Science

Science Curriculum
Intent, Implementation and Impact

Intent

At Montem Academy, our curriculum has been designed to provide our children with a rich scientific curriculum which encourages our inquisitive children to pose valid scientific questions that will allow them to follow lines of enquiry about the world we live in. 

Our aim is to ensure that pupils develop their skills of enquiry and investigation to promote and progress their creative thinking. During science lessons, pupils will learn to ask scientific questions and begin to appreciate the way Science will affect their future at a personal, national, and even at a global level. 

Implementation

Across Montem Academy we believe that since ‘Science stimulates and excites a pupil’s curiosity about natural phenomena and events in the world around them’, we have implemented a science teaching strategy that incorporates both reading, encourages the development of an understanding of our environment, primarily through first-hand experience, exploration, interaction with scientific phenomena and by developing scientific language.

We will be using the National Curriculum as a guide, we will deliver the science syllabus using Snap Science for the practical investigations supported by knowledge acquisition and research using Curriculum Visions for age appropriate scientific texts as well as Big Cat reading texts that afford links with the National Curriculum.
 

In Key Stage 1 science is taught through the use of Snap Science supported by Curriculum Visions. 

• Each unit will consist of twelve lessons, two are taught over the week. 
• Each lesson is approximately and hour long. 
• The first lesson if the week is geared to gain knowledge based on the question and/ or line of enquiry that is being assessed; for example, Is all paper the same? 
• The second lesson focuses on practically investigating the enquiry using the knowledge that has been gained from the first lesson. 

Key stage 2 Science is also taught through the use of Snap Science supported by Curriculum Visions. 

• The depth of the curriculum is now explored so that each child has the ability to work to their best level.
• Each unit will consist of twelve lessons, two are taught over the week. 
• Each lesson is approximately and hour long in LKS2. 
• The first lesson if the week is geared to gain knowledge based on the question and/ or line of enquiry that is being assessed; for example, Why do animals vary? 
• The second lesson focuses on practically investigating the enquiry using the knowledge that has been gained from the first lesson. 
• In UKS2, there are twelve lessons again but this time it is taught over a lesson that is a total of 90 minutes. The first half hour is dedicated to knowledge acquisition and the last hour to practical investigations where possible.
   

All units follow a progression line where applicable across the three main science disciplines if biology, chemistry and physics. New topics are taught starting with the basic definitions to ensure that the children understand what they are learning about.

Furthermore, our in-situ garden areas provide a natural outdoor science lab which our children can explore. The school library aids the teaching of the most wonderful subject in the world – SCIENCE! In order to promote the excitement that science offers, we will be introducing Science Ambassadors – pupils who have flourished in Science and can now become a conduit between science and our pupils whose love for science has not yet developed.
 

Impact

Our Science Curriculum is age appropriate, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression across the three main science disciplines. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress.

The lessons are engaging; include real-life examples and allow them to become resilient and resourceful learners.

In addition, through reading age appropriate specifically selected texts, our children are exposed to the scientific knowledge that they will need prior to completing investigative experiments.

Finally, children are independently able to apply their knowledge so we can measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods: 

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes;
• A celebration of learning for each term which demonstrates progression across the school; 
   
• Tracking of knowledge in pre and post learning quizzes; 
• Pupil discussions about their learning.