St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swindon

At St Mary’s, we value science as a subject which stimulates the minds of our children; encouraging curiosity, awe and wonder in their everyday lives. Science is a vitally important industry in the modern world and children will grow up in a world that requires scientific literacy and critical thinking skills. We believe that a high-quality science curriculum should engage, motivate and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to better understand how science affects their own lives and the world around them. All children can be scientists by following their natural curiosity, and at St Mary’s, teachers provide a hands-on, investigative approach to build and reinforce these skills so that children are able to achieve. As pupils progress, we support them to be able to pose increasingly complex scientific questions and carry out experiments and investigations with increasing accuracy and skill.  We encourage children to learn from and be inspired by the work of great scientists and understand the contribution the science has made to society, both past and present.

At St Mary’s, Science knowledge and working scientifically skills are mapped and taught progressively across the school to ensure progression. Each unit of work has a strong foundation of new knowledge, linked to prior knowledge, and ensures the children develop a thorough understanding of scientific vocabulary. Knowledge and skills are built upon, learning is revisited and children’s scientific knowledge and understanding is built on throughout their time at St Mary’s.

Science is taught on a weekly basis throughout the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms. Our teachers are supported by the PZAZ and PLAN schemes of work, alongside other high-quality resources to plan and teach engaging lessons with plentiful opportunities for practical hands-on science. Teachers are clear about what knowledge and vocabulary the children are learning and how these build on prior learning.

Our curriculum ensures opportunities for outdoor learning in science across the school. Regular events, such as Science Week, allow for the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. These events often have a whole school theme or investigation which embeds our core theme of ‘Community’; adding cohesiveness to our curriculum.

The impact of our Science curriculum can clearly be seen in the class floorbooks. The children’s learning is evident through: pupil voice, photographs with clear captions stating their learning and children’s written outcomes. At the beginning of each unit, a detailed knowledge organiser outlines the main knowledge and vocabulary that children will be taught during that unit. Class teachers make assessments throughout each lesson, through discussions, reflections on children’s written outcomes and observations of their skills when carrying out experiments and investigations, to make a judgement as to whether each child is working at the expected level.