Intent, implementation and impact

Intent

At Boxmoor Primary School, we want every child to see that science is interactive, exciting and achievable. Science explains the world around us, has changed the way people live, and will be vital to the world's future. Our curriculum builds secure scientific knowledge across biology, chemistry and physics, sequenced so that key concepts are revisited and deepened as children move through the school.

Alongside this knowledge, we teach children to work scientifically. They learn to ask questions, make predictions, plan and carry out fair tests, observe and measure carefully, record and interpret results, and draw conclusions. Children experience the different types of scientific enquiry, and they learn to use evidence to explain what is happening, predict how things will behave, and question claims they hear.

Our science teaching is built on four principles:

1. Active science: practical, interactive lessons in which children have ownership of their questions and their learning.
2. Relevance: helping children see how science connects to their own lives and the world around them, including the science behind climate change and sustainability.
3. Representation: challenging stereotypes so that every child can see themselves reflected in science. Alongside famous historical scientists, children learn about women in science and scientists from diverse backgrounds, both historical and modern.
4. Science in the wider world: showing how science is used in STEM careers and in everyday jobs and lives.

We want every child, whatever their starting point, to leave Boxmoor with a love of finding things out and the foundations to keep learning about the world.

Implementation

Science is taught weekly, and units are carefully sequenced so that children build on what they have learnt before. In the Early Years, children begin to explore the natural world through first-hand experience, talking about what they see and noticing similarities, differences and changes.

Lessons begin by revisiting prior learning so that children remember more and connect new ideas to what they already know. Teachers explicitly teach and model scientific vocabulary and the skills needed to work scientifically, and children have regular opportunities to discuss and explain their thinking. Practical work is central to our teaching, and it is planned with a clear purpose linked to what children need to learn. Children record their observations, predictions, investigations and conclusions in their science books, which form a key record of their learning. Teaching is adapted so that all children, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, can access the full curriculum.

Science learning is further enriched through links with other subjects and through themed events such as National Insect Week.

Impact

Formative assessment is our main tool for checking what children have learnt, because it allows misconceptions and gaps to be addressed straight away rather than building on insecure foundations. Subject leaders also use pupil voice, book looks, learning walks and lesson observations to monitor the curriculum and make improvements.

Our monitoring shows that children enjoy science and show curiosity about the world around them. They can:

• recall and apply scientific knowledge in real-life contexts
• explain their understanding using accurate scientific vocabulary
• ask questions, make predictions and reason scientifically
• use mathematical skills to organise, record and interpret results
• work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment.