Science

INTENT


At North Cheam Hub our science intent is to develop scientifically informed and responsible individuals. We aim to develop children’s natural curiosity of the world around them to equip them with the skills and knowledge for their future. We follow the National Curriculum to provide the children a high-quality science education which sets the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. The aim of our approach towards the science curriculum is to enable pupils to create work that allows them to reach a high standard.


IMPLEMENTATION


Science lessons at North Cheam Hub are carefully planned so that existing knowledge and skills are built upon each year. Each lesson begins with a review of the previous lesson's aims/skills and a clear introduction, followed by a series of tasks interspersed with questions. Children's understanding is demonstrated through verbal and written communication, as well as practical investigations carried out within and outside the classroom. Each lesson concludes with a crucial question or a challenge to elicit additional thought on the subject. Each year, Science Home Learning is planned to engage parents in their children's science education. Themed days and weeks are also available - Science Week and within the week a day is allocated as the ‘Science day’.
 Children are exposed to a variety of enquiry types when studying different scientific topics, such as;
  •  Observation over time.
  • Pattern seeking.
  • Identifying, classifying and grouping.
  • Comparative and fair testing.
  • Research using secondary sources.

Children’s understanding is assessed from their verbal and written communication.End-of-topic assessments are also utilised to identify any learning gaps.


IMPACT


At North Cheam Hub every scientific topic learnt gives the learners a chance to develop an understanding into the subject area, carry out practical activities to engage them with the use of probing questions and scenarios to help think and reflect upon what they are learning. Science lessons also allow for lots of collaborative work giving children the chance to work with others and build on their team working skills. Additionally, children are offered a challenge and often an extended challenge after every task. Sometimes this is in the form of effective questioning or observation of an inquiry.   The questioning helps to extend their knowledge and thought processes. The learners enjoy a variety of ways they get to record their understanding - through experiments, observations, concept cartoons, pattern seeking, classifying and grouping, Q&A, group work and research using secondary resources, such as, use of technology, team games and more. Collaborative work helps them to discuss success criteria and ways to improve their understanding of the world around them.