Science

Why do our children need Science?

One of the greatest things we can teach our children is to love learning and Science is a great medium to do so.  Children are inquisitive explorers by nature and Science offers lots to explore.  As many aspects of Science is hands-on, it appeals readily to most children.  Nothing makes a child sit up and take notice like the “WOW!” of a great Science presentation or discovery. Science fuels up a love for learning that spills over into other subjects within Merton Bank.

Science at Merton Bank is practical and relevant and children embrace this subject without even realising. It answers all those unknown questions that children ask ‘Why is the sky blue?” or “Why do apples fall from trees?” Teachers within Merton Bank encourage children to think like scientists, ask them how they think something works and why something happens the way it does. As a result our children are forming inquisitive minds that seek to understand how and why.

Science at Merton Bank also involves a lot of talking and listening to others; it develops patience too, as, a lot of the time, Science doesn’t happen overnight. Predictions need to be made, results analysed and debates had, about various concepts investigated. Science, within our school, teaches children to form their own independent opinions, rather than taking those of others for granted. It helps our children to think about what could happen before they do it and to create a hypothesis in their minds. Our approach helps children to learn that not everything works the first time, some experiments may fall in a heap and children have to find out what went wrong and try again! This builds up a high level of resilience within our children, a trait we promote throughout school on a large scale.

This essential subject is important as it also teaches pupils about the way the world works. How do we have night and day? Why do volcanoes erupt? How does gravity work? How does the body shape of a fish help it to swim easily through water? Learning about Science, in relation to the world, can spark ideas in our children’s minds that they, too, may one day be capable of creating solutions to big problems.

Aims in Science
• Develop an inquiring mind and scientific approach to problems.
• Pose questions and devise experiments to answer them.
• Interpret findings critically.
• Communicate and record observations and results in a variety of ways.
• Appreciate patterns and relationships.
• Develop pupil’s use of ICT in their Science studies.
• Develop positive attitudes which encourage collaborative learning and perseverance when working with different groups of children.

Assessment & Recording of Science

In the Foundation Stage, Science is assessed through the area of Knowledge and Understanding the World. Through this, the following examples are explored – plants and how they grow, mini beasts and their differences, taking care of living things and growth and decay. Science is also explored during PSE development and physical development by looking at topics such as seasonal changes, textures, body changes during exercise, healthy eating and body movements. Teachers gather observational evidence and photographs when children are engaging in activities.

In KS1 and KS2 Science is taught once a week in school and topics vary from term to term. The children are exposed to lots of practical science, including experiments, practical research and first hand testing. This type of work fuels detailed and vibrant written work, including lots of reasoning explanations and scientific answers. The children are expected and encouraged to work scientifically and to use scientific vocabulary during all topics covered and are assessed against topic specific targets featured on our O Track system, which monitors progress.

Subject Leader- Mrs E Richardson