Button Lane Primary School

Only the best is good enough

Science

Science Lead - Ms Goldman

Intent

At Button Lane Primary School, we strive to develop our children’s knowledge and understanding of important scientific and technological ideas, processes and skills, and encourage them to relate these to their everyday experiences.   We aim to deliver a challenging, engaging and inspirational Science curriculum that is in line with the 2014 National Curriculum. 

Our Science curriculum has been planned and designed in a way that demonstrates progression of skills as children move throughout the school. The skills that children acquire as they work scientifically will be built upon and added to as children progress. Our Science curriculum has also been designed to allow as much ‘hands on’ investigation and exploration to take place as often as possible. In taking this approach, we believe that we can imbed a love of learning in Science and a genuine curiosity about the world in which the children live. Many of our Science lessons are given a context, so the children feel that the work they do is purposeful and can be applied to the ‘real world’. We strive to make our children confident, independent scientists by encouraging them to investigate developments in the real world through observation, questioning and experimentation.

By the time they leave Button Lane, we believe that children should be competent and confident in working scientifically, that is, ‘understanding the nature, processes and methods of science’, as detailed in the National Curriculum. Therefore, children will be able to ask questions, observe, perform tests, take measurements, identify and classify, gather and record data, record and report on their findings and draw conclusions from their investigations. These skills are essential, as they are the foundations of any scientific enquiry and will assist children as they progress further, not only at school, but throughout life.

 

Implementation

We deliver a high quality Science curriculum through providing exciting, hands on experiences for our children and develops independence, curiosity and a love for enquiry and knowledge. Our curriculum is carefully mapped out into a progression of skills, which revisits prior learning as well as acquiring new knowledge as our children progress.  Our progression ensures that children cover topics to develop a greater understanding within physics, chemistry and biology. Each unit is underpinned through working scientifically and developing practical enquiry and investigation skills. 

Science lessons at Button Lane are delivered weekly and have been designed to be practical and engaging to ensure that children build upon their existing scientific knowledge and skills. We give the majority of our Science lessons a context, so that our children feel that the work they do is purposeful and can be applied to the real world. We challenge our children to ask questions, reason about results and explain their understanding using scientific vocabulary.  Our Science curriculum is enriched through whole school events, such as Science week to enable them to immerse themselves in Science, including learning about Scientists, making real life links and scientific investigation. 

Impact

Assessment is used as a tool to inform our teaching and learning and to measure the impact of the curriculum we have created. We vary our approach to assessment to ensure it is tailored towards each subject. It takes place purposefully and meaningfully at key points across the year.

We assess each Science unit in the following ways:

  • Low stake end of unit reviews to assess key knowledge and end points of a unit to enable misconceptions to be highlighted and targeted early
  • Weekly reviews to assess prior learning and starting points 
  • Assessment of working scientifically objectives through an independent investigation each half term. 
  • Discussions and observations within Science lessons as well as looking at children's books
  • Moderation within school 
  • An end of unit outcome
  • Pupil Voice

Conversations between subject leaders and class teachers take place to ensure that standards across the curriculum are monitored and reported annually to staff,  parent’s and  governors

Knowledge Organisers

Each half term we provide our children with Knowledge Organisers  when they begin a new unit.  Our Knowledge Organisers show what the learning will be that half term.  The documents below  contain the essential knowledge that your child will need to know as part of the new topic they are learning about in school. The children will be using these as part of their learning within school but we are also encouraging them to be used at home to help children learn the information contained within them. They will also support parents who would like to find out more about what the children are covering in their lessons.

By the end of each unit, we want our children to be able to recall and use this knowledge to access future learning and acquire new knowledge. 

Year One Year Two Year Three Year Four Year Five Year Six

Plants

Seasonal Change

Materials

 

Forces and Magnets

Light

Sound

Animals Including Humans

Materials

 

Living Things and Their Habitats

 

Year One Year Two Year Three Year Four Year Five Year Six

Materials 

Living Things and their Habitats 

Living Things and their Habitats 

Electricity

 

 

Science Gallery

Our Science gallery showcases Science from our lessons and within our other curriculum areas. This includes screenshots and pictures of work that has been produced from across our different year groups. 

Ms Goldman's Science Investigations

Have a look at some of Ms. Goldman's Science Investigations. 

Science Week 2023