2024-2025

Vision and Intent

At The Solent Schools, we believe that providing a high-quality Science education provides the foundations for understanding the world. Our science curriculum, encourages children to be practical, curious and excited by scientific discovery, foster a care for our environment and prepare them for our increasingly scientific world in the future. All pupils will build up key scientific knowledge across the three disciplines of science, skills to work scientifically to carry out a range of scientific enquiries to answer enquiry questions and develop an understanding of scientific language to be able to talk clearly and confidently talk about scientific concepts.

Implementation

At Solent Infant School children begin to learn about the world around them through play exploration, investigations and practical experiences in Year R. This allows children to build the foundations of scientific conceptual understanding that they can build upon in their primary science journey. Key Stage 1 follow the White Rose Science scheme of learning, which is a comprehensive curriculum with planned progression of key knowledge, language and working scientifically skills linked to the National Curriculum. Science has an important place in our timetable and is taught weekly to ensure learning is revisited, built upon and consolidated across the year groups. We support children to connect prior learning to new learning with retrieval practice to ensure learning is transferred to long term memory, so they can recall and apply their understanding. Within each unit of learning, we provide children with a range of memorable practical and thought-provoking opportunities, to spark curiosity and interest to encourage children to ask, answer questions, plan out their own investigations, make observations and gather their findings. In addition, children will focus on one carefully planned enquiry question to ensure exposure and experiences to a range of scientific enquiries such as: comparative testing, pattern seeking and problem solving across the year. Alongside this, the children will also learn about sustainability, and this builds an awareness of how science shapes our lives which will help them to become responsible and resourceful future citizens with the skills to contribute and improve the world. Many skills within science are also transferable across the curriculum and link to our school values such as: teamwork through collaborative learning and resilience through enquiry and mistake making. Teachers promote a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards science in their classrooms and have high aspirations for all to achieve their full potential. Each year the Solent Schools take part in the British Science week which is stimulated by an exciting theme in which sparks excitement within the whole community. Previously, we have submitted children’s work into the national competition, where we have been able to showcase the budding scientists. This year, we are also starting to raise the profile of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) within our school, including an after-school club and projects alongside Solent Junior School throughout the year.

Impact

At The Solent Schools, we believe that, by the end of each year, most children are confident to explain their learning and apply their working scientifically skills across a range of enquiries. They are enthusiastic and motivated to ‘be a scientist’ and confidently move onto the next stage of their science learning. Teachers use formative assessment strategies throughout the units to meet the needs of the learners, through observation, questioning and activities like low stake quizzes. This allows teaching to be adapted to address misconceptions and promote further learning. Pupil voice is valued and used within the classroom at the point of learning but also to further develop the curriculum to assess knowledge, skills, enjoyment and motivation of learners. At the end of each half term, teachers use summative assessment to closely track progress and attainment of each area of the national curriculum that has been taught.