Science

Intent

At Oxhey Wood, we believe that every child should be given the opportunity to explore Science and build knowledge through exciting, purposeful and enjoyable lessons. We recognise that every child has the potential to become a scientist, and through high-quality teaching we provide opportunities for all pupils to succeed.

Our Science curriculum aims to inspire curiosity and a love of investigative learning as children explore and make sense of the world around them. Pupils are encouraged to ask scientific questions, develop their understanding through first-hand experiences and build the skills needed to work scientifically. Children learn how to hypothesise, plan and carry out investigations, and accurately record and evaluate their findings.

Science is taught as a distinct discipline, encompassing the three strands of biology, chemistry and physics. Our curriculum covers and goes beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum, ensuring pupils develop a deep and secure understanding of key scientific concepts while building strong foundations for future learning.

Implementation

The Science curriculum at Oxhey Wood meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and has been carefully developed to meet the needs of our children. Lessons are well-planned, purposeful and engaging, ensuring a high standard of science education across the school.

To support pupils in their ability to ‘know more and remember more’, regular opportunities are built in to revisit and review prior learning from previous lessons and topics. Knowledge and skills are sequenced progressively across year groups, with planned repetition enabling pupils to embed learning in their long-term memory.

‘Working Scientifically’ skills are explicitly taught and embedded within each unit, ensuring pupils continually develop their ability to question, investigate, observe, measure, record and evaluate. New vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching and are reinforced through practical activities and discussion.

In Key Stage 1, pupils:

· Use simple features to compare objects, materials and living things

· Use basic equipment and simple measurements to gather data

· Carry out simple tests and observations

· Record and communicate findings in a range of ways

· Begin to use appropriate scientific language

In Key Stage 2, pupils:

· Ask relevant scientific questions and choose appropriate enquiry types

· Plan and carry out fair and comparative tests

· Identify and control variables where appropriate

· Gather, record, classify and present data in a variety of ways

· Use results to draw conclusions and explain findings using scientific vocabulary

Impact

The impact of our Science curriculum is that pupils at Oxhey Wood are equipped with the scientific knowledge and investigative skills required for Key Stage 3 and for life beyond the classroom. Our children are confident, curious learners who can talk enthusiastically about what they have learned using accurate, subject-specific vocabulary.

Pupils enjoy science and are able to recall and build upon their learning over time. Work produced across the school demonstrates that science is taught to a high, age-appropriate standard, with clear progression of knowledge, skills and vocabulary. All pupils are given opportunities to engage meaningfully in science lessons and achieve well.

The impact of the Science curriculum is measured through:

· Assessment against age-related knowledge and skills using the school’s assessment system

· Moderation and staff meetings, including book scrutiny

· Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum

· Ongoing assessment through marking and feedback in pupils’ books

-Learning walks

-Pupil Voice