incorporate the key skills of enquiry cycle and the key language for the specific subject.  They are referred to and used during each topic.

 

At Springdale children are given opportunities to work scientifically. Working scientifically focuses include:

 

• Observing over time

• Identifying and classifying

• Pattern seeking

• Research using secondary sources

• Fair testing

 

To ensure that children do not become overwhelmed by being expected to write too much in lessons, we rotate the recording of each aspect of an investigation. Children will use writing frames to support their prediction and conclusion recording. Floor books are used to evidence the various stages of the experiments completed within class.

 

Throughout the school regular events are planned that link to Science. An outdoor learning ‘Wild Tribe’ club is provided, utilising the green spaces that we have access to on the school premises. During the summer term, as part of a whole school science week, extra topics are added to the curriculum, allowing children the opportunity to apply their enquiry skills. We also complete an annual ‘Young inventors’ competition, where the children can show off inventions and experiments that they have completed at home.

 

Impact

At Springdale we provide a fun and engaging science curriculum that provides all children with the foundations for understanding the world around them. Through first hand practical experiences, children are able develop a wide range of enquiry skills to solve scientific questions. Through our curriculum provision, we endeavour to embrace a child’s natural curiosity about the world around them, whilst promoting a respect for all living organisms and the environment. Children are given the opportunities to explore the outside green areas around school and learn to appreciate and understand our role as humans and our responsibility to maintain the natural world around us. Children at Springdale enjoy science, are highly motivated during lessons and have a sound scientific understanding as a result. We believe that an enriched science curriculum in primary school is imperative in inspiring children to study science further in the future and will therefore contribute to success in adult life.

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