Intent

At New Wave we are unashamedly passionate about all scientific matters and believe that this is evident in our day-to-day delivery of scientific content. We believe that Science develops a set of specific skills that allows students to make informed decisions that help them both fulfil their own potential and help those around them.

We understand that our pupils are naturally curious and we encourage this inquisitive nature by helping them to frame questions within topics so they can test and evaluate ideas. Pupils are given the opportunities through topics and investigation to progressively deepen their knowledge of scientific concepts and build up the skills to access that knowledge.

We believe Science should excite pupils’ interests, build on their prior knowledge and build their confidence, enabling them to take risks, work out problems and raise further questions. It should encourage positive attitudes and shape articulate learners who are able to explain what has been learnt and how.

Implementation

Teachers create a positive attitude to Science learning within their classrooms and reinforce the expectation that all pupils are capable of achieving high standards in Science.

• Science is planned and taught using a progressive approach that enables the achievement of deeper understanding.
• Through a wide range of formative assessments strategies, the quality of pupil participation is enhanced.
• Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills, and assess pupils regularly to identify those pupils with gaps in their learning, so that all pupils keep up.
• Curiosity is celebrated within the classroom. Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, often involving high quality resources to aid conceptual understanding.
• Pupils’ knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting and using scientific equipment.
• Pupils become increasingly confident in their growing ability to collate and interpret results and come to conclusions based on real evidence.
• Pupils are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover answers.

Impact

Due to our successful approach to teaching Science, our pupils are engaged in a high-quality Science education, that provides them with firm foundations for understanding the world. We use a variety of strategies to evaluate the knowledge, skills and understanding that our children have gained every half term:

• CPD to ensure that teacher pedagogy and assessment is secure.
• regular feedback marking and pupil voice feedback.
• subject monitoring, including book looks.
• regular low stakes knowledge assessments, using a range of creative approaches.
• Cross-federation moderation to ensure secure teacher judgements.

Enrichment

Our engagement with the local environment ensures that pupil learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them. Through various workshops, trips and interactions with experts and local charities, pupils have the understanding that Science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Pupil learn the possibilities for careers in science as a result of our community links and connection with national agencies such as the STEM association and learn from, and work with, professionals from a range of different scientific backgrounds.