Science Curriculum Intent Statement

At Co-op Academy Oakwood, we intend our Science curriculum to be a vehicle for broadening the children’s experiences through their learning. Our community is an area of Leeds that has always suffered from high levels of multiple deprivation including high levels of unemployment with many members of our community having no formal qualifications. Of those who do work, many work part time with less than 1% of our community working in Professional, Scientific and Technical jobs whilst only around 4% work in Manufacturing streetcheck.co.uk. Through our teaching of Science, we intend to show our children that Science is not only a viable option for future employment, but also a way to have an impact on many lives.  

We follow National Curriculum Science and utilise the Co-op Trust’s curriculum plans to deliver insight, creativity and experience (ICE) across our science teaching and learning so that significant gaps in cultural capital can be addressed. Acknowledging that our children come from such diverse cultural backgrounds (46% have English as an additional language), allows us to place a clear focus upon developing their vocabulary so that they can fully immerse themselves in our exciting and inspiring curriculum. Wherever possible the Co-op ways of being are woven throughout the curriculum so as to deliver a strong sense of how they, through their understanding of science, can take their place in the world of Science and work. Our intention is to improve every students’ cultural capital and understanding of the world around them so that they can use this insight to make positive choices in their lives. The Wellcome Trust notes (p.3) that Science is not always given high enough recognition in school and society. Our intention is to provide insight into how the world works, so that these valuable life skills will help them to prepare for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. To achieve this we aim to give our students first hand experiences, wherever possible, whether this be by a visit to a place of work, a visit into school by a person working in the field of science or by completing scientific investigations in class. Scientific knowledge is vital for our naturally curious children to understand their world and future.

Our Science curriculum is designed to develop all children’s knowledge, vocabulary and understanding about the world they live in. Scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding is taught through the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. These disciplines are underpinned through the skills of Working Scientifically.  The key disciplines within science are taught progressively to build a solid subject foundation with a breadth of scientific vocabulary, which they can use confidently and within the correct context. We aim to cultivate a spirit of enquiry through practical exploration and investigation with activities both inside and outside the classroom. For example, our youngest children in EYFS make observations of their compost heap and leaves across the seasons, while our oldest pupils make detailed observations of animal adaptations to their environments (Year 6). Identification of plants and animals with a range of habitats are made (Year 2), leading to classification of plants in key stage 2 (Year 4). We aim to give insight into challenging scientific concepts in ways that are meaningful for our children using carefully pitched activities, videos, diagrams, charts, interactive investigations, ICT and wider texts. Children are encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, to predict how things will behave/change and to analyse causes and effects. In line with the Co-op’s Four Ways of Being, and as a product of our pupils’ study of science, we encourage a respect for living organisms, the physical environment and safe collaborative working practises. We provide opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence, linking with other subject skill sets, for example: discovery and research in Computing; reading tables and converting measures in Mathematics and writing reports and biographies in English. Whilst maintaining academic rigour of national curriculum science we also encourage the enjoyment and enthusiasm of scientific understanding and creative discovery with our Science Week activities each March. Subject specific vocabulary for each thread is taught and scaffolded year-by-year, effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged. Knowledge and concepts taught are reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific inquiry, so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer scientific questions. Teachers are provided with high quality resources through the Co-op Science Hub materials and have access to high quality CPD opportunities to develop their own subject knowledge.

We believe that by providing children with our inspiring and rigorous science curriculum, we can go some way to addressing their knowledge and experience gaps, empowering them to be active citizens in the future. Our intention is to provide them with insight into how science works so that these valuable life skills can help them to prepare for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. It will encourage them to think creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team. By researching, grappling with and understanding scientific knowledge and concepts, they will be able to be active participants in an ever-changing society. Finally, our curriculum will provide them with experiences of real-life contexts. They will be inspired by the stories of discoveries and achievements of a diverse range of scientists that they will study in different year groups. We wish them to take their knowledge and skills into their future lives so they can take advantage of the ever-growing scientific and medical opportunities in the City of Leeds (around 500 medical and technology companies) and the nation.