Grange Lane Junior School.doc

grange lane junior school policy for sciencegrange lane junior schoolpolicy for science (draft)f. mawsonspring 2008policy for sciencedocument purposethis document reflects the values and philosophy of grange lane junior school in relation to the teaching and learning of science. it provides a framework within which teaching and non-teaching staff work, and it gives guidance on planning, teaching and assessment.the policy should be read in conjunction with the qca scheme of work, which has been adopted by the school, and can be used as a springboard to develop the individual teachers ideas in a personal way within the schools guidelines. this should enable teachers to design a programme of activities that is responsive to their own and childrens skills and needs in science at that particular time.audiencethis policy relates to pupils in key stage 2. this document is intended for all teaching staff and staff with classroom responsibilities, the school governors, parents, north lincolnshire education authority and inspection teams.this policy document, after presentation to, and agreement by, the staff and governing body, is distributed to all teaching and non-teaching staff and the school governors. such distribution ensures the accessibility of the document to visiting teachers, for example outreach/support staff and to parents. philosophyscience stimulates and excites pupils wonder about phenomena and events in the world around them. it satisfies their curiosity with knowledge. it is concerned with observing, questioning, experimenting, deducing and reaching conclusions about what has happened based on evidence. through science, children understand how major scientific ideas contribute to the quality of our lives their influence on industry, business and medicine. when children are studying, teachers should foster their enjoyment of exploration, manipulation, comparison, argument and testing.every child matters (see .uk)enjoy and achievescience is a subject that fires pupils curiosity about phenomena in the world around them, providing enjoyment through a sense of awe and wonder.the investigative and practical nature of science, and the opportunities it offers for working with others, engages and motivates pupils and increases their understanding of the world. in addition, pupils enjoy exploring the contemporary applications and implications of science and its effect on their lives on a personal, local, national and global scale.be healthythe study of science allows pupils to make informed decisions about healthy lifestyle choices, including issues related to healthy eating, and the human body. stay safethe investigative and practical nature of science provides opportunities for pupils to assess and manage risk. they learn to manage the risks associated with experimental techniques, such as those involving electricity. knowledge and understanding of scientific procedures inform personal and collective decisions related to maintaining a safe environment.achieve economic wellbeingstudying science plays an essential role in contributing to young peoples long-term economic wellbeing because it helps them develop practical and investigative skills, including the ability to obtain, analyse, evaluate and communicate data and information. make a positive contributionthe nature of scientific understanding, based on critical interpretation of observational and experimental evidence, allows pupils to develop their own opinions and become active contributors. they question and discuss issues that may affect their own lives, the development of societies and the future of the world. subject aimsthe aims of science are to enable children to: ask and answer scientific questions plan and carry out scientific investigations, using equipment correctly know and understand life processes and living things know and understand physical processes of materials, light, electricity, sound and natural forces know about the nature of the solar system, including the earth evaluate evidence and present their conclusions clearly and accuratelynational curriculumthe school will follow the national curriculum programmes of study. in science, as in each subject, there are two main requirements.1. knowledge, skills and understanding (what has to be taught in the subject during the key stage).2. breadth of study (the contexts, activities, areas of study and range of experiences through which the knowledge, skills and understanding should be taught).knowledge and understandingsc1 scientific enquirysc2 life processes and living thingssc3 materials and their propertiessc4 physical processesteaching should ensure that scientific enquiry is taught through contexts taken from the sections on life processes and living things, materials and their properties and physical processes.breadth of studyduring key stage 2 pupils should be taught knowledge, skills and understanding through: a range of domestic and environmental contexts that are familiar and of interest to them looking at the part science has played in the development of many useful items using a range of sources of information and data, including ict-based sources using first-hand and secondary data to carry out a range of scientific investigations.communication to use appropriate scientific language and terms to communicate ideas and explanations.health and safety to recognise that there are hazards in living things, materials and physical processes, and to assess risks and act to reduce risks to themselves and others.the children undertake a balanced programme that takes account of abilities, aptitudes and physical, emotional and intellectual development.during key stage 2, the pupils learn about a wider range of living things, materials and phenomena. they begin to make links between ideas and to explain things using simple models and theories. they begin to apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas to familiar phenomena, everyday things and their personal health. children start to appreciate the positive and negative impact of scientific and technological developments on the environment and in other contexts. they can carry out more systematic investigations by working on their own and with others. they use a wide range of reference sources and can communicate their ideas using a growing diversity of scientific language, diagrams, charts and graphs.end of key stage expectationsby the end of key stage 2, the performance of the majority of children should be within the range of levels 3 to 5. most pupils are expected to reach level 4.curriculum and school organisationqca scheme of workgrange lane junior school follows the qca scheme of work supported by other materials: exploring science, longman windmill press developing science (y3-6) photocopiable resources, a&c black london key stage 2 science curriculum bank, scholastic thats science songs, network educational press ltdthere are eighteen units provided years 3-5 and seven in year 6. each unit is taught over half a term or less.year groupqca units covered3 3a teeth and eating 3b helping plants grow 3c characteristics of materials 3d rocks and soils 3e magnets and