Science

Intent

At The Disraeli School, pupils are provided with a fun, engaging and practical science education. Curiosity is encouraged through practical activities and exploration.  Pupils explore scientific knowledge, concepts and uses of science to deepen their understanding of the world they live in. Our curriculum enables children to become enquiry-based learners collaborating through researching, investigating and evaluating experiences. Respect, one of our school’s core values, is embedded through pupils learning how to respect living organisms and how humans impact the environment.  We are a diverse community and strive to remove barriers to pupils’ attainment of scientific excellence.

Teachers provide opportunities for the critical evaluation of evidence and rational explanation of scientific phenomena as well as opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collecting, presenting and analysing data. The Disraeli School has set high expectations of pupils learning and using key scientific vocabulary, which supports the acquisition of scientific knowledge and understanding.

Implementation

Science units are carefully planned alongside driver projects to ensure cross-curricular links and provide pupils with ample opportunities to reflect on these.  All units of learning are incorporated into the Cornerstones Framework to ensure knowledge, skills and vocabulary progression and full national curriculum coverage between year groups and key stages. This curriculum is delivered in line with the school’s Teaching and Learning Policy and implements adaptive teaching to ensure all children are challenged. Retrieval opportunities are included in each lesson to ensure learning is continual, revisited and progressive. Pupils are actively encouraged to ask questions and work individually, in pairs and in groups to seek answers.

As they move up through school, pupils work scientifically by participating in all six types of scientific enquiry (comparative and fair testing; research; observation over time; pattern seeking; identifying, grouping and classifying; problem solving). Pupils are invited to share their enthusiasm for science and develop their skills through independent learning and competitions such as The Big Science Event. Science is also celebrated in school, whether through the annual STEM Week or home learning projects.

When planning learning opportunities, staff are encouraged to make links to pupils’ interests and a diverse range of STEM role models to ensure adequate representation of our school population. Staff are supported with their professional development so that they can confidently model scientific enquiry skills, methods and procedures as well as assess risks to ensure safety with practical activities.

Impact

Children leave the Disraeli School as successful, young scientists, having covered all of the National Curriculum requirements in depth, and therefore confidently apply scientific enquiry skills to investigations to answer questions and solve problems. Through integrated and cohesive history, design and technology, geography and science topics, pupils are made aware of their position as global citizens and of the impact of science and technology on humanity throughout history.

Pupil voice is vital to ensuring the curriculum is tailored to our cohort, hence there are multiple opportunities throughout each year for pupils to share their ideas with staff. Pupils are motivated to learn and continue asking questions, and are shown their opinions are valued by seeing changes implemented in response to their feedback.

​​​​​​​Staff foster a love of science in children, who build on early learning about understanding the world we live in, and take their learning at Disraeli with them to secondary school.  Pupils are inspired to enter STEM careers through meeting or learning about role models in STEM fields, or to pursue science as they continue their learning journey beyond Disraeli.

Curriculum subject links