Curriculum Statement for Science
The approach at Lancaster Lane Primary results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world. We encourage children to be curious about the world around them and inspire a sense of wonder about natural phenomena. Our lessons involve children carrying out enquiry-based activities to help them answer scientific questions. We feel it is so important to foster a love and curiosity of science as our children will be the scientists of the future. We aim to help our children understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
Knowledge and Skills
At Lancaster Lane, we ensure high standards of teaching and learning in science which links to our personalised curriculum wherever possible. We aim to equip our children with the knowledge and skills they need to become super scientists! Planning for science ensures coverage of all the National Curriculum and for Science and Understanding of the World in the Early Years Foundations Stage. The use of ASE Knowledge Matrices, along with careful mapping of scientific enquiry skills, allows for full coverage of skills and supports assessment across topics. Our personalised curriculum not only shows a progression of skills, but builds upon previous learning through effective and vocabulary-rich teaching. Each learning sequence is carefully planned to include all of the relevant key features of scientific enquiry: observing over time, pattern seeking, identifying, classifying and grouping, comparative and fair testing, and researching using secondary sources. Each topic begins with questioning of prior and existing knowledge, helping teachers plan a targeted and personalised unit of learning. These pre-assessments allow the children’s knowledge and misconceptions to be explored and corrected. Science lessons are taught weekly to ensure that skills and knowledge are acquired and can be developed and revisited throughout the year.
Enrichment
Children at Lancaster Lane have access to a science club to enhance their awe and love of science phenomena. We have an area of school devoted to growing vegetables and planters for flowers which are accessed by all year groups. We devote days to science learning, in particular ‘Electricity Day’, where the children are fully immersed in a topic, leading to enriched lessons that are engaging and inspiring. Our open-door policy means we regularly invite visitors to speak to the children, giving them the opportunity to see a range of careers in science including nurses and electricians, helping build their science capital.
Our Local Area
Our teachers enhance the science curriculum using our local area as much as possible. For Year 1, 2 and 5’s plants topic, we use our local park ‘Cuerden Valley’ to explore and classify plants. We welcome parents and members of our local community who contribute to science and show our children how a solid understanding of the subject can support them in future jobs. We also have outside companies visit the school to enhance our teaching and develop our children’s awe and love of science.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment
Teachers use ongoing formative assessment using Lancashire OTrack. This is assessed through questioning, observations and recording information. This helps identify gaps in learning and forms teachers’ summative assessment. Teachers also use TAPS (Teacher Assessment in Primary Science) to assess knowledge and scientific skills covered in topics. These TAPS lessons help identify misconceptions partway through a topic, giving teachers time to address them. Summative assessments are collated at the end of every term and reported to parents at the end of the year.
Last reviewed January 2024.