1. Overview

This policy describes our intention when teaching the Science curriculum and documents how we implement this curriculum through stimulating pupils’ curiosity and providing opportunities for practical exploration and investigation to enable them to make sense of the world they live in alongside equipping them with the knowledge and understanding of the implications science has in our society both today and in the future. The policy is defined by current national guidance on best practice, professional judgement, staff discussion and the unique needs and context of our school.

2. Science Curriculum Intent

At Carleton Endowed Primary school we increase pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our world, and with developing skills associated with Science as a process of enquiry. We intend to achieve this by fostering a natural curiosity in the children, encourage respect for living things and physical environment as well as providing opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence.

Our Intentions:

  • Help develop and extend our children’s scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding about their world.
  • Equip pupils with the skills to live in an increasingly scientific and technological world.
  • Build on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.
  • Use practical experiment and explorations to develop the skills of investigation, including: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
  • Use essential scientific enquiry skills to deepen their scientific knowledge.
  • Develop the use of scientific language and recording techniques.
  • Actively make links between science and other subjects.

3. Science Curriculum Implementation

Planning for Science is a process in which all teachers are involved in 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. The whole school Science long plan is based on the North Yorkshire Our Scheme of Science Work topics which provides a basis for termly and weekly planning. Teachers tailor and extend these topics to match all pupils’ needs. Teachers actively seek to provide cross-curricular learning experiences for pupils. They plan for pupils to practise and apply the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired through Science lessons in other curricular areas. Due to the mixed year groups in our classes, Science topics are taught on a two year rolling programme. This ensures progression between year groups.

How is this implemented at Carleton Endowed CE (VA) Primary School?

  • Pupils are engaged in science lessons or activity for one hour per week.
  • Pupils have time to revise, practice and refine skills.
  • Pupils present work to others.
  • Crest award club opportunities to enhance pupils learning.

4. Science Curriculum Impact

We endeavour to ensure that all children achieve their maximum potential regarding their attainment in Science. At a classroom level, below are the assessment arrangements we carry out to help ensure all learners achieve their maximum potential.

Science Assessment Arrangements at Carleton Endowed CE (VA) Primary School

Teachers will assess pupils’ work in Science by making informal judgements during lessons. On completion of a piece of work in pupils individual books, the teacher assesses it, and uses this assessment to plan for future learning.

At the end of each term, the class teacher makes a summative judgement about the work of each pupil in relation to the Science National Curriculum expectations. Pupils may be given specific assessment activities or a test to aid judgements. The teacher records these attainment judgements on to each child’s North Yorkshire Science Progress record. We use these judgements as the basis for assessing the progress of each child, and we pass this information on to the next teacher at the end of the year. Teachers make an assessment of the children's work in science at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. We report the results of these assessments to parents.

Reviewed: Spring 2024

To be reviewed in: Spring 2026