Science

Intent

Science at Barlow Hall is a subject that stimulates and excites pupils’ curiosity about the world around them. Scientific investigation develops understanding through meaningful practical activity and encourages critical and creative thought. An important aspect of science at Barlow Hall is for the children to learn and use scientific both while in discussion during practical investigation and when explaining their findings. This is enhanced by learning about science through real-life contexts and is taken further through links with our local community and high school links. Children know the difference between the knowledge and skills within science and year on year progression is key to the progress they make. At Barlow Hall, we make the following scientific skills explicit:

  • Asking questions
  • Making predictions
  • Setting up tests
  • Observing and measuring
  • Recording data
  • Interpreting and communicating results

Implementation

At Barlow Hall, teachers plan stimulating lessons that challenge pupil’s ideas about science and the world around them, ensuring they are always trying to make tangible links with other areas of their learning.

There is clear progression in each unit and this can be seen throughout the school in each year group so that children are extending their prior knowledge within every lesson. Disciplinary skills as well as scientific knowledge have been mapped our carefully, with our children at the centre, to ensure progression and impact. Skills are revisited across year groups and year on year, to ensure scientific knowledge is imbedded. There are clear end points for lessons, units and the end of each year.

Teachers plan for problem solving and real life opportunities that enable children to find out for themselves. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and are given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. Planning involves teachers creating practical, engaging lessons with many opportunities for questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess children regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning. Scientific skills and approaches play a key role within the investigation process which children are exposed to from the Early Years.

Pupils understand that there are many cross curricular links within science learning. They are encouraged to work in groups to carry out investigations, so they are constantly developing their co-operation and communication skills, which is key to working effectively as part of a team for now and in future life.

Impact

Through our successful teaching of science at Barlow Hall, children enjoy and value their fun, engaging, high quality science education, which provides them with the foundations for understanding the world when they leave primary school. We work closely with local high-schools to ensure our children are ‘science-ready’ at the end of year 6.

At Barlow Hall we use both formative and summative assessment against the scientific skills and ‘end points’ to make our overall judgements. Ongoing assessment for learning informs lessons and retrieval decisions. Our post-tasks carefully assess scientific knowledge and skills, allowing children to respond to the areas they have not mastered through regular unit ‘reteach’ lessons which take place at the end of each unit. These post-tasks, teamed with year group end-points, ensure staff can assess science accurately.