Science

Intent 

Our science knowledge is valued and specified.
The science that we teach s well-sequenced.
This science knowledge is taught to be remembered. 

St Louis Science Curriculum is based upon the PKC Science Curriculum because it helps us to clearly set out the knowledge and skills that pupils will gain in science at each stage of their learning whilst at St Louis. 

Science helps children to develop their ideas and way of working so that they can make sense of the world in which we live. Through a highly practical and sensory curriculum, our children are encouraged to develop and explore their own ideas. They learn a range of investigative skills and develop knowledge across a range of scientific areas including: plants, animals, materials, light, sound and seasonal changes. We use partners from research and industry to help us champion science through participation in National Science Week, as part of our Vocation Fortnight and from ongoing visits into school that link directly with our learning in the science curriculum.

The St Louis Science Curriculum lays the foundation for pupils to understand what the discipline of science tells us about the world. This aims to ignite children’s love for science by showing them what fascinating things the human race has learned about the world.

Implementation 

The children are introduced to the inner workings of the human body, animals and the environments they live in, plants and their features, forces of nature, what lies beyond the visible world. Children are taught to apply their knowledge and conduct their own scientific enquiries to answer questions, working scientifically to develop essential skills in science.

The science curriculum builds knowledge incrementally year on year to revisit and build upon children’s knowledge and understanding of key concepts. Pupils also study the lives and achievements of a diverse range of scientists including Lewis Howard Latimer, Thomas Edison, Jabir ibn Hayyan. Their disciplinary knowledge will flourish over time enabling them to see the importance of science as a subject and how it translates into the world of research and work, what scientists do and how they impact upon our lives.

We assess children's progress in understanding the knowledge at the end of each section of study. We work with our students to apply that knowledge as skills. Subject knowledge is developed in an age progressive way with a clear overview of each science unit of study. Each individual unit fits  into a whole school plan of science learning from Reception to Year 6. 

We begin each new unit by revisiting our prior learning. We introduce new science learning vocabulary that has not been used before and we teach the new knowledge. As part of the learning, students talk about their understanding, complete learning tasks and in their plenary, revisit the new knowledge and skills that they have gained. We introduce new material in small steps, provide models to support understanding and adapt to learning using scaffolds to help all children to learn new science concepts and knowledge. We recognise that when pupils are introduced to new ideas, explicit guided teaching is more effective than pupils discovering new ideas without teacher support. We teach using 'No hands up' because we utilise cold calling to check for understanding. High quality talk with students acts as a scaffold before the independent task takes place.

Impact 

We regularly assess children's understanding of what we teach. Assessment is a systematic collection, review, and use of information carried out to see what children know, understand and are able to do. In summary, assessment is a way of supporting learning. ​Teachers adapt their teaching to respond to the needs of the class and individual pupils. All pupils access the same science curriculum but some need adapted teaching to gain the knowledge. 

St Louis children develop an understanding of science over time. 

In KS1 children learn:

To ask simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways,  observe closely, using simple equipment, performing simple tests, identify and classify, use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions, gather and record data to help in answering questions, use simple features to compare objects, materials and living things and, with help, decide how to sort and group them, observe changes over time, and, with guidance, they should begin to notice patterns and relationships,  ask people questions and use simple secondary sources to find answers, use simple measurements and equipment (for example, hand lenses, egg timers) to gather data, carry out simple tests, record simple data, and talk about what they have found out and how they found it out , record and communicate their findings in a range of ways and begin to use simple scientific language (with help). 

In KS2 children gain the knowledge and skills in: 

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, 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. They are able to talk about criteria for grouping, sorting and classifying; and use simple keys, collect data from their own observations and measurements, using notes, simple tables and standard units, and help to make decisions about how to record and analyse this data, make decisions about what observations to make, how long to make them for and the type of simple equipment that might be used, gain knowledge about how to use new equipment, including thermometers and data loggers, collect data from their own observations and measurements, using notes, simple tables and standard units, and help to make decisions about how to record and analyse this data, look for changes, patterns, similarities and differences in their data in order to draw simple conclusions and answer questions, making predictions for new values within or beyond the data they have collected and finding ways of improving what they have already done and use relevant scientific language to discuss their ideas and communicate their findings.