Introduction:

As the shadow of the global Covid-19 pandemic disappears, education has returned to its pre-pandemic state, the science department has used the opportunity to embed the wide variety of unique learning opportunities that science provides our students.

The science department continues with our aim for all students to remember, know and do more. During this academic year, GL assessments will continue at key points across the school. Students will do a baseline GL in Year 5, and a final GL assessment at the end of Year 8, so that progress can be measured from entry to exit of St John’s CofE Middle School Academy.

‘Century’, is the embedded online education resource that is utilised by all year groups throughout the academic year, complementing the Wave 1 Interventions that are evident in lessons. This resource provides bespoke individualised learning pathways for students across the three pillars of science: Biology, Chemistry and Physics and across the key stages.

Intent:

St John's CofE Middle School Academy Science Department is committed to helping students become confident in challenging ideas and scientific theories that they are presented with within their daily lives.

Our mission is for all students to be challenged within lessons; be able to link their prior learning with new situations they encounter; engage in public discussions; appreciate the awe and wonder of science; develop a life-long love of science and have the skills of a scientifically literate person. Thereby, supporting our school vision is to be a school where every individual in our community is valued and enabled to flourish as a child of God.

The 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 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 knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future

In upper Key Stage 2 the principal focus is to enable pupils to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. This is done through specialist teachers facilitating discussion with students, allowing them to explore and talk about their ideas; creating their own questions about scientific phenomena; and analysing functions, relationships, and interactions more systematically. They will encounter more abstract ideas and begin to recognise how ideas help them to understand and predict how the world operates.

In Key Stage 3 the focus is to develop a deeper understanding of a range of scientific ideas in biology, chemistry and physics. We aim to enable students to interconnect the three subject areas, but also across the curriculum by developing their use of scientific vocabulary, including the use of scientific terminology, units, and mathematical representations.

Implementation:

The science department has created a bespoke curriculum incorporating aspects of Snap Science, TAPS (Teacher Assessment in Primary Science), Explorify and Outstanding Science for KS2, which is taught as discreet lessons twice a week. There is an investigative aspect to most lessons, which helps to develop their scientific thinking in preparation for Key Stage 3. Students are periodically assessed on the topics that they have been taught, enabling teachers to focus wave 1 intervention on areas that the students have found most challenging. However, we always ensure that any questions posed within the lesson stretch and challenge the more able thereby challenging them to achieve exceeding/greater depth by the end of Year 6.

In Key Stage 3, students follow the Activate course, which is taught exclusively by specialist science teachers. Both Years 7 & 8 have a top set for science; with the remaining classes being taught as mixed ability groups. The creation of the top set is to stretch and challenge students, preparing them for the separate science pathways available at High School. There are assessments at the end of every topic, which test the knowledge, understanding and applications of science; and incorporate low level questions through to higher order thinking skills. Alongside this, the science department has been working closely with the local High Schools to ensure that the mathematical and investigative skills required for GCSE science are taught at St Johns CofE Middle School Academy, thereby supporting their transition in Year 9.

Autumn Term

Key Stage 2:
Students in Year 5 study the units of Materials and Forces. Whereas Year 6 study the units of The Body, The Nature Library and Electricity. Finally, the Launchpad students study The Body and Electricity.
Key Stage 3:
Students in Year 7 study the units of Working Scientifically, Cells, Particles and Elements. Whereas Year 8 study the units of Ecosystem Processes, The Periodic Table and Electricity & Magnetism.

Spring Term

Key Stage 2:
Students in Year 5 study the units of Plants, Lifecycles, Everyday Materials and Earth & Beyond. In Year 6, students study the units of Marvellous Mixtures and Everything Changes. Whereas the Launchpad students study Lifecycles and The Nature Library.
Key Stage 3:
Students in Year 7 study the units of Body Systems, Chemical Reactions, Sound and Forces. Students will also complete a mini project on the unit of Space, which will be completed as homework. Whereas Year 8 study the units of Health and Lifestyle, Separating Techniques and Energy. Likewise, students in Year 8 will also complete a mini project for homework on the topic of The Earth.

Summer Term

Key Stage 2:
Student in Year 5 study Reproduction and All Change, with students in Year 6 studying Light. This is a transition unit incorporating both KS2 and KS3 aspects of the topic. The Launchpad students will study Light, Everything Changes and Marvellous Mixtures.
Key Stage3:
Students in Year 7 study Reproduction and Acids &. Whereas, students in Year 8 study Adaptation & Inheritance, Metals & Acids and Motion & Pressure.

The Launchpad, which supports the learning of a select number of students, also offers a bespoke curriculum designed to be taught over two years covering topics on Plants, Materials, Forces, Lifecycles, The Body, Nature Library, Electricity, Marvellous Mixtures and Everything Changes. Those students in Years 7 & 8 will have differentiated lessons linked to the topics being delivered on the above topics. They will also have practical sessions delivered throughout the year in the laboratory, thereby ensuring that they experience science to its fullest extent.

Impact:

The curriculum offer for science has now created a rich and stimulating environment that will all both our students and department to engage in the process of scientific discovery. During the last academic year, science continued to offer blended-learning for those students that required it. Our enrichment programme included STEM Club and the Primary Science STEM Challenge. The cultural capital of the students is paramount and can be seen through the excellent work produced within their books, and the many different career opportunities highlighted through the variety of starter activities in lessons.

The results for the end of the academic year 2022-23 showed 88% of Year 5 were on track and meeting their target grade. The GL data was XXXXXX on entry and will be compared at the end of Year 8. In Year 6, 93% were on track and meeting their target grade. Year 6 did not do an end of Key Stage GL assessment this year.

At KS3 Year 7, 90% of students were on track and met their target grade and finally in Year 8, 93% were on track and met their target grade. Year 8 did complete a GL assessment in June 2023, where they achieved an overall score of 98.3, which was very pleasing indeed.

Once again, the results achieved by the students is a testament to the outstanding efforts of both them and the science department, of which I remain immensely proud.

 

Curriculum

Knowledge Organisers

Key Performance Indicators