Intent

At Grange Infants our science learning is linked to our overall topics and often has links to other curriculum areas. This helps children relate science to their everyday life.

We use the learning journeys from HIAS to guide our science planning. These learning journeys help us to teach children the substantive knowledge they need to begin to explore scientific ideas and the disciplinary skills to solve problems. We will foster curiosity by posing problems and creating scenarios that will enable children to see and experience different things and sometimes don’t match with what they expect. As adults we will be curious and sometimes act surprised! Children will be able to wonder why things happen and will be given the opportunity to use their knowledge to solve the questions posed.

Children will be exposed to scientific vocabulary and encouraged to use this when explaining their investigations.

As it is introduced to the children, vocabulary will be displayed on working walls and in big books.

Implementation

In the Early years they are led by the new curriculum that has end of EYFS milestones. These are used to plan experiences for child initiated ‘busy bee’ time and group learning. These activities are recorded both on tapestry that parents have access to, and in the big floor books. These have explanations of what the children take part in and experience, pictures of the children taking part, comments the children make any other comments relevant to the tasks.

The end of curriculum milestone at Grange Infants are;

* Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants

* Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class

* Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter

* Learn about the environment and different habitats during a trip to Testwood Lakes.

In Key Stage 1, from September 21, science is taught on a two year topic cycle to allow for coverage due to a split year group 1-2 class in the academic year 2021-22.

We use the learning journeys with embedded key skills as developed by HIAS to develop scientific thinking. Science is taught as weekly lessons. We are also continuing to develop our learning journey books (Big floor books) to help children to recap and revise learning already taught, use and apply key skills and showcase good examples of learning. These will also include key vocabulary to help develop children’s ability to reason and explain.

The skills required to be good scientific thinkers will be taught through the learning journeys and will be explicit in the planning and teaching. Children will be explicitly taught skills where necessary and helped to plan and carry out investigations to use and apply that knowledge. Modelling and support will be more evident in Year 1 while Year 2 will begin to plan and carry out their own investigations.

KS1 learning is done in pre prepared booklets that allow children to record important key learning and show evidence of their investigations.  These allow for differentiation and support where necessary. There is also opportunity for children to prove greater depth learning if they are able.

Impact

Children will understand and be able to explain what science is appropriate to their age. The science curriculum is planned for good coverage and to enable progression in knowledge and skills. Children will have the substantive knowledge to be able to investigate key problems. They will be able to retain key knowledge and vocabulary and use it to explain what they have found out through investigation.  Children will be able to look back on past units in learning journey books and recall their learning.

Assessment for each unit will show which children needed support, who are on track to reach ARE and who is working at greater depth. This is also tracked as a class with the big book to show successes.

Pupil conferencing demonstrates what children know and understand in science throughout their time at Grange Infants.

“We record the weather every week. We check the temperature, rainfall and daylight hours.”

“We tested a car down different ramps.”

“We brought bikes and scooters to school as part of our pushes and pulls topic.”