Science

Intent

Our purpose is to ensure every pupil at Parkside — from Nursery through Year 6 — becomes a curious, confident and scientifically literate learner who can explain the world, use evidence to answer questions and apply scientific methods to solve problems. Using the SNAP Science scheme as our spine, we provide a sequenced, knowledge‑rich curriculum that develops substantive content (biology, chemistry, physics) and disciplinary practises (working scientifically). We place particular emphasis on:

• Progressive vocabulary development: taught tier 2 (ambitious) and tier 3 (subject specific) words are modelled, rehearsed and assessed so pupils speak and write with precision.

• Deliberate disciplinary practice: pupils practise the enquiry types they will need (observing over time, pattern seeking, classification, comparative/fair testing, research) so scientific methods become transferable.

• Inclusive ambition: every pupil, including those with SEND and EAL, accesses the full curriculum through planned scaffolds, adapted success criteria and allocated practical roles.

• Clear end goals: each unit has a Big Question which pupils answer summatively to demonstrate their substantive knowledge and a targeted Working Scientifically skill.

Science Curriculum Map

Implementation

Curriculum design and preparation

• SNAP Science units are mapped to the National Curriculum. For each unit leaders ensure the planning document contains: essential substantive statements, two skills‑focused Programme headers (Working Scientifically foci), core tier 2 and 3 vocabulary, the Big Question (end‑of‑unit task), the planned practical activity with safety notes, and formative checks.

• Nursery and Reception are explicitly linked into the progression: Nursery focuses on a small set of recurring themes and 3–4 “must‑know” words/experiences that feed Reception and Year 1 to reduce transition misconceptions.

Before teaching a unit teachers:

• Create the unit Big Question (the end task pupils will answer).

• Check prior knowledge (short retrieval) and adapt planning to address gaps.

• Select the two Working Scientifically skills to practise and the tier 2/3 vocabulary to teach.

• Plan at least one purposeful, curriculum‑linked practical with roles and risk‑managed steps.

During each unit teachers:

• Begin lessons with a short retrieval starter revisiting crucial prior knowledge or vocabulary.

• Ensure each lesson has a clear skills focus and success criteria (I can… statements). Teachers give live, actionable feedback to all pupils on that skill during the lesson and provide an immediate re‑practice opportunity. Feedback targets a skill and one vocabulary usage.

• Model and rehearse tier 2 and 3 words through talk frames, sentence stems and visual word banks; expect accurate use in spoken and written explanations.

• Use scaffolds (simplified recording frames, model answers, adult prompts) and assigned practical roles so every pupil contributes and can demonstrate the learning aim.

• Record the lesson-level checks: skill taught, feedback given, pupils re‑practised correction, retrieval starter completed.

End of unit and after the unit

• Pupils complete the Big Question task which evidences substantive understanding and the mapped Working Scientifically skill; tasks are accessible and scaffolded where required.

• Teachers assess using the unit’s formative evidence (retrieval checks, practical checkpoints, lesson) and the Big Question. Results inform targeted interventions and next‑unit sequencing.

• Subject leader termly moderation focuses on vocabulary use, evidence of disciplinary skill practice in books/practical records and the quality of Big Question responses.

Assessment, feedback and inclusion

• Live feedback every lesson is delivered to all pupils -live feedback is based on the three M’s from the Education Endowment Foundation - ensuring it’s meaningful, manageable and motivating. This is adapted for Nursery (adult modelling, photographic evidence, short child responses) and SEND/EAL pupils (pre‑teaching vocabulary, sentence stems, adjusted success criteria).

• Formative practice includes low‑stakes quizzes, targeted questioning and short practical repeats to detect and correct misconceptions quickly. Multiple‑choice mini‑checks are used where appropriate to reveal specific misunderstandings.

• Big Questions act as low‑burden summative checks that measure whether pupils can apply knowledge and a disciplinary skill; outcomes feed curriculum refinement and interventions.

CPD, resourcing and leadership

• The subject leader maintains the SNAP→NC mapping, runs moderation, leads termly CPD on designing high‑impact, low‑risk practicals and diagnosing misconceptions, and audits practical resources.

• Whole‑school policy protects science curriculum time and budgets for practical provision and subject‑specific CPD.

Impact

Through pupil voice we will see:

• Pupils speak enthusiastically about science, confidently describing key ideas from biology, chemistry and physics and explaining how these link across units.

• Pupils explain their answers to unit Big Questions and refer to the evidence they collected to support their conclusions.

• Pupils describe how they support peers in investigations (shared roles, peer feedback) and ask for help when they need it.

• Pupils explain how mistakes helped them improve (what they changed after feedback) and show resilience in refining methods.

• Pupils use taught tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary accurately in discussion to describe ideas, objects and phenomena (for example: evaporation, variable, habitat).

• Nursery and Reception children use simple subject words (seed, leaf, weather) and describe short observations that feed into Year 1 learning.

Through learning walks we will see:

• High levels of engagement in science: pupils focused on purposeful practical tasks and talk about what they are learning.

• Pupils making links to prior lessons when explaining current tasks and referring to previous vocabulary or practical checkpoints.

• Pupils independently seeking solutions and adapting procedures when an investigation does not go as planned.

• Clear evidence that pupils are practising Working Scientifically skills and can articulate which skill they are using (observing over time, classifying, fair testing, presenting data, evaluating).

• Teachers routinely modelling and reinforcing scientific vocabulary, using visual word banks and sentence stems to support accurate pupil use.

• A coherent lesson sequence visible in planning and practice that builds knowledge step‑by‑step and leads to pupils answering their Big Question.

In pupils’ learning we will see:

• High‑quality, purposeful pupil work that shows increasing depth of understanding across units (diagrams, labelled observations, data presentations, written explanations).

• A completed Big Question piece for each unit that demonstrates both substantive knowledge and a practised Working Scientifically skill.

• Cross‑curricular use of knowledge and skills (mathematical measurement, computing for data presentation, writing to explain conclusions).

• Differentiated activities and scaffolded outcomes that enable all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL, to make measurable progress from their starting points.

• Regular evidence of live feedback: pupils acting on immediate teacher feedback within the lesson (re‑measuring, re‑planning, improving explanations).

• Pupil reflection that shows they use prior learning to plan next steps and can describe how their scientific skills have developed over time.

Why this matters

This approach follows national evidence and inspection expectations: it sequences knowledge to reduce misconceptions, trains disciplinary skills from early years onward, protects practical work that has curricular purpose, and makes live feedback the engine of everyday progress. It supports Parkside’s vision of “Nurturing and Inspiring Young Minds Toward a Bright Future” by ensuring pupils not only learn scientific facts but learn to think and argue like scientists.