At Emmbrook Infant School the aim of our Science learning is to inspire curiosity and thinking in all our children. We feel it is important for the children to question why things happen, be able to explain the way things work and develop a strong foundation of scientific knowledge and skills.
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.
- They 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.
Science in the Early Years:
- Science is explored through the children’s Understanding of the World. Our outdoor learning environment in the Early Years at Emmbrook Infant School is key to enhancing child led learning.
- We provide opportunities for children to question, wonder, explore, discover, experiment and observe through direct experiences.
- The children are introduced to scientific vocabulary to help them further their understanding and are asked open-ended questions, so that they can make predictions and give them opportunities to question.
- Our Early Years provision ensures that children have access to a range of materials that work in different ways for various purposes. Children can use resources and the environment around them to notice similarities and differences as well as changes over time.
- Science is interwoven throughout their experience in the EYFS. They join in with Science week and take part in visitor workshops.
At Emmbrook Infant School we know that children are naturally curious and we encourage this inquisitive nature throughout their time with us and beyond through the Science curriculum as well as all other aspects of their learning and other areas of the curriculum.
Science fosters a healthy inquisitiveness in children about our world and promotes respect for the wildlife and world around us. We believe science encompasses scientific knowledge, concepts and skills. We ensure that the ‘Working Scientifically’ skills are built-on and developed throughout their time at Emmbrook Infant School, so that they can use basic scientific equipment, conduct small scale experiments, build understanding, predictions and conclusions. We also continue to encourage the children to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings.
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.
The curriculum is planned to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum.
Each unit of work is driven by an enquiry focus led by a series of key concept questions. Through these units, teachers reinforce key scientific vocabulary and inspire scientific thinking.
Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following:
- Science will be taught in planned and arranged in Science topic blocks by the class teacher, in order to cover the science curriculum for their year group. Knowledge and skills are built sequentially so concepts will be revisited and developed on each term or year to ensure a greater depth of knowledge and understanding.
- Some units are taught at specific times of the year to enhance the learning e.g the seasons which are revisited termly. This enables the learning to be relevant and in context, when careful scientific observations can be made. Units are planned on a cycle of repetition to offer opportunities for deeper learning and to ensure knowledge is retained. Units may also be revisited termly or annually to enable conceptual connections to be made.
- Through our planning, children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom and displays are used to share and value scientific learning. Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons with hands-on practical experiences. 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. Planning is differentiated to meet the needs of all learners.
- Hot and cold tasks are used to identify gaps in learning and assess what the children may already know so the teacher can build upon this. Plans for both the more able and talented and children with SEND are clear so that all children progress and achieve the highest possible outcomes.
- Scientific thinking is captured through our Yellow Speech bubbles to ensure that literacy skills are not a barrier when a child needs to express their thinking. This also enables us to0 capture the thinking of our more able pupils.
- We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous terms or years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, they become more proficient in interpreting results, remembering facts and using scientific vocabulary. They become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on what they know and what they have subsequently learned. This is also done where possible through hands on experiments.
- Working Scientifically, skills are embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school journey and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. Word banks are provided to help them use this vocabulary in their writing, enabling their use of scientific technical vocabulary to be heightened. This is developed through each year group and in-keeping with the themes to be covered in the national curriculum.
- Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment when appropriate, and the various Working Scientifically skills in order to embed scientific understanding. The school environment is used to experience hands on learning when the children will study and observe named plants and trees on the school grounds. Specialist visitors such as, the planetarium and visits from the senior school science department, deliver high quality workshops to facilitate and support science learning. This is done by building on the children’s prior knowledge.
- Children undertake the study of significant scientists throughout history, including those still alive today, that are reflective of the diverse society we live in.
Impact
The successful approach at Emmbrook Infant School results in a progressive, engaging, high-quality science education. This provides children with the foundations for understanding the world around them. Through lessons, experiments and workshops during science week the children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital part of our world. Children learn the possibilities for careers in science through lessons, assemblies and class discussions where possible. We dedicate a week to science activities during science week where the children can be immersed in Science for a whole week of hands on learning. Children at Emmbrook Infant School enjoy science and this results in motivated and engaged learners.
Impact is measured in a variety of ways: through cold and hot tasks, speech bubbles which capture scientific thinking, work in pupil books and observations in class. In addition, the annual Science Core Review carried out by the Subject Leader enable the subject to be monitored more closely.
We revisit previous topics and concepts to assess if the children have remembered previous learning some time later.
All pupils will leave the Infant School with an increased knowledge and understanding of nature, processes and scientific concepts. They will understand how the significant scientists they have studied have had a positive impact on the world today.
This curriculum provides a strong cultural capital that allows pupils to understand the science of the world they live in and how they contribute to its sustainability, that we hope will positively influence the decisions that they make in their future lives. The study of significant scientist from all genders and races aims to inspire all our children who may want to persue a scientific career.
Our Exemplification File provides clear evidence of the impact of our science curriculum on pupil outcomes and the high expectations we have for all our children.