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Science

Why Teach Science?

Science stimulates and excites pupils' curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It also satisfies this curiosity with knowledge. Because science links direct practical experience with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels. Scientific method is about developing and evaluating explanations through experimental evidence and modelling. This is a spur to critical and creative thought. Through science, pupils understand how major scientific ideas contribute to technological change - impacting on industry, business and medicine and improving quality of life. Pupils recognise the cultural significance of science and trace its worldwide development. They learn to question and discuss science-based issues that may affect their own lives, the direction of society and the future of the world. (The National Curriculum)

What we teach

Children are taught Science in two main ways. Firstly, they have the opportunity to learn a range of scientific skills for example, how to answer a science question, measuring mass and length and predicting what will happen in a test. They are taught these skills when gaining knowledge of key Science areas, Life processes and Living things, Materials and their properties and Physical processes. Each class will have a different topic every half term where they will learn in detail about these areas.

How do we teach it?

We teach Science in many ways, fair testing, researching, observing, comparing. We try to make the work as practical and hands on as we feel children learn better from first hand experience.

How much time is spent on it?

The children receive between 1.5 and 2 hours per week learning Science. In the early Years, the children learn science through a range of topics.

How well do we do?

Children in year 6, sit a test in science to determine their national curriculum level. If a child is at the correct level, they will be a level 4. The table shows our results at level 4 in science over the last few years. We are always very pleased with the high numbers of children who leave the school at the correct level in science.

What does Science look like at Gospel Oak?

These are some example of our approach to teaching science in school.

We try to make our lessons as practical as possible so that children can learn about science through first hand experience. Here, children are learning about forces while conducting an investigation into parachutes.
		We take the children out of school to enhance their learning as there are so many fantastic places we can visit to help us learn about science.These children are taking part in distillation experiments at the Tower of London
We try and make the most of any additional opportunities we may get to help the children develop their science understanding. We were invited to take part in a competition to judge the best science books written for children.
		We use our own grounds to make science teaching more fun and interesting. We can learn about things like plants, materials, forces, light and habitats in out outdoor spaces. Here, children have collected different parts of a plant to look at in detail.
We often have visitors in school to help us learn about science. Children really enjoy learning about things in a practical and fun way. These children are taking part in a science lesson about forces where they had to design a wind turbine. Shell Education provided the workshops.
		We also run clubs so that children, who have a real interest in aspects of science, can pursue it further. We currently run an environmental club and a gardening club. With a new science club for children in year 3 about to start soon. Children in gardening club are learning about growing vegetables at a local allotment.