Science 

In KS1 and KS2, science is taught as a discrete subject each half term. Within our science ‘Units of Work’, composite tasks have been broken down into smaller component tasks to ensure a structured and progressive learning experience, where children are provided with opportunities to develop both their substantive knowledge and disciplinary knowledge alike within each unit. The children carry out at least one scientific enquiry in each unit of work, where they are given the opportunity to fully demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and skill acquisition as well as further develop their abilities to think critically and ask questions about the world around them.

To support the deepening of this knowledge and widening of pupils’ schema, children use knowledge organisers to support them in recalling and retaining key information and additionally attend trips/participate in workshops linked to their science unit of work for that term. We also draw on our local library service so that our children have access to a wide variety of texts for the science unit being studied, in their classrooms daily.  Our co-curriculum/enrichment offer takes children’s learning beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum as well as providing further opportunities for the children to enhance their skills beyond the programmed units of work. For example, our children engage in a variety of STEM activities during British Science Week.

At Sir William Burrough, science is taught as a blocked subject. This means that the science unit for that half term is taught every day for one week in the half term; this learning is then revisited and revised through retrieval practice factored into our weekly timetable, allowing our children to benefit from the advantages of spaced learning and interleaving. We believe that blocking subjects provides children with the opportunity to become immersed into a topic and develop deep learning in the subject discipline: more time is spent learning and applying knowledge than transitioning between different subjects within the school day.

Please see our science curriculum map below: