"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood."  Marie Curie, Polish born French Physicist and twice Nobel prize recipient 

Intent

• Science at Peel Common Junior School aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them as well as acquiring the key skills and knowledge to help them think scientifically. We aim to ensure the national curriculum objectives are met though hands on investigations that encourage scientific curiosity and encourage pupils to question their findings, seek for answers and link possible ideas to the everyday world around them. Where possible, science units will made cross curriculum with opportunities for children to apply ideas through a range of STEM projects.

Teachers introduce new units by assessing their understanding of previous learning and build upon this by teaching just enough of the curriculum for children to then be able to explore, investigate and apply their understanding; working as real scientists. Science retrieval lessons are built in throughout units to recap knowledge and skills from both previous lessons and units. We believe investigating questions where the answers are unknown are crucial in exciting scientific curiosity and engaging learners. We hope by being exposed to problems and evidence that is not always what is predicted, fosters an interest to find out and make links to prior knowledge and understanding. By taking part in regular investigating and problem solving, the pupils at Peel common Junior will become confident observers capable of planning, fair testing and finally analysing their evidence to draw conclusions. Throughout this science process teachers will continually assess the children’s’ understanding, adapting and intervening so all pupils have the opportunity to leave with the scientific skills needed for the next stage as well as a sense of curiosity for the ever developing world we live in.

Implementation

• Lessons are thought about and planned to cover the objectives for each unit. We use the suggested unit chapters From HIAS to help structure our lessons.
• We plan carefully and provide engaging lessons for the children to reinforce concepts taught. T:\Year 4\Year 4 2019-2020\Science\Materials\Yr 4 Materials lesson 1.docx
• We revisit previous units before beginning new ones to remind children and refresh their memories about objectives already taught.
• Where possible units are planned with a theme to fully engage children in topics whilst always ensuring that they understand they are learning to be scientists for example year 4 – materials and harry potter. Year 3 – Fragile earth and Year 5 have a forces and Christmas themed STEM  project)
• We are planning to include low key fun quizzes into each unit to help support children’s memory

Impact

• We are constantly reviewing units and lessons, adapting and improving to achieve the best learning possible.
• We believe science is strong subject in our school and therefore if children are keeping up they will be making good progress. Lessons are adapted for those that need further support and where possible mini catch up clinics or pre teaches will be used with smaller groups.
• We make ongoing assessments throughout every lesson and more formally assess and update our trackers at the end of each unit.
• Our new enquiry planning allows us to think in more depth what should be seen if good progress has been made.

Why we use HIAS

Our Science curriculum is structured to give students a strong, interconnected understanding of scientific concepts and inquiry skills. To support this, we use HIAS unit planning and detailed progression documents. HIAS units focus on essential questions and themes that help students think critically and make connections across different areas of science, ensuring a well-rounded, inquiry-based learning experience. Progression documents further enhance this by outlining clear milestones for disciplinary and substantive knowledge, allowing students to track their progress and helping teachers tailor instruction to individual needs. Together, these tools provide a cohesive and adaptable curriculum that builds scientific understanding and prepares students for real-world problem-solving.

"It is the responsibility of scientists never to suppress knowledge, no matter how awkward that knowledge is, no matter how it may bother those in power; we are not smart enough to decide which pieces of knowledge are permissible and which are not."  Carl Sagan, American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator