Look at the amazing things going on in Science at St Paulinus

Curriculum Intent:

How do we intend to achieve our curriculum vision in Science lessons?

At St. Paulinus, during our Summer term we take part in a whole school STEAM week, where children focus their learning around a Scientific matter. Children are encouraged to be creative, think outside the box and develop their Scientific enquiry skills. This is great fun and a fantastic opportunity for children to explore a range of global issues, work together and develop their love of Science.

Curriculum Implementation:

What does Science teaching look like?

At St Paulinus we follow the national Curriculum. The aims of Science at St. Paulinus are that:

Pupils develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics

Pupils 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

Pupils are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Science is a body of knowledge built up through the experimental testing of ideas. Science is also methodology, a practical way of finding reliable answers to questions we may ask about the world around us. Science in our school is about developing children’s ideas and ways of working that enable them to make sense of the world in which they live through investigation, as well as using and applying process skills. Science is also a collaborative activity where ideas and suggestions are shared and investigated together. Through practical activities and team work, children experience and learn how to work together have mutual respect for one another and value social cohesion.

At St. Paulinus Catholic Primary School, we believe that a broad and balanced science education is the entitlement of all children, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, class, aptitude or disability. Our aims in teaching science include:

• Preparing our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world.
• Fostering concern about, and active care for, our environment.
• Helping our children acquire a growing understanding of scientific ideas.
• Helping develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world.
• Developing our children’s understanding of the international and collaborative nature of science.

Attitudes

• Encouraging the development of positive attitudes to science.
• Building on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.
• Encouraging open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and responsibility.
• Building our children’s self-confidence to enable them to work independently.
• Developing our children’s social skills to work cooperatively with others.
• Providing our children with an enjoyable experience of science, so that they will develop a deep and lasting interest and may be motivated to study science further.

Skills

• Giving our children an understanding of scientific processes.
• Helping our children to acquire practical scientific skills.
• Developing the skills of investigation – including observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
• Developing the use of scientific language, recording and techniques.
• Developing the use of ICT in investigating and recording.
• Enabling our children to become effective communicators of scientific ideas, facts and data.

Our teaching aims

• Teach science in ways that are imaginative, purposeful, well managed and enjoyable.
• Encourage and support children to ask questions about the world and use scientific processes to try and answer them.
• Support children to make links between science and other subjects.

Science is a core subject in the National Curriculum.

3How science is structured at St. Paulinus Catholic Primary School

At St. Paulinus Catholic Primary School, planning for science is a process in which all teaching staff are involved. Delivering a broad and balanced science education to our children is a core principle of our school. Science teaching in the school is about excellence and enjoyment. We adapt and extend the curriculum to match the unique circumstances of our school.

KS1, KS2 and Foundation stage teachers teach science for a minimum of one hour each week.

In KS1 and Foundation stage, we aim for a minimum of one third of lessons overall to include practical scientific enquiry.

In KS2, we aim for a minimum of 50% of lessons overall to include practical scientific enquiry.

St. Paulinus Catholic Primary School ensures that a broad and balanced science curriculum is followed in which enquiry is at the heart of our children’s scientific learning.

Our science scheme of learning ensures progression between year groups and guarantees topics are revisited. Teachers adapt and modify the model plans to suit their children’s interests, current events, their own teaching style, the use of any support staff and the resources available. We ensure that any modification does not omit any of the NC.

To better suit the needs of individual classes, units may have been moved between years or amalgamated, where appropriate. However science is taught every half term throughout the school year. Some units may be taught in collaboration with outside agencies, including neighbouring secondary schools.

Curriculum impact:

What do our outcomes in Science look like? How successful is our Science teaching?

You can see some of the impact of our curriculum in the work at the top of the page.  We also have some quotes from our children when asked about Science lessons here at St Paulinus…