St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School and Nursery

At St Mary Magdalen’s we aim to teach inspiring science lessons that engage the children, promote curiosity of the world around them and allow them to fulfil their potential as scientists. In each science topic, children are given the opportunity to ask questions, make predictions, conduct experiments and make evaluations. Our science curriculum is in line with the National Curriculum for science.

The National Curriculum outlines the following aims for science in primary schools:

• To develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
• To 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
• To ensure all children are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Science is broken down into two parts in the national curriculum; scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding of the nature, process and methods of science. A wide range of contexts are used within our science lessons to inspire and engage children ensuring they make progress in each of these strands. We aim to develop children’s scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through giving them many different opportunities to be chemists, physicians and biologists. Throughout each of the science topics, language is key and the explicit teaching of vocabulary is central to children’s ability to connect new knowledge with prior learning.

We follow the PZAZ science scheme of work to support the planning and teaching of science for each year group. This scheme has enabled a consistent approach to teaching science, which builds content and concepts over time, with vocabulary thoughtfully sequenced across the years. The progression of skills clearly outlines which topics are taught in which year group and ensures that children build on skills and avoid repetition.

In early years, the ‘exploring the world’ early learning goal begins the children’s journey to becoming scientists. Within this goal, children begin to explore the world around them through their senses. The early year’s curriculum is clearly mapped out on our science progression of skills to ensure teaching is sequential throughout the school.

In KS1, children learn to use a wide range of practical scientific methods throughout each of their topics. These include asking questions and finding different ways to answer them, making observations, using scientific equipment, conducting practical experiments and making conclusions. Children are taught how to identify and classify as well as gather and record data in a variety of different ways.

In lower KS2, children build upon the practical scientific methods taught in KS1. Children are taught to use practical scientific methods, processes and skills to ensure they can ask relevant questions and use different types of scientific enquiries to answer them. Children work together to plan practical investigations ensuring they have a sound understanding of what makes a fair test. They will make careful observations using a range of equipment and make conclusions based on what they find. Mathematical skills are used to gather, record, classify and present data using bar charts, graphs and tables. In addition, literacy skills are used when writing explanations, results and conclusions.

In addition to the skills taught in lower KS2, in upper KS2 children begin to recognise and control variables using equipment to take measurements with increasing accuracy and precision. Children are introduced to more complex methods of presenting data and will develop their skills when using scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas and arguments.

Wherever possible, science learning is linked to the overall curriculum in a cross curriculum approach. For example, rocks and soils is taught as part of the Stone Age topic in Year 3 and Animals including humans as part of the Arctic Tundra topic in Year 1.

Throughout the school, we create extra opportunities for our children to be involved in exciting science related learning to engage their interest in this topic and further embed their understanding of a range of scientific knowledge. This includes our weekly WOW Science Enrichment group and the annual science week, which is always a highlight of the year at St Mary Magdalen’s. During these times, children use their scientific knowledge to take part in a range of exciting experiments and investigations.

Our science curriculum should ensure that children leave St Mary Magdalen’s:

• as confident learners who are excited about science and engaged in science lessons
• able to use a range of scientific vocabulary to discuss their knowledge and understanding and describe the world around them
• able to ask questions about the world around them and think of ways to answer these questions understand what makes a fair test and use this when conducting experiments and investigations conduct experiments using a range of different equipment
• gather data and present this in different ways
• make conclusions based on evidence
• can recognise the importance of science in the real world

We are clear that parents and carers are the prime educators for children on many of these matters and that a priority for parents/carers is their children’s happiness. Therefore at St Mary Magdalen’s we believe that a strong home school relationship is key to our children’s success.

You can support your child at home by:
At St Mary Magdalen’s, we believe that a strong home-school partnership is key to successful learning across the curriculum. You can support your child’s learning at home by:

• Learning the scientific vocabulary for their current topic
• Watching video clips explaining new scientiLc concepts linked to your child’s current topic
• Science – BBC Bitesize
• Completing science quizzes and games to support understanding
• Science Quizzes for Kids – Quiz Questions & Answers, Free Worksheets & Fun Trivia Science – BBC Bitesize Crickweb | KS1 Science
• Get involved with science challenges and activities set as homework during science week
• Talk to your child, read books and research famous scientists and inventors