Science

Skills Ladder

The document below shows the progression of teaching and learning objectives throughout the year groups at Cotham Gardens:

science inquiry investigation curriculum progression.pdf

 

INTENT:

“I have not failed, I have successfully discovered 10,000 things that didn’t work” – Thomas Edison

At Cotham Gardens, we deliver the National Curriculum for Science in a way that equips children with the skills and knowledge they need to think and work scientifically in order to become truly fantastic scientists! We aim to encourage inquisitive minds and to allow children to develop physically, emotionally, socially and academically through questioning and exploring the world around them. Our science lessons aim to provide a progression of skills and cumulative learning through a rich and varied curriculum. We teach creative lessons that spark curiosity, simultaneously developing children’s scientific knowledge and their ability to work scientifically. Children in Science will gain:

• Scientific knowledge and understanding through learning which encourages inquisitive thinking, exploration and questioning.
• Scientific skills progressively to support them in understanding how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
• Knowledge and application of scientific vocabulary to describe and explain science processes and concepts.

 

IMPLEMENTATION:

At Cotham Gardens, we will do this by using the Science Bug Scheme of Work, implemented in January 2022. Where possible, we will link our Science learning with other areas of the curriculum to enhance and and build connections and knowledge 

Here is our curriculum map

science curriculum progression map.pdf

 

Lesson frequency:

1. Years 2 – 6 will have one lesson per week dedicated to teaching the Science curriculum. These lessons will cover both scientific knowledge and working scientifically.
2. EYFS and Year 1 will continue teaching Science objectives using previous approach and embedding science through exploratory play and guided learning.

We also seek to enrich Science learning through practical experiments and utilising the rich resources of the city of Bristol. This includes visits to interactive Science venues such as We the Curious in Year 3, and we encourage visits from parents and carers with scientific professions; for example, we have enjoyed visits from a heart and lung doctor in Year 4 to talk about circulation, digestion and nutrition and interactive science workshop visits in Year 6.

IMPACT:

• Our approach at Cotham Gardens aims for a fun, engaging, high-quality science education that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world. All ideas are valued and no one is afraid to use skills such as predicting and reasoning to help deepen their scientific understanding. Scientific vocabulary is confidently used by all.
• Children make links to topics and real-life encounters with hands-on experiments, including taking informed risks. We aspire for all children to achieve well, produce good quality work and be ready for the next stage in their education.
• We use yearly staff and pupil consultations and work monitoring to ensure high quality teaching and learning.