Intent  

At Maltby Lilly Hall Academy our aim is to develop pupil’s interest and enjoyment in Science. We want our children to be naturally curious about the world around them. Our broad and balanced, skills-based curriculum aims to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum and aims to foster a sense of wonder about natural phenomena.  

We are committed to providing a stimulating, engaging and challenging learning environment for every child. Scientific vocabulary is to be taught and built upon as topics are revisited in different year groups and across key stages. Throughout school, we endeavour to develop and use a range of investigative skills; including questioning, researching and observing for ourselves. As well as this, children are encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners by exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions.  This will ensure children are equipped with the substantive and disciplinary scientific knowledge required to understand the uses of science, today and for the future.  

 

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Implementation 

In promoting high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school to lead into KS3. Planning for Science is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of, ‘The National Curriculum programmes of study for Science 2014’ and, ‘Understanding of the World’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Our progression document, which all teachers have access to, shows how each topic will develop across year groups and key stages, as well as providing teachers with key vocabulary expectations. Additionally, each lesson will include opportunities for children to revisit substantive knowledge from previous topics to help build and secure their learning.  

At Maltby Lilly Hall Academy, Science is taught through a topic-based approach using the National Curriculum objectives. Where required, Science may be taught discretely to ensure that all objectives for each year group are met. This allows us to enable Science teaching and learning to be real, hands on and relevant. Through building up a solid foundation of substantive knowledge and concepts, children can then develop their disciplinary knowledge to explain what is happening, predict how things will react and change, and analyse results. Where and when possible, children are provided with the skills needed to follow their own line of scientific enquiry and plan their own investigations.   

In our lessons, where possible we; 

• Discuss previous knowledge which we aim to build on throughout each topic.  

• Develop Working Scientifically skills through hands on activities and observations.  

• Use effective questioning techniques to correct any misconceptions.  

• Use a range of learning mediums such as videos, research projects and others. 

• Give children verbal feedback designed to assess and progress their knowledge.  

 

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Impact 

At the beginning and end of each topic, children (in Years 1-6) are given knowledge harvests to assess prior knowledge and intended learning for that topic. This will work to inform future planning as well as being an assessment tool to indicate individual progress. Once each topic has been covered these will be used alongside work in books, evidence on Seesaw and teacher judgements to RAG rate children’s ability. In addition to this, children are continually assessed against working scientifically objectives, again through work completed and evidence gathered during scientific enquiries.

Formal assessments are then recorded on the whole school assessment system ‘FFT’, this follows a four-tier assessment rating:

• 0 - Red working below age related expectation (ARE)

• 1 - Amber working towards ARE

• 2 - Green working at ARE

• 3 – Dark Green working at a greater depth of ARE.

All this data can then be used and analysed to inform the science team and the teachers of how to progress children’s learning and to identify any gaps in knowledge.