‘The future belongs to the curious. The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it and turn it inside out.’  - New York Children's Museum of science and engineering

 

Intent

Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all pupils are capable of achieving high standards in science.

At Darell our Science Curriculum is designed to:

• Inspire our children to develop a natural curiosity about the world we live in

• Give practical and first-hand learning experiences

• Get outside and explore our local environment to enhance our learning experiences. 

• Use talk and scientific vocabulary to express ideas and deepen our knowledge, understanding and own thinking. 

• Learn about modern and historical figures from the fields of science and how they can inspire us to ‘make a difference’.

 

Implementation

Science teaching at Darell aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them think scientifically and gain an understanding of scientific processes.

At Darell, scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic the children learn about and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding knowledge into their long-term memory. 

All children are encouraged to develop and use a range of skills including observations, planning and investigations, as well as being encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Children’s scientific vocabulary is taught and extended over time to enable children to communicate their ideas and articulate responses when questions are asked and their thinking is challenged.

The teaching of Science at Darell aims to fulfil the purpose of study as outlined in the Science national Curriculum 2014:

A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

 

Impact

It is our aim that children at Darell will ultimately leave us appreciating scientific achievements of the past as well as an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. Our science curriculum would have embedded the key scientific skills needed for the children to be ready for their secondary science education, as well as having the curiosity to question the world around us.