We follow an exciting and ambitious curriculum from Reception to Year 6. Each topic has a question to focus the learning, which then has a set of steps towards a goal. The children's learning is also celebrated with specific outcomes at the end of each topic. For example, we might create exhibitions, perform plays or showcase work completed. Teachers plan for cross-curricular opportunities in English and Maths wherever possible. The year is peppered with special days. These days provide pupils with an opportunity to examine a specific area in more detail, providing independent thinking and challenge.

Our Subject Leads work in teams so that they can share ideas and prepare and plan together for different subjects. Below is information for each group of subjects. For each of the subjects, we have developed our intent, implementation and impact statements to align with National Curriculum aims and with our school vision and aims.  In that way, the curriculum on offer to our Saint John's pupils is specific and relevant to each of them, ensuring that we grow their learning from their diverse roots, challenging them to reach up and reach out and preparing them for their lives in our community and beyond.

National Curriculum Aims

The 2014 National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all pupils:

● develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

● develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.

● are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future. We understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, and that knowledge can be taught through this.

Intent

At Saint John’s, we aim to inspire pupils to become curious, inquisitive and analytical thinkers with a broad understanding of the natural world – in other words, to think like scientists. The intention is for pupils to develop the confidence to ask questions, make observations, carry out investigations, record data in a variety of ways and analyse and present their findings.

We aim to build an awareness of how science influences everyday life and drives progress in society. The hope is to encourage pupils to become reflective, responsible individuals who use scientific knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and contribute positively to the world around them.

Throughout the programmes of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group. The key knowledge identified by each year group is informed by the national curriculum and builds towards identified phase ‘end points’ in accordance with NC expectations. Key skills are also mapped for each year group and are progressive throughout the school. These ensure systematic progression to identify skills end points which are in accordance with the Working Scientifically skills expectations of the national curriculum. The curriculum is designed to ensure that children are able to acquire key scientific knowledge through practical experiences; using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently. The school’s approach to science takes account of the school’s own context, ensuring access to people with specialist expertise and places of scientific interest as part of the school’s commitment to learning outside the classroom. Cross-curricular opportunities are also identified and used to ensure contextual relevance. Children are encouraged to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings and a love of science is nurtured through a whole school ethos and a varied science curriculum.

Implementation 

Teachers use the Kapow science scheme to support planning and teaching of the science curriculum. Teachers create a positive attitude to science learning within their classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all pupils are capable of achieving high standards in science. Science is taught weekly and given around 90 mins per session. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following structure:

Lesson Structure

Recap and Recall - Each lesson begins with a short activity revisiting prior learning. This helps reinforce key knowledge, activate long-term memory and create connections between past and new learning.

Attention Grabber – A short, engaging activity designed to hook pupils into the new learning in the lesson. This could be a thought-provoking question, a quick investigation or an interactive discussion to spark curiosity and enthusiasm for the topic.

Main Event - The core part of the lesson, where children engage in activities that develop their understanding of the learning objective.

Wrapping Up - A final reflective activity that consolidates learning. This could involve reviewing the success criteria, discussing key learning or applying knowledge in a different context to assess understanding and encourage deeper thinking.

Through our planning, we involve problem-solving opportunities that allow children to apply their knowledge, and find answers for themselves. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom. Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving high-quality resources to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess pupils regularly to identify those children with gaps in learning, so that all pupils keep up. Tasks are selected and designed to provide an appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion.

Knowledge Retention

Our science scheme incorporates a spiral curriculum model, ensuring that children revisit and develop their understanding of key themes and concepts as they progress through the curriculum. This approach allows them to make meaningful connections, reinforce their learning and achieve mastery over time.

• Revisiting key concepts – pupils encounter the same ideas multiple times throughout their education, with each revisit adding more complexity.
• Progressive depth – concepts are not just repeated but expanded upon, helping pupils to make connections and develop a richer understanding over time.
• Knowledge retention – regular exposure to key ideas strengthens memory and prevents knowledge from being forgotten.
• Skill development – pupils refine and apply their skills in different contexts, improving their ability to think critically and solve problems.
• Adaptive learning – by building on prior knowledge, the curriculum meets pupils at their current level and supports all learners, including those who need extra reinforcement and those who are ready for greater challenges.

Working Scientifically Skills

Working Scientifically skills are embedded into lessons to ensure that skills are systematically developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching. 

Teachers demonstrate how to use scientific equipment, and the various Working Scientifically skills in order to embed scientific understanding. Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops where possible.

Making Connections

At the end of each year, a Making Connections unit is completed. These units are an integral part of the science scheme, designed around the principle that deep learning occurs when pupils can link new information with existing knowledge. Each Making Connections unit is the final unit in every year group, allowing pupils to revisit, revise and apply their learning in a new context.

 The units integrate and connect scientific concepts and working scientifically skills studied in recent units, as pupils engage in full enquiries and apply the enquiry cycle in new contexts. The emphasis on practical, hands-on lessons and guided enquiries supports the development of independent learning skills and scientific thinking.

Impact 

The successful approach at Saint John’s results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world. Our engagement with the outside environment and Forest School visits ensures that children learn through varied and first-hand experiences of the world around them. Frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom is embedded throughout the science curriculum. 

Lessons will include ongoing assessment opportunities, such as questioning, retrieval practice and interactive activities. These enable teachers to assess understanding in real time and adapt their teaching accordingly.

Each unit also includes an assessment quiz, which can be completed either paper-based or interactively via Kahoot or Blooket applications, allowing teachers to measure pupils’ understanding at key points and helping gauge how well pupils have retained key knowledge overtime.

Children at Saint John’s overwhelmingly enjoy science and this results in motivated learners with sound scientific understanding. This exposure allows all children to develop a strong science capital. Children feel they are scientists and capable of achieving.