Intent

Science teaching at Milton Court Academy aims to give all children an understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically.

At Milton Court Academy, scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each scientific unit of learning the pupils study and these are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding knowledge and understanding into the pupils’ long-term memory. Along side this, we enable pupils to articulate scientific concepts clearly and precisely through the use of scientific vocabulary.

We aim to prepare pupils for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world.

Implementation

At Milton Court Academy, science is taught discretely every week so that we give the teaching and learning of science the prominence it requires. All pupils have access to the age-related skills and knowledge contained in the EYFS Framework and the National Curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6.

Concepts taught are reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry (research, comparative and fair tests, pattern seeking, grouping and classifying and observing over time), so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions. Specialist vocabulary for units is taught and built up over time.

Pupils are introduced to the concepts and theories of eminent scientists who have helped to change our understanding and knowledge of the world as we know it today.

Impact

By the time children leave Milton Court Academy they should :

•  Be curious about the world we live in.
• Have a wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/ investigative skills.
• Have a richer vocabulary which will enable children to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.

We measure the effectiveness and impact of our Science Curriculum in a variety of ways:

• Summative assessment - termly assessments take place to track pupils' progress against age-related expectations for science.
• Leaders’ monitoring - lesson observations; learning walks; book scrutiny and pupil voice.
• Children in Foundation Stage are assessed within the Early Years Framework and their progress tracked using Tapestry observations.
•  Formative assessment -assessment for learning takes place daily and is used to identify individual needs and to inform future planning.