Moor Allerton Hall Primary School

Science at Moor Allerton Hall 

At Moor Allerton Hall primary School we strive to provide a high-quality science education that develops children’s understanding of the world through the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. In an ever-changing world, where our children’s future jobs may not even exist yet, it is vital our children understand how science has already changed their lives and how it may shape their future.  

We provide children with scientific knowledge and skills but also teach and demonstrate to them the real world uses of science. As much as possible, we strive to teach science through first-hand practical experiences and our children are encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation through these exciting investigations, which build on their natural curiosity.  

They are expected to:  
• Try to explain what is occurring;  
• Use appropriate scientific vocabulary and ideas;  
• Explain the ‘why?’  
 Our science curriculum provides the children with an opportunity to use a range of different types of scientific enquiry approaches and skills throughout their time at Moor Allerton Hall Primary School. We also ensure there is ample opportunity that encourages open-ended questioning to give children a chance to demonstrate their understanding of the enquiry approaches and working scientifically skills they have been taught. It is important that children are not always directly guided to the ‘right’ answer and they realise that some of the most significant scientific advancements occurred from mistakes or someone saying ‘What if…..?’ We believe that as well as being able to understand a scientific enquiry for themselves, it is important our children can also explain this coherently and with a critical mind to someone else. 

 At Moor Allerton Hall we are passionate that a broad and balanced science education is the entitlement of all children, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, class, aptitude or disability. Enabling all children to access a scientific education should also encourage open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and responsibility, which are skills they can apply in all walks of life.  

In the words of Carl Sagan, an astronomer and astrophysicist, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known” 

MAHPS Science Implemenation

Moor Allerton Hall Primary School pupils will use a range of strategies to introduce, explore, and fully understand scientific learning. When required, this will be adapted to best suit each class and each individual learner so that they are able to make their personal best progress with their learning. Each year group’s learning objectives will come from the national curriculum and where possible these have been aligned to fit at an appropriate time of year and within the children’s developmental stages so that they are best able to access the learning. Subject knowledge and vocabulary are carefully planned for each unit to ensure the children are able to build on prior knowledge as they move up through school.  All science learning will be taught over weekly lessons to enable the children to focus on one subject at a time. 

At the beginning of each unit, children will have the opportunity to reflect on their existing science knowledge through a pre-assessment which will guide teacher planning and adaptation. Each science lesson is planned with one learning objective which is presented to children as an overarching ‘Big Question’. Learning will then be differentiated to reflect learner needs. Planning will ensure that by the end of the unit the children can answer the pre-assessment questions they were not able to answer at the start of the unit. 

Within lessons, tasks will show a clear differentiation between groups of children to allow them all to show their understanding of the ‘Big Question’. Differentiation should be by supporting a variety of learning styles and recording mediums and it will not be by literacy ability, written output or degree of adult support. All children should have an equitable opportunity to show their level of understanding, regardless of literacy ability. Any children with specific SEN requirements need to be planned for, so they also have the same opportunities to learn and show understanding. Provision for extension within the lesson or between different ability groups should is provided for where possible, to ensure all children have the opportunity to show a developing understanding with the lesson. 

Children need to be shown that there are a variety of types of scientific investigations (enquiry approaches) and are taught these across their time in school: 
• Comparative / Fair testing  
• Surveys and patterns in data  
• Classification  
• Exploring and observing over time  
• Problem solving  
• Research 
They will develop an understanding of what the differences are between these approaches, the pros and cons of each, as well as when it is best to select a particular approach. As children move through KS2 they will then be given opportunity to choose their own approach to learning and how best to investigate. Children will be shown which enquiry type they will be using at the start of each lesson. The children will associate each enquiry type with a ‘logo’ as shown below. 

At Moor Allerton Hall children will also be introduced to and develop seven key science skills (also known as the working scientifically skills or enquiry skills):  
• asking questions  
• making predictions  
• setting up tests  
• observing and measuring  
• recording data  
• interpreting and communicating results  
• evaluating. 

Each practical lesson will focus on a particular skill which will be highlighted to the children at the start of each lesson. The children will associate each enquiry skill with a ‘logo’ as shown below.  

To further support learning,  a display will be available in each classroom for children to access. Displays will include:  

• Relevant diagrams  
• Supporting imagery  
• Useful scientific vocabulary  
• Definitions  
• Real-life examples of the application of the learning  
• Relevant examples of scientists/occupations in this field, particularly from minority groups/female representatives  
• Logos and headings of enquiry types & skills 

At Moor Allerton Hall, we aim to raise the profile of science around school in ways other than weekly science lessons. This will be done in the form of Science Weeks, talking about science in the news, school trip opportunities and more. If possible, teachers will also encourage members of our local community such as parents, STEM Ambassadors, secondary school teachers etc. to support aspects of learning. Where possible, lessons will refer to real world scenarios where scientific learning applies or shows the children the types of occupations that might use this learning. 

The subject coordinator will conduct regular monitoring to check coverage and progression, giving timely and focused feedback to all staff. Staff members will have access to ongoing training and other resources to improve their subject knowledge, confidence and ability to teach science effectively. The science coordinator has also developed a partnership with Red Kite Learning Alliance to ensure their subject knowledge and practices through school are up to date.  

MAHPS Science Impact

If our intent and implementation are successful, then at Moor Allerton Hall we would expect to see:  
 
• A broad and engaging curriculum that makes use of a range of resources, such as visitors and local attractions . 

• Children and staff who are enthusiastic about scientific learning  

• Children and staff who can speak confidently about science, including uses in the real world  

• Children who can use appropriate scientific vocabulary in oral and written form  

• All children being successful in sharing their understanding of scientific concepts  

• Children who can make links between different areas of science and other subject areas  

• Children who can recall prior scientific learning when required and use this to understand new learning  

• Children increasingly being able to instigate their own investigations confidently and interpreting their findings  

• Staff who are able to anticipate potential misconceptions and address these confidently 

 • Children meeting their age-related expectations in science consistently 

MAHPS Science Curricullum Overview

MAHPS Science Year Group Overviews

MAHPS Science Curricullum Progression