Science Subject Leader Planning Statement

At Rickmansworth Park School, we recognise the importance of Articles 28 and 29 and their relevance to the Science Curriculum we provide.

Article 28 states:

Every child has the right to an education.

Article 29 states:

Education must develop very child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full.

At Rickmansworth Park JMI School, teachers strive to deliver a high-quality, individualised Science education for their classes believing that this provides the foundations for understanding the world. All planning is informed by the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. The planning itself takes a variety of formats and draws on published plans from the internet, for example, ‘Developing Experts’ or ‘Twinkl’ to the teachers’ own plans. These resources offer lesson plans, PowerPoints, documentaries, links and news footage, together with differentiated worksheets suitable and challenging for all years.  The format of these resources ensures lesson give information and facts which are up-to-date and topical. We also have a wide range of resources in school and encourage parents and other parties such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Ambassadors with relevant STEM knowledge to come into school to present their area of expertise to the children.

September 2022

What makes our Science curriculum exceptional?

1. It is underpinned by aims, values & purpose

E.g. Article 29 UN Convention of Rights of the Child: Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment.

Our Guiding Principles are:

To provide an education which develops the whole child.

To provide a broad and balanced curriculum with a strong focus on enrichment opportunities.

To teach children to understand their own rights and to respect the rights of others.       

2. It develops the whole person – knowledge, skills, understanding & attitudes.

Knowledge: Develops scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding in every lesson

Skills: Enquiry, thinking critically, active learning, observation, identifying, classifying, gathering, recording, measuring, reporting, presenting, communicating, data finding

Understanding: To understand about the children’s place and the impact they can have on the world around them – good and bad.

Attitudes: conservation, recycling, saving resources.

A Rickmansworth Park we believe Science is Learning for Life.

3. It is broad and balanced.

Scientific knowledge, conceptual understanding, nature, processes and methods of science as well as its uses and implications are taught in every class every year in an environment that is suited to the children’s ability and understanding.

Science always plays an important role in class assemblies and classroom displays.

4. There is clear progression in subject knowledge and skills.

The Science Curriculum develops a progression in Scientific Understanding from R-Y6. 

5. It is filled with rich first-hand experiences.

Hands on activities in all lessons, producing useful, relevant and appropriate, qualitative and quantitative outcomes.      

6. It is flexible and responsive to individual needs and interests.

Teacher source their lessons from ‘Developing Experts’ or ‘Twinkl’. These resources offer lesson plans, PowerPoints, documentaries and news footage differentiated and challenging for all years. 

7. It has an eye on the future and the needs of future citizens.

Children are taught about the recycling of resources and the impact of greenhouse gases on our planet as well as the detrimental effect plastic and fossil fuels are having on the Earth.

Entering the Annual County K’Nex Challenge encourages children to be creative whilst encouraging engineers of the future.

8. It encourages the use of environments and expertise beyond the classroom.

Children use our school environment regularly to collect data and observe wildlife and vegetation from the first term in Reception. We collect litter and grow vegetables.       

9. It makes meaningful links between areas of knowledge across the curriculum.

The Science curriculum is often taught with links to other curriculum areas e.g. literacy letters to recycling plants, computing – posters warning of the impact of pollution, maths – data collection and graphs etc.

10. It has a local, national and global dimension.

Our science curriculum is geared so that the children understand about their place and impact on the world around them

Attitudes: conservation, recycling, saving resources.

11. It is supported by high quality Subject Leader CPD.

Following an Enthuse Partnership Award in 2017 CPD Rickmansworth Park together with other local primary schools work together with resources, sharing of ideas and training as well as moderation and scrutinises of work. All of these raise the quality of teaching in Science.   

12. SMSC is embedded in the curriculum.

Science supports spiritual development by providing many opportunities for children to think and spend time reflecting on the amazing wonders that occur in our natural world.

Social, Moral, Spiritual, Cultural Links – Science

Spiritual

Science supports spiritual development by providing many opportunities for children to think and spend time reflecting on the amazing wonders that occur in our natural world.

Moral

Science supports moral development by showing children that different opinions need to be respected and valued. There are many moral and ethical issues that we cover in science including discussions about environmental and human issues.

Social

Science supports social development by exposing children to the power of collaborative working in the science community which has led to some amazing and life changing breakthroughs in medicine. When undertaking experiments and research children work collaboratively

Cultural

Science supports cultural development by looking at how scientists from a range of cultures have had a significant impact globally. It also helps children to understand how important science is to the economy and culture of the UK.