Science

Science at Four Lanes Infant School

Science in Action!  

Science at Four Lanes Infant School

Intent

At Four Lanes Infant School we aim to provide a high quality science education which gives the children secure foundations for understanding the world around them. Children will be provided with opportunities to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly constructed world around them. It is our goal that the National Curriculum objectives are met in a meaningful and relevant way with topics building carefully upon the skills and knowledge gained in previous learning. We endeavour to ensure that the science curriculum we provide will help the children to develop a passion which harnesses their natural excitement and curiosity which will in turn inspire them to be lifelong scientific learners. It will also give them the confidence and enthusiasm to continue to further develop their skills and knowledge into the next stage of their education and life experiences.

Implementation

Our young scientists begin their journey in the Early Years, where they are provided with experiences which enable them to develop basic scientific skills through questioning, enquiry and observation. By providing the children with the opportunity to experience real-life science in action, children develop a sense of awe and wonder and begin to understand the world around them.

The science curriculum in Key Stage 1 (KS1) is based upon content outlined in the National Curriculum Programme of Study. We also use the Hampshire Science Learning Journeys to inform our planned science units. The curriculum is delivered through hands on and practical lessons with the ‘working scientifically’ aims at their core.  At the beginning of each new unit of learning, there is a short pre-assessment activity to identify any gaps in prior knowledge, in order to understand if extra support or scaffolding is required for particular children to enable them to acquire the new learning successfully. Throughout each unit of learning, teachers impart scientific content needed to allow all children to confidently explore, investigate for themselves and apply what they have learned. Children are expected to use the correct scientific vocabulary to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas in a variety of ways, such as drawings, discussions, writing and using technology. Children are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about their learning and are helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry in order to answer these. Most of their learning will be through the use of first hand and practical experiences with some use of secondary sources such as books, photographs and other media. Prior learning within a topic is reactivated through planned questioning at the start of each lesson, in order to ensure that learners’ scientific knowledge is further embedded.

Impact

Science at Four Lanes is assessed in a variety of ways to check children’s knowledge and understanding. Activities and assessment opportunities are planned to be accessible to all children, taking into account different abilities and learning needs.

Through experiencing a high-quality science curriculum which is fun and engaging, by the end of KS1 children will:

• enjoy and be enthusiastic about science,
• learn through varied and first hand experiences, which includes outdoor learning,
• be confident to use and explain scientific vocabulary,
• be able to ask and answer questions about their scientific learning and reflect on their knowledge,
• become increasingly independent in science and in completing investigations,
• be able to gather and record data in meaningful ways,
• be able to observe using a range of equipment and draw their own conclusions,
• have a sound understanding of the key knowledge acquired as specified by the KS1 science national curriculum.