Thorney Close Primary SchoolScience
Our Vision
At Thorney Close Primary School, we value science as a subject which stimulates awe and wonder in our everyday lives. We believe science can have a transformative effect on children, helping them to become curious and inspired by the world and about the world around them. We believe that a high-quality science education should engage, stimulate and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to better understand their life and their planet.
We encourage children to learn from and be inspired by the work of great scientists and understand the contribution the discipline of science has made to society, both past and present.
As pupils progress, we support them to be able to pose increasingly complex scientific questions and carry out experiments with increasing accuracy and skill.
How we Plan and Teach Science
At Thorney Close, science is taught throughout the year. Teachers plan sequences of lessons across the units that will build on and develop the children’s knowledge and skills. Each unit of learning has a strong foundation in new knowledge – linked to prior knowledge - that will support the children to understand increasingly complex scientific phenomena and processes.
Scientific vocabulary is mapped and taught rigorously to ensure that children can both recognise, understand and use scientific terminology accurately and confidently. Opportunities to learn outdoors and explore our natural environment are embedded throughout our science curriculum.
Carefully selected skills are planned to best match each unit of knowledge and progress year on year. Opportunities to practise and embed skills are planned for so that they are revisited and refined over time.
The knowledge and skills that children will develop throughout each science topic are mapped across each year group and across the school to ensure progression.
How we Evaluate Learning in Science
The impact of our science curriculum can clearly be seen in the children’s books. At the beginning of each unit, a detailed overview outlines the main learning objective alongside the skills that the children will build on and those which will follow.
On completion of the unit of work, key assessment targets are identified and children complete a Pop Task. Class teachers then use the children’s class learning and assessments, along with 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.
Curriculum End Points