Intent

The 2014 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 skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Science at Broadwindsor is rooted in discovery, experience, investigation and harnessing children’s natural curiosity about the world through the Kapow scheme of work. Questions lie at the heart of our approach to science learning. As well as asking questions to challenge children’s understanding, the children are encouraged to ask their own thinking questions and pursue their own lines of enquiry. Children have opportunities to explore and challenge key concepts and misconceptions in science and through the use of drama, word games, concept cartoons, meaningful links with literacy, numeracy and subjects across the curriculum, the children develop a secure scientific vocabulary to describe ideas, objects and phenomena.

We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, and that the knowledge can be taught through this. As children progress through school, we aim to foster key learning attitudes in our science curriculum alongside developing essential scientific enquiry skills.

Young scientists at Broadwindsor:

• become increasingly autonomous in their decision-making when carrying out investigations and they are motivated to think creatively when seeking solutions to science problems.
• become progressively more systematic and accurate in collecting and analysing data and are able to evaluate their results.
• Work collaboratively to seek out all the possibilities and to communicate their findings in a range of ways to different audiences, including at times with the wider community.
• Are naturally curious and confidently ask thinking questions drawing on a rich scientific vocabulary.