Science at Shanklea 

Science is a priority at Shanklea Primary School, we aim to give all children a strong understanding of how it has changed the world we live in and the way we live in it.  At the same time empowering our pupils to acquire specific skills, knowledge and vocabulary to enable them to think scientifically and develop an understanding of scientific processes.  They gain the ability to think independently and with confidence, our aim is to expand the children’s enquiring minds and to foster a love and enthusiasm of science. The children are encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave and analyse causes.  By the time our pupils leave us, they will have gained key knowledge and skills in the three specific disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.  Our Science curriculum is planned and sequenced so that the new knowledge and skills build upon what has been taught before and towards well-defined end points.  Retrieval practice is purposely built into each lesson and learning from previous lessons is retrieved and knowledge from previous topics is recalled, connected and built upon regularly.  Vocabulary is mapped and taught throughout, building on previous learning. All lessons are adapted so that they are accessible to all learners and support a range of learning styles. Through this intent, we aim for our pupils’ inspiration to develop a lifelong passion for science and its application in past, present and future technologies.

Developing Experts

At Shanklea we follow the Developing Experts scheme of work, we have adapted this to be used as a spiral curriculum for mixed age year groups with the following key principles in mind:

•         Cyclical – Pupils revisit the topic, theme or subject several times throughout their school career.
•         Increasing depth – The complexity of the topic or theme increases with each revisit.
•         Prior Knowledge – New learning has a relationship with old learning and is utilised so pupils can build upon            their foundations with further details being introduced as learning progresses.

This curriculum has been designed to ensure that pupils can make informed choices about their future and ensuring that career choice is no longer left to chance by exposing children to the many career opportunities linked to their area of study.

Developing Experts is delivered through a sequenced curriculum designed to enable the learner to experience a coherent curriculum through a logical progression. Attention has been paid to the order in which knowledge has been delivered, built on and revisited.  This approach demonstrates that learning never ends and is a lifelong process.

Aims

The national curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all pupils:

•        Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology,                   chemistry and physics.
•        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.
•        Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science,                 today and for the future.

Working Scientifically

Pupils are taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:

Key Stage 1

•         Asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
•         Observing closely, using simple equipment
•         Performing simple tests
•         Identifying and classifying
•         Using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions
•         Gathering and recording data to help in answering questions

Lower Key Stage 2

•         Asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
•         Setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
•         Making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using              standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
•         Gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
•         Recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts and tables
•         Reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of                results and conclusions
•         Using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise            further questions
•         Identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes
•         Using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings

Upper Key Stage 2

•        Planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling                  variables where necessary
•         Taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision, taking              repeat readings when appropriate
•         Recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys,               tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
•         Using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
•         Reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and                            explanations of and degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other                            presentations
•         Identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments

Crest Awards

Last year, we started on a new, exciting, whole school, scientific journey at Shanklea!

Every half term all pupils at Shanklea will be working collectively to achieve the CREST Award for our school.

CREST is a scheme that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers and is a nationally recognised scheme for student-led project work in the STEM subjects. CREST gives young people the chance to choose their own subject and methodology when completing their hands on investigation, it helps young people become independent and reflective learners through enquiry-based project work. Children work in small teams to complete a project or design their own investigation and record their findings. All students have a role in the project, putting communication, teamwork and project management skills into action!

We love CREST at TEAM Shanklea!