Science

Science Vision Statement

At Roecroft we aim to develop children’s natural curiosity; appreciation of the importance of science for understanding the world; and active participation in the acquisition of scientific knowledge, understanding, skills and language.

We believe good primary and early years science education:

• Acknowledges that children come to science education with ideas, observations and questions about the world around them and use these as the foundations for their learning;
• Nurtures children’s curiosity and inspires them, in a rich learning environment, to discover more and to develop positive attitudes and an appreciation of the nature of science;
• Challenges children to develop and use scientific skills; acquire and apply scientific knowledge, understanding and language; investigate through playing, exploring and experimenting; communicate and collaborate effectively with others; challenge scientific evidence;
• Enables children to make connections between scientific ideas and to see how they are developed and applied in other disciplines and beyond the classroom;
• Promotes science capital through teaching and learning being based on real-life contexts and placing a significance on how science relates to individual lives, through children’s families’ jobs or through their own hobbies and interests.

Science Curriculum

When teaching science at Roecroft, we aim to develop children’s natural curiosity, the appreciation of the importance of science for understanding the world and active participation in the acquisition of scientific knowledge, understanding, skills and language. Each year we build on their key skills and knowledge following the National Curriculum, with a focus on developing their scientific enquiry. 

Science is taught weekly across the academic year through a range of disciplines, which cover the areas of biology, chemistry and physics. In our lessons, we encourage children to experience and observe phenomena, to look closely at the natural world around them and to make good use of our outdoor learning environment. We encourage the children to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. This helps them to develop their understanding of scientific ideas, by using different types of scientific enquiry, which then enables them to acquire the skill of answering their own questions. Science lessons also incorporate practical investigations, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying objects, carrying out simple comparative tests and finding out information using secondary sources. We encourage the children to use simple scientific vocabulary to discuss what they have found out and to communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways, which develops as their knowledge evolves. Our science lessons also include the use of appropriate secondary sources, such as books, photographs and videos including ‘Tigtag UK’, to enrich pupils’ development in this area of study. 

Most of our learning in science is taught using first-hand, practical experiences. We pride ourselves on being able to offer our pupils a wealth of visits and visitors during their time at Roecroft to enhance their understanding in this area of the curriculum. For example, we have had wildlife visits, visits to the local space centre and we have taken part in the ‘Borrow the Moon’ project. We have also had the opportunity for parents whose jobs are based within the scientific field to come into school to deliver interactive workshops for the children. All of our science curriculum days provide opportunities for each year group to take part in thought-provoking activities which engage and inspire the children.  

For further details of what your child is learning each term in science, please refer to our 2021/2022 Science Curriculum Maps, which can be found under the curriculum tab for each year group. 

Science Key Skills

Scientific Enquiry

At Roecroft, we place particular importance on scientific enquiry, which enables the children to be able to observe and ask questions, to seek patterns and to complete fair testing. It also gives the children an opportunity to complete research using secondary sources, to identify, classify and group different objects and to gather and record data in a range of different ways.

For each science lesson, the children actively identify the scientific enquiry skills they are using with support from their teacher and this is used as a reflection point at the end of each lesson. We believe this encourages our children to become confident and articulate with their understanding of their science skills and encourage them to see themselves as ‘scientists’.

To further aid this, each classroom contains posters and displays detailing scientific enquiry skills and our knowledge organisers used within lessons make further reference to these key skills. Our scientific enquiry skills are woven through all learning and are continually addressed; ensuring they are fully embedded with clear progress between year groups, whilst exposing children to new topic areas within science to ensure a broad and balanced science curriculum.

To find out further information about how we promote scientific enquiry at Roecroft, please take a look at the document below.

Working Scientifically in the Primary Classroom

Science Principles

At Roecroft, we value our scientific principles and they give both staff and children a shared understanding of what science teaching and learning looks like throughout the school. 

We are currently in the process of updating our science principles, to further reflect staff and pupil voice and how they view science teaching and learning at Roecroft.

To view our current scientific principles, please follow the link below.

Principles of Science

Science Capital

Science capital is highly regarded at Roecroft and we aim to give our children a wide range of experiences to engage them in science within a wider context and to support them in becoming passionate about their learning. We believe that it is important for children to be able to transfer their scientific skills into other areas of their learning and to be able to use resources and equipment confidently when completing experiments and investigations. It is important for our children to bring their own experiences into the classroom and to be able to relate them to science and feel that their contributions are valued. We also place significance on our children exploring how science relates to their individual lives, through their families’ jobs or through their own hobbies and interests.

We promote science capital by inviting a range of STEM visitors into our school, having whole school science days and ensuring our science teaching and learning is based on real-life contexts, including exploring our well-resourced outdoor environment.

PSQM