springs 3f lights and shadows4 4a moving and growing 4b habitats 4c keeping warm 4d solids, liquids and how they can be separated 4e friction 4f circuits and conductors5 5a keeping healthy 5b life cycles 5c gases around us 5d changing states 5e earth, sun and moon 5f changing sounds6 6a interdependence and adaptation 6b micro-organisms 6c more about dissolving 6d reversible and irreversible changes 6e forces in action 6f how we see things 6g changing circuits revisionthe units are designed for teaching in twelve hours or fewer. each unit is delivered during weekly sessions.progression and continuitywithin the scheme of work, learning activities are in sequence to ensure continuity and progression. progress in science can be characterised by: the graduation from using everyday language to the increasingly precise use of technical and scientific vocabulary, notation and symbols the development from personal knowledge to understanding a wide range of scientific knowledge the advancement from participating in practical scientific activities to building increasingly abstract models of real situations the improvement from unstructured exploration to more systematic investigations.class organisation and teaching styleslearning can be by means of direct teaching to the class or small groups, by providing direct hands-on experience with science equipment and resources, by teacher-prepared materials (such as worksheets), and by practical tasks developed by both the teacher and the children themselves. wherever possible and appropriate, educational visits are included in a science topic, making use of locations accessible to school. people with an expertise or interest in a particular science topic can be invited into school to work with the children. such visitors might include parents and other family members, local health service workers or representatives of service companies.as a curriculum subject, science is led by a designated subject leader. the subject leader receives any information/resources that arrive in school. decisions regarding science work and the development of the science curriculum and attendance at science courses are made by the subject leader in consultation with the senior management team.science is seen as having particular links to work in other curriculum areas, including geography, mathematics, english, design and technology, ict, music, and art and design. science provides opportunities for teaching the following areas. environmental awareness. economic and industrial understanding. health education. careers education. citizenship. personal, social and health education.grange lane junior schools approach to science uses: practical scientific equipment for investigative work topic/reference books television programmes and video recordings computer-based material pictorial material data including graphs and statistics 3-d resources, for example skeletons plants and animals.science provides opportunities for specialist teaching approaches. these include: first-hand observation and use of science resources for investigation educational visits.resources and accommodationpublished materials are used in the planning of science topics. there are reference books for science in the library. staff and children may borrow these books. the majority of science materials and equipment are kept in boxes in the science cupboards located in y4. the science subject leader is responsible for maintaining science resources, monitoring their use and organising the resource area. resources are replaced and purchased in accordance with the general school ordering procedures. the current lists of resources are examined before requisitions are made. staff submit lists of any resources to be added to the existing stock and should advise the subject leader if any resources are damaged or need replacing. the science subject leader plans the purchase of resources each year, in line with the science budget allocated from the main school budget. some resources for science do not need to be purchased specifically but can be found in school, or by requesting the children to bring them from home. such collections are built up gradually and are likely to include:fabric trimmingsbuttonsfeathers paper envelopesmaterials ricepastabagssoapswoodshavingsballspebblesjunk materialsstonesshellssticksfoil trayspolystyreneegg boxesmagazinescataloguespegsplastic bottlesplastic tubshealth and safetywhen working with tools, equipment and materials, in practical activities and in different environments, including those that are unfamiliar, pupils should be taught: about hazards, risks and risk control to recognise hazards, assess consequent risks, take steps to control the risks to themselves and others, and to explain the steps they take to control risks. to use information to assess the immediate and cumulative risks to manage their environment to ensure the health and safety of themselves and others.when teaching science, health and safety issues should be taken into consideration. the children should be supervised fully, especially when using tools and apparatus. all equipment should be stored safely and returned to the correct place at the end of each lesson. the children and staff should wear protective clothing; for example, safety goggles should be used when working with potentially dangerous substances. if using newspapers or magazines to protect tables, care must be taken that inappropriate articles or photographs are concealed from the children. materials for science should be bought from an educational supplier. the correct procedures and techniques should be shown to children before they use any tools, e.g. scissors, knives, chisels. all liquids or objects spilt or dropped on the floor should be cleared away immediately to avoid accidents. glass should always be handled carefully and, whenever possible, plastic should be used instead. thermometers should always be used carefully. with naked flames, e.g. lighted candles, children should be warned to keep long hair, ties and other bits of clothing away from the flame. candles should be fixed firmly in a suitable holder. hot water should be used with care and should not be put in glass containers, which could crack. lenses, e.g. magnifying glasses, can focus light and heat; therefore, special care should be taken that children do not look at a source of light through these lenses. care should be taken when holding any object close to the eye. tasting anything should be allowed only under close supervision. extreme care should be taken when carrying out electrical work. mains electricity should not be used, only low-voltage batteries.equal opportunitiesall teaching and non-teaching staff at grange lane junior school are responsible for ensuring that all pupils, irrespective of gender, ability, ethnic origin and social circumstances, have access to the whole curriculum and opportunities to make the greatest progress possible in all areas of the curriculum while at our school.children in all year groups have an equal opportunity to undertake all aspects of work in science and have equal access to science teaching and learning throughout any one school year.speci