Science

We have created an ambitious and engaging curriculum which allows all children to become passionate and confident scientists. Leaders have planned a curriculum sequenced from the beginning of early years through to clearly defined endpoints at the end of Key Stage 2. During the design phase, leaders consulted widely with Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 colleagues to ensure that the curriculum prepared students well for Year 7 and beyond.

As our pupils grow up in an increasingly technologically and scientifically advanced world, we recognise the importance that Science provides for today and our future, and continually strive to maintain a high profile for the subject within our academy and community.
Our desire to enthuse and inspire pupils to develop a life-long love of science and raise their STEM related career aspirations is embedded in our engaging Science curriculum.

Careful consideration given to building knowledge (schema theory) and sequencing (making links over time and between themes) guarantees that children have the opportunity to build rich and detailed knowledge.

To help students and teachers with this, we use our ‘Big Ideas’ as ‘golden threads’.

The ‘Big Ideas’ for science are underpinned through Working Scientifically skills (which is referred to as disciplinary knowledge):

• Observing over time
• Identifying, classifying and grouping
• Comparative and fair testing
• Seeking Patterns
• Scientific Findings

In addition, a key element which also underpins our progressive Science curriculum within the subject disciplines of Physics, Chemistry and Biology is that of scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding (which is referred to as substantive knowledge).

By learning both the knowledge and skills, our pupils will not only know ‘the science’, they also understand the evidence for it and can use this knowledge to work scientifically.

Children are introduced to the main themes of a unit of work through our ‘SOAP’ (Subject On a Page). These prepare children for study by providing them with the key substantive knowledge. These SOAPS make explicit the content that will be taught. Teachers plan carefully to ensure curriculum coverage.

Within the learning sequence we have deliberately designed a number of opportunities for assessment.

• At the start of each unit, students’ prior learning is assessed against what they have been taught previously in relation to the unit of work, e.g. Prior to teaching Animals including Humans in Year 6, students will be assessed against their knowledge learnt in Year 4.
• Throughout each unit of work, students’ prior learning (from previous lessons) are also revisited and assessed. We also use a variety of low-stake quizzes to make learning ‘sticky’.
• At the end of each unit, students are given the opportunity to revisit and are assessed against the substantive knowledge, vocabulary and ‘big ideas’ they have been taught throughout the unit of work.

The work of key scientists which reflect cultural and gender diversity and defy stereotypes are explored within each Science topic. As a result, pupils make valuable links with their own learning and that of key scientists, and truly believe that they all are scientists today, and in the future.

Our curriculum is enriched by our commitment to provide pupils with real life, hands-on learning enrichment opportunities to build cultural capital and open up the STEM world of work to raise pupil’s career aspirations.