Science
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a quality mark for the teaching of science at our school. The PQSM is awarded to schools to celebrate their commitment to excellence in science teaching and learning. Being awarded additional Gilt status on top makes us all feel extra proud of the achievement.
Subject Leader - Mrs Tollitt
My name is Mrs Tollitt. I have worked here at St John Fisher for 10 years and I am our school’s science subject leader.
Science has always been a passion of mine. As a child, I used to love investigating and experimenting to find out new things about the world. Throughout school, I always loved my science lessons and continued to study science as one of my subjects at college. I went on to Liverpool Hope University where I graduated with a degree in Primary Education, specialising in Human Biology. I continue to enjoy learning science and keeping up to date with new scientific findings.
Pupils here love science lessons as they have the opportunity to work scientifically and develop their confidence and curiosity. As a science leader, I strive to continue to promote science throughout our school and hope to inspire some future scientists! Science is vital to our ever-evolving future and it is our duty to prepare our children for this new world.
Our Science Ambassadors
Here is this week's Marvin and Milo. Please send your pictures in by Thursday 16th November to the email below.
Science at St John Fisher Primary School
2022 - 2023
Intent
At St John Fisher Primary School, we believe that a high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
We will inspire our children by giving them the opportunities to pursue their natural curiosity; promoting the experience of exploring and investigating scientific phenomena, in a range of contexts, to ensure a continually evolving knowledge and understanding of the world around them.
In a safe environment, our children will develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information.
During their time at St John Fisher, we aim to equip children with the knowledge required to use and implement science today, tomorrow and for their futures.
Implementation
At St. John Fisher we use PLAN assessment documents and TAPS to support our planning and ensure progression in knowledge, concepts and scientific enquiry skills.
Planning for science is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of, ‘The National Curriculum programmes of study for Science 2014’ and, ‘Understanding of the World’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Science teaching at St John Fisher Primary involves adapting and extending the curriculum to match all pupils’ needs. Science is taught each week and in addition to this, we have 2 science weeks per year. Where possible, our lessons are linked to class topics but are also taught discretely to ensure full coverage.
Teachers plan to suit their children’s interests, current events, their own teaching style, the use of any support staff and the resources available. We ensure that all children are provided with rich learning experiences that aim to:
• Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.
• Help our children acquire a growing understanding of the nature, processes and methods of scientific ideas.
• Build on prior knowledge and link ideas together, enabling them to question and become enquiry-based learners.
• Extend our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.
• Encourage open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and develop the skills of investigation.
• Develop the use of scientific language, recording and techniques
• Use computing in investigating and recording - children will access resources to acquire learning through science equipment, digital technology, practical experiences and photographs.
• Develop a respect for the materials and equipment they handle with regard to their own, and other children’s safety.
• Develop an enthusiasm and enjoyment of scientific learning and discovery.
Impact
The successful approach at St John Fisher Primary results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world. The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age related knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.
All children will have:
• A wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/investigative skills.
• A richer vocabulary which will enable to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
• Children will work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment.
• Children will be able to explain the process they have taken and be able to reason scientifically.
• High aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.
Using TAPS assessments each half term enables staff to assess children’s independence and progress in working scientifically skills. These assessments are used to inform future planning and ensure the progression of these skills through the key stages
Links to School Development Plan
- To further develop our school curriculum, following blocking approach, including a focus on subject leadership in preparation for deep dive inspection.
Science will be taught in 12 weeks of the school calendar when science is taught in a two-week block. These weeks have been implemented into our curriculum to provide children with quality time to spend learning science. Whilst this also is designed to help with teacher workload, it gives each class teacher time to concentrate on the teaching of science thus improving their own subject knowledge in a specific year group. During these weeks, 5 hours of teaching will be dedicated to science as a subject. Plus, additional time will be spent during foundation subjects as well as links to Maths and English.
Cultural Capital
At St John Fisher, we believe that a rich and broad curriculum builds cultural capital; therefore, we provide our children with a vast range of experiences and opportunities to help them progress and achieve success. Throughout our Science curriculum, we provide opportunities for our children to explore, investigate and develop an understanding of the natural, human, social and cultural dimensions of local and wider environments. We teach our children science-related attitudes and values which helps them to see science in everyday life. Additionally, we develop their knowledge and skills with an understanding of how science can be used in wider contexts.