At the Cliff Federation, we recognise the importance of science in every aspect of daily life. As one of the core subjects taught in Primary Schools, we give the teaching and learning of science the prominence it requires. The scientific area of learning is concerned with increasing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of our world, and with developing skills associated with science as a process of enquiry. It will develop the natural curiosity of the child, encourage respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provide opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence.

At the Cliff Federation, in conjunction with the aims of the National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, our science teaching offers opportunities for children to:

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding.
• Develop 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. Including pattern seeking, research, fair testing, observation over time, and identifying and classifying.
• Be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
• Develop the essential working scientifically enquiry skills to deepen their scientific knowledge.
• Use a range of methods to communicate their scientific information and present it in a systematic, scientific manner, including I.C.T., diagrams, graphs, and charts.
• Develop a respect for the materials and equipment they handle with regard to their own, and other children’s safety.
• Develop an enthusiasm and enjoyment of scientific learning and discovery.

We endeavour to ensure that the Science curriculum we provide will give children the confidence and motivation to continue to further develop their skills into the next stage of their education and life experiences.

The successful Science approach the Cliff Federation use, will result in fun, engaging, high-quality science education that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding our world. Our children really enjoy Science!

The children will know more, remember more, and understand more about science. The children will retain prior learning and explicitly make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning.

The impact of following our science scheme of work is that all children will have:

• Develop early scientific thinking skills through hands-on exploration and sensory experiences in EYFS (Reception).
•  Develop a body of foundational knowledge for the biology topics in the National curriculum: Plants; Animals, including humans; Living things and their habitats; and Evolution and inheritance.
• Develop a body of foundational knowledge for the chemistry topics in the National curriculum: Everyday materials; Uses of everyday materials; Properties and changes of materials; States of matter; and Rocks.
• Develop a body of foundational knowledge for the physics topics in the National curriculum: Seasonal changes; Forces and magnets; Sound; Light; Electricity; and Earth and space.
• Evaluate and identify the methods that ‘real world’ scientists use to develop and answer scientific questions.
• Identify and use equipment effectively to accurately gather, measure and record data.
• Be able to display and convey data in a variety of ways, including graphs.
• Analyse data to identify, classify, group, and find patterns.
• Use evidence to formulate explanations and conclusions.
• Demonstrate scientific literacy through presenting concepts and communicating ideas using scientific vocabulary.
• Understand the importance of resilience and a growth mindset, particularly in reference to scientific enquiry.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for science.
• A wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry skills.
• A richer vocabulary which will enable them to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
• Confidence and a love of learning for all things Science.

 We monitor science through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Teachers assess pupils against the learning objectives and any relevant scientific enquiry skills. We also use unit quizzes and a knowledge and skills catcher which can be used at the beginning or end of the unit to provide a summative assessment. Opportunities for pupils to communicate using scientific vocabulary will also form part of the assessment process.