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The Curriculum in Detail
The Science Department What is Science? Science as a National Curriculum core subject is taught throughout the school from Reception to Year 8. It is taught as separate disciplines: Biology, Chemistry and Physics, from Year 6. It provides the opportunity to gain:
Aims of the Department The aims of the science department are, to inspire interest and curiosity about all aspects of science, in order to equip all the pupils for an increasingly scientific world, and also, to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum and beyond. We prepare pupils for the National Curriculum SATs and the Common Entrance Exam at 11+ and 13+. Scholars are prepared according to the requirements of their Public Schools which vary widely. Principles of teaching and learning Science is important because ▪ it is a body of knowledge essential to our understanding of the modern world ▪ the skills of observation, questioning, research, experimentation, analysing, can be applied across the curriculum and in everyday life. ▪ awareness of science prepares them for making value judgements about themselves, their families and other relationships, the wider groups to which they belong, the diversity in the society and the quality of the environment.
Science is a core subject in the National Curriculum. The fundamental skills, knowledge and concepts of the subjects are set out therein. Each key stage includes or develops the following components: ▪ Scientific enquiry: - ideas and evidence in science - investigative skills - planning - obtaining and presenting evidence - considering evidence and evaluating. ▪ Life processes and living things: - life processes - humans and other animals - green plants - variation and classification - living things in their environment. ▪ Materials and properties: -- grouping materials - changing materials - separating mixtures of materials - patterns of behaviour. ▪ Physical processes: - Electricity and magnetism - forces and motion - light and sound - the Earth and beyond - energy resources and transfer.
We aim to do as much practical work as possible because children of this age learn most effectively by hands on experience. Experiments, investigations and research are the core of the Scientific enquiry section of the N.C. Programme of study and are carried out by all years. We have a large amount of equipment to support this work and we also use the school grounds and the local area for a wide range of activities and investigations to do with the natural world such as identifying habitats, pond dipping, river and erosion surveys.
Visits and Excursions We aim to provide at least one visit or excursion for each of the year groups every year. We find this is a stimulating way of expanding the facilities available in school. Most of them are very much a hands on experience. The following have been visited in recent years Quantum Theatre For Science.
Curioxity The Wow Show (Oxford Trust) The Odd One Out Show (Oxford Trust) Starsfield Planetarium Observatory Visits Discovery Centre Bracknell Think Tank Birmingham Sea Life Centre Birmingham National Space Centre Leicester Science Lecture Series We have also been very lucky to have visiting lectures and workshops from some of our parents. The following are some of the topics covered. The Theory of Flight Science Club Provides an opportunity through the activities programme to discover some exciting applications of science. Aiming to stimulate the natural curiosity of budding scientists the children will be able to experience a greater breadth of practical activities not necessarily confined to the National Curriculum.
I.C.T. The use of information technology in science is an evolving one and it is planned to continue to expand the use of computers in our teaching. We have several dattaloggers and various sensors to teach the techniques, as they are used in experiments. We have two laboratories equipped with projectors so that presentations of a range of materials of our own device, and Internet and CD rom sources, can be displayed with ease. We also have video cameras for recording experimental data, both time lapse and for use with a microscope. We also use the I.C.T. suite for presentation of experimental work, access to C D Rom materials and Internet in research for projects, and preparation of Power Point presentations to summarise their work. Winchester House School
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