Intent
Science at Torriano Primary School intends to inspire children to be the scientists of the future. They are encouraged to enquire, test, discover and conclude, to develop their scientific knowledge and skills.
Torriano is proud to have received the PSQM Outreach award. We specialise in science teaching and our teachers have expert training. This PSQM award recognises our commitment to an engaging science curriculum, particularly through our outreach to other schools. We have a state of the art, award winning Science Lab and Scientist in Residence from The Crick Institute, which helps to develop strong science capital for all at Torriano and Brecknock.
Knowledgeable learners
- Lessons will be contextualised to make them purposeful to ensure that children understand the relevance of the curriculum and how it can explain and impact the world around them.
- Science teaching delivers all the requirements of the National Curriculum in relation to science, covering all scientific concepts, including both substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills.
- Teachers will ensure that pupils have sufficient scientific knowledge to understand both the uses and implications of science, today and in the future.
- Children will understand that the concepts and ideas within science are constantly evolving as a result of new research and experimentation.
Confident communicators
- We will develop pupils’ ability to pose questions, investigate these using correct techniques, accurately record their findings using appropriate scientific language and analyse their results.
- A range of oracy activities and techniques will be used to ensure that appropriate scientific vocabulary is learnt by all children.
- The relevance of presenting scientific knowledge and processes is highlighted by both the Scientist in Residence programme and STEAM projects and encourages children to share and explain their knowledge in a variety of different ways.
Active citizens
- We will help pupils develop the skills of prediction, hypothesising, experimentation, investigation, observation, measurement, interpretation and communication so they can be active scientists.
- Pupils will be made aware of and alert to links between science and other school subjects, as well as their lives more generally and within sustainability contexts in the wider community and world.
- Children will learn that science has the power to explain, impact and alter the world around them and will be inspired to consider how they can have an active role in being scientists.
Implementation
- Our science curriculum is based on the National Curriculum. Teachers use a wide range of resources to help guide their medium term and short term planning, including PLAN, Pzaz, Explorify, Science Museum, Ogden Trust and others.
- In EYFS, children begin to discover, explore and develop their curiosity about the world around them. Within both nursery and reception, topics will link to relevant areas of Understanding the World within Development Matters. They will be encouraged to test and experiment practically to develop a wide base of understanding upon which to develop their knowledge in later years.
- In KS1, children observe, explore and ask questions about living things, materials and physical phenomena. They begin to work together to collect evidence to help them answer questions and to link this to simple scientific ideas. They are exposed to the five different types of scientific enquiry within lessons, beginning to evaluate evidence and carry out comparative and fair tests;, using reference materials to research more about scientific ideas; completing observations over time; identifying, classifying and grouping within a range of units and pattern seeking They share ideas and communicate them using scientific language, drawings, charts and tables with the help of ICT if it is appropriate.
- At KS2, children build on their prior understanding of living things, materials and physical phenomena. They make links between ideas and explain things using simple models and theories. They think about the effects of scientific and technological developments on the environment and in other contexts. They carry out more systematic investigations, working on their own and with others through further familiarity of the types of scientific enquiry. They begin to not only ask their own questions, but plan how they will answer them through investigation. They develop their scientific vocabulary using oracy techniques.
- Teachers plan with skills progression and knowledge in mind. All learning starts by revisiting prior knowledge to encourage children to make connections and formative assessment is used throughout to address any misconceptions.
- Knowledge Mats provide children with subject-specific vocabulary and key learning as well as what they should already know and what comes next. They specify relevant enquiry questions, key working scientifically skills, relevant career links and scientists. Knowledge Mats are used for pre-teaching, to support home learning and as a part of regular review in lessons. Knowledge Mats for each term can be found on the relevant year group learning page. Click here to see an example.
- Teacher’s planning follows a progression of skills document that is set out in order to build and develop as children move through the school. This can be seen here.
- Opportunities for outdoor learning will be provided wherever possible and each year group will have the opportunity to undertake an external educational visit, which is science based, at least once a year.
- Further enrichment activities include our participation in the ZSL London Zoo Access Scheme, Scientist in Residence programme (developed with the Francis Crick Institute), Crick Primary Science Week, British Science Week and STEAM projects. There are further details about these on our Science Enrichment Page.
Impact
Through our science teaching and learning, pupils should be able to recall knowledge, use scientific vocabulary and develop scientific skills. A detailed document showing progression of skills for each year group can be found below. As a core subject, science will be summatively assessed at the end of KS1 and KS2.
Exposure to real life contexts, careers and scientists will build pupils’ science capital so that they might leave the school feeling that a career in science might be for them.
Please find the science curriculum progression document here.
Science knowledge mats can be found on year group curriculum pages. You can find an example here.
The STEAM Lab is a wonderful space for the children to feel and work like scientists. Teachers will be focusing on ‘working scientifically’ skills and practical experiments in the Lab to plug the gaps left from a lack of opportunities for practical enquiry during home learning.
