Science

Intent

At St. Oswald’s, we follow the national curriculum programme of study for science ensuring all pupils develop their scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding. We aim to harness the children’s natural excitement and curiosity so lessons are hands-on where possible, giving pupils practical opportunities to develop their ‘working scientifically’ skills. Having superb school grounds and a pond on site is and invaluable resource is available to all Year groups, ensuring they have a real setting in which to base their investigations. The Early Years Framework provides the foundation for our Science curriculum.

Implementation

Our Science curriculum provides a broad framework for learning and outlines the knowledge and skills taught in each Key Stage. Teachers plan lessons for their class using the KLIPS document, which incorporates skills for working scientifically. When teaching Science, teachers follow the children’s interests to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced. Science is taught discretely every week for at least 90 minutes. In our science lessons we...

Develop, through practical work, the skills of observation, prediction, investigation, interpretation, communication, questioning and hypothesising, and increasingly precise measurement skills and use of ICT.
Encourage and enable pupils to ask their own questions , devise their own investigations and seek answers independently and systematically.
Encourage children to question their results and repeat the investigation if the results are not as expected.
Enable children to develop their skills of team work and co-operation through working with others,
Enhance learning experiences through expert visitors and educational visits.
Build the confidence and resilience to make mistakes and learn from them.

Impact

All children leave St Oswald’s equipped with the enthusiasm, motivation, knowledge and skills to take full advantage of the Science curriculum at KS3 and beyond. We encourage all children , regardless of gender or background, to see themselves as scientists and aspire to make them aware of the diverse science-based careers available to everyone. Our children are equipped with the vocabulary to be able to discuss their learning and communicate their scientific understanding. They appreciate that we do not always know the answers when carrying out scientific enquiry and know how to use their curiosity to deepen their scientific knowledge and skills.