The Science Curriculum

Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity

Science Curriculum Intent at LCA

Science teaching at Lincoln Carlton Academy aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific knowledge, concepts and skills to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. Scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. Topics, such as Plants, are taught in Key Stage One and studied again in further detail throughout Key Stage Two. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding concepts and knowledge into the long-term memory. All children are encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged.

How is this implemented?

The planning and teaching of the science curriculum is designed to build on knowledge and skills taught in previous units and year groups. Teachers use knowledge organisers alongside the school’s science progression framework to plan and teach key concepts and scientific enquiry skills in a progressive manner and support the acquisition and accumulation of knowledge. New vocabulary is planned through knowledge organisers and is taught explicitly to children, teaching the meaning of homonyms where necessary. Retrieval practice techniques are used to help children to memorise key concepts for use in future science lessons and across the curriculum. When teaching practical science, teachers combine demonstrations with opportunities for children to carry out their own investigations, gaining hands-on experience handling specialist equipment and materials.

Science Curriculum Impact

Our science curriculum provides the foundations for our children for understanding the world they live in. Through building up a body of knowledge and key concepts, our children develop a sense of excitement and curiosity and they understand how science can be used to explain what has occurred, predict how things will behave and analyse the causes. Our children understand the value of science and enjoy working scientifically. They are able to communicate their ideas and findings with confidence and using different styles. Our children have a passion for science and engage enthusiastically in their learning. As a result, they achieve well and are keen to continue studying science as they move on to the next stage of their education.