Science
Science Information
Science is taught each term in order to cover all science topics in the National Curriculum. Each year group has science focus areas, all of which will be covered in depth. First hand practical experience is paramount as is the teaching of scientific skills. Our Science Lead is Miss H Bostock.
Children are encouraged to be independent and collaborative scientific investigators by their involvement in exciting practical investigations. Children are encouraged to be creative and make learning to be more relevant to themselves by suggesting and completing their own experiments.
In Science pupils observe, explore and ask questions about living things, materials and physical processes. They evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. They use reference materials to find out more about scientific ideas. They share their ideas and communicate them using scientific language language, drawings, charts and tables.
Science:
Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement
Intent
Our science curriculum inspires and motivates our children by giving them opportunities to work like scientists. By providing them with the experience of exploring and investigating scientific phenomena in a range of different contexts, we ensure a continually evolving knowledge of the world around them.
Our children are encouraged to ask questions, select appropriate ways to answer them, experiment, make observations, reflect and have the resilience to make and learn from their mistakes in a safe environment. This empowers our children to obtain and apply fundamental skills that will equip them for an ever changing world.
Implementation
Our engaging science curriculum ensures that we don’t just cover the National Curriculum at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we build on it by mapping the progression routes through each scientific strand – chemistry, biology and physics. As a result, our children build on their knowledge and skills within each strand throughout each school year. We use the Plan Bee Scheme as a tool to support us with the delivery of our Science Curriculum.
Each topic provides a range of opportunities for the children to work as scientists, where they perform, predict and record practical investigations. At Our Lady of Mount Carmel, working scientifically does not supplement our knowledge rich curriculum, instead our children learn through their investigations, therefore their understanding of science is deeper, and more secure as they found the answers to the main curriculum questions themselves.
Impact
At the end of each topic, each child takes an end of unit quiz which gives us a summative indication of their knowledge and understanding. However, we use a system of formative assessment throughout each lesson, as this not only enables our teachers to find any gaps in the children’s understanding and therefore provide support, but this system regularly enables our teachers to find opportunities to challenge our children even further.
Aspirations
In order to inspire and prepare our pupils for the world of work, we want them to understand how learning Science can be useful to them in everyday life and in their future careers.
As Scientists our pupils could be:
- Biology: A Veterinary Surgeon, A Marine Biologist, A Physiotherapist, A Teacher.
- Chemistry: A Lab Technician, A Pharmacist, A Forensic Scientist, A Teacher.
- Physics: A Research scientist, An Aerospace Engineer, An Optical engineer, A Weather Presenter, A Teacher.
You can find more ideas for paths in to careers in Science at Terrific Scientific and also at First careers
Science Ambassadors
At Our Lady of Mount Carmel we believe the teaching and learning of science is key to understanding the world around us and to help prepare our children for the future.
We have chosen science ambassadors to work closely with our science leader to encourage and share the love of science across the school. Their role will include a number of duties:
– to clearly explain what they have been learning in science each term using scientific vocabulary. This will be shared in termly meetings through use of their science books.
– to help with the organisation of science resources
– to assist teachers in setting up their classroom for science lessons
– to assist visitors around the school and discuss science at our school
– to feedback the thoughts and opinions of their class to science leaders/teachers
-to try out new science equipment
