The school was the proud recipient of the Primary Science Quality Mark which was awarded in recognition of the way in which Science is strategically planned and taught across the school. Our aim is to apply for the PSQM gilt award at the end of this 3-year cycle to highlight the established effective leadership in the subject and the sustained improvement in teaching and learning throughout the school.

School Aims

At Hadrian Park we all share a clear vision for the teaching and learning of Science. This incorporates a whole school approach whereby children are given the opportunities to learn through first-hand and practical experiences. We believe this allows children to learn and discover answers for themselves in a progressive manner whilst teachers act as facilitators within these lessons. Children are regularly consulted as part of our Pupil Voice surveys to ensure that children have an important say in how the subject is delivered.

Staff at Hadrian Park know that good Science occurs when…

• Questions arise naturally from experiments 'wow, how did that happen?' ' Why did that happen?' 'Can we do it again?' 'Can we try...?'. This leads to further scientific inquiry.
• Children are having fun!  learning how to work scientifically, how to observe closely, and how to record their observations! 
•  Children are being inquisitive and asking questions
• Children are using scientific words and concepts to describe and explain
• Children can make connections and comparisons

The National Curriculum

EYFS

In the Early Years Foundation Stage lessons are planned linked to the specific area of learning ‘Understanding the World’. Understanding of the World is about how children get to know about other people, the place where they live and about all aspects of the environment.

Key Stage 1 and 2

A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry, and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes, and uses of science.

The curriculum is carefully mapped out throughout the school to allow for maximum coverage and progression. Carefully planned retrieval practice (recalling previous learnt information) across the year and between year groups ensures that subject knowledge and enquiry skills are well embedded and build upon firmly established foundations.

Scientific Enquiry

We aim to develop skills of:

• Observation - Pupils will acquire information, find clues and discover things from using all their senses, paying careful attention to specific and relevant detail in investigation of things studied.

. Measurement – children will use a variety of equipment including thermometers, stopwatches, measuring cylinders etc. to measure and record results accurately.

• Interpretation - Pupils will develop the ability to distinguish between relevant and non-relevant detail in an attempt to make sense of a study and make conclusions based only on evidence and tested facts.

• Hypothesising - Pupils will attempt to explain observations and relations and make predictions in terms of a principle or concept that can be tested.

• Questioning - Pupils will recognise what can be scientifically questioned and will ask questions that are relevant and able to be tested.

• Investigating - Pupils will be able to set up their own experiments to test their ideas, the important principle being, to develop fair testing and the identification and elimination of variables.

• Communicating - The pupils will communicate their findings in some form or other. It can either be verbal, pictorial or written.

What makes Hadrian Park Special

The National Curriculum states that scientific knowledge is required to understand the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. As a school we make clear the links between Science and the career opportunities it provides, through; school trips, guest speakers and also dedicated Science displays in each classroom with links to relevant careers. The North East is rapidly becoming a hub for green technology and we want to ensure our children are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this. Each year we have a focused STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) week, where children can really immerse themselves in the subject with mentors from industry and supported by the local FE college.