^{What are we Aiming For?}

In Science at Allens Croft Primary School and Resource Base, we aim to develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena and an understanding of how the scientific community contributes to our past, present and future.

We want pupils to develop a complex knowledge of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but also adopt a broad range of skills in working scientifically and beyond.

The scheme of work is inclusive and meaningful, so all pupils may experience the joy of science and make associations between their science learning and their lives outside the classroom. Through the Kapow Science scheme of work, personalised to the children’s needs and our school’s ethos, we aim to encourage our students to appreciate how new knowledge and skills can be fundamental to solving arising global challenges.

Our curriculum aims to encourage critical thinking and empower pupils to question the how's and why's of the world around them.

Our scheme encourages:

• A strong focus on developing knowledge alongside scientific skills across Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
• Curiosity and excitement about familiar and unknown observations.
• Challenging misconceptions and demystifying truths.
• Continuous progression by building on practical and investigative skills across all units.
• Critical thinking, with the ability to ask perceptive questions and explain and analyse evidence.
• Development of scientific literacy using wide-ranging, specialist vocabulary.

Through the use of Kapow Primary’s Science scheme of work, pupils are supported to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the national curriculum and the aims also align with those set out in the national curriculum.

^{How do we Achieve This?}

Our curriculum is delivered through carefully planned units from Kapow Primary’s Science curriculum, bespoke to our children’s needs and interests. To meet the aims of the National Curriculum for science and in response to the Ofsted Research review into science, we have identified the following key strands:

• Scientific knowledge and understanding of:

                     Biology - living organisms and vital processes.

                     Chemistry - matter and its properties.

                     Physics - how the world we live in ‘works’.

• Working scientifically - processes and methods of science to answer questions about the world around us.
• Science in action - uses and implications of science in the past, present and for the future.

The Kapow Primary’s Science scheme that we follow at Allens Croft Primary School is a spiral curriculum, with essential knowledge and skills revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. A range of engaging recall activities promote frequent pupil reflection on prior learning, ensuring new learning is approached with confidence. The Science in action strand is interwoven throughout the scheme to make the concepts and skills relevant to pupils and inspiring for future application. Cross-curricular links are included throughout each unit, allowing children to make connections and apply their Science skills to other areas of learning.

Each unit is based upon one of the key science disciplines; Biology, Chemistry and Physics and to show progression throughout the school we have grouped the National curriculum content into six key areas of science:

Pupils explore knowledge and conceptual understanding through engaging activities and an introduction to relevant specialist vocabulary. As suggested in Ofsted’s Science research review (April 2021), the ‘working scientifically’ skills are integrated with conceptual understanding rather than taught discretely. This provides frequent, but relevant, opportunities for developing scientific enquiry skills. The scheme utilises practical activities that aid in the progression of individual skills and also provides opportunities for full investigations.

Lessons incorporate various teaching strategies from independent tasks to paired and group work, including practical, creative, computer-based and collaborative tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with different learning styles. Guidance for adapting the learning is available for every lesson to ensure that all pupils can access learning, and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit help to identify prior and future curriculum links to make the scheme as meaningful as possible and reinforce key technical terms.

^{What does Success Look Like?}

After implementing Kapow Primary Science, pupils should leave school equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge to succeed in key stage 3 Science. They will have the necessary tools to confidently and meaningfully question and explore the world around them as well as critically and analytically experiencing and observing phenomena. Pupils will understand the significance and impact of Science on society.

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Science scheme of work is that children will:

• Develop a body of foundational knowledge for the Biology topics in the National curriculum: Plants; Animals, Including Humans; Living Things and Their Habitats; Evolution and Inheritance.
• Develop a body of foundational knowledge for the Chemistry topics in the National curriculum: Everyday Materials; Uses of Everyday Materials; Properties and Changes of Materials; States of Matter; Rocks.
• Develop a body of foundational knowledge for the Physics topics in the National curriculum: Seasonal Changes; Forces and Magnets; Sound; Light; Electricity; Earth and Space.
• Be able to evaluate and identify the methods that ‘real world’ scientists use to develop and answer scientific questions.
• Identify and use equipment effectively to accurately gather, measure and record data.
• Be able to display and convey data in a variety of ways, including graphs.
• Analyse data in order to identify, classify, group, and find patterns.
• Use evidence to formulate explanations and conclusions.
• Demonstrate scientific literacy through presenting concepts and communicating ideas using scientific vocabulary.
• Understand the importance of resilience and a growth mindset, particularly in reference to scientific enquiry.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Science.

^{Science in the Early Years}

In EYFS, Science is taught through the specific area of learning and development; Understanding the World. This is delivered through exploration and child-initiated play.

To find out more about our early years curriculum, visit our E.Y.F.S. page here.

^{Allens Croft Primary School Science Overview}

Progression of Knowledge and Skills

The Science Progression of skills and knowledge gives an overview of the skills and knowledge covered in each phase and strand and how these skills are developed in order to enable pupils to reach the end of key stage outcomes outlined in the National curriculum. Within each key stage, knowledge is often introduced at the start of the key stage so that there is time for that knowledge to be revisited and applied in later years which is why knowledge accumulation may look heavier in some year groups than others.

If you require any further information about this curriculum area or any other, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Science at Allens Croft is all about developing our curiosity and ability to observe and analyse the things we see.

We love practical learning and completing experiments. Here are a few photos from British Science Week. 

"A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes."

National Curriculum 2014