Cannon Park Primary School PSQM Application March 2017 Cannon Park Primary is a small, single entry level school on the outskirts of Coventry, with a mixed demographic of children ageing from Reception to Year 6

A1 There is an effective subject leader for science Since the start of PSQM, the nature of teaching and learning of science has changed – lessons are much more hands on, practical and contextual. Our ‘new’ science ethos is driven strongly by the Subject Leader and monitored regularly through questionnaires and book trawls The subject leader is in regular communication with the rest of the staff, and conducts CPD frequently – sharing good practice and any new initiatives and events A1 There is an effective subject leader for science

A1 There is an effective subject leader for science Year 6 An improvement in written work, with good questioning and next step marking bringing on children’s learning Learning is partially assessed through the newly implemented assessment sheets, which are being piloted for the first year of Cornerstones Year 2 Planning shows deeper questioning to bring on learning and is often cross-curricular in its approach A1 There is an effective subject leader for science

A2 There is a clear vision for the teaching and learning of science The subject leader and the staff created their own set of principles of what ‘good’ science should look like for the school Activities are very definitely ‘hands-on’ Children are motivated and having fun whilst learning A2 There is a clear vision for the teaching and learning of science Children are inspired! Year 4 Science is relevant and linked to topics

A2 There is a clear vision for the teaching and learning of science Year 4 Year 6 Year 5 Year 3 Children show a desire to learn through engaging enquiries. They are questioning and encouraged to explain through improved marking Adults are excited by teaching science as well as the children learning it! A2 There is a clear vision for the teaching and learning of science

The Science Action Plan is shared with staff during CPD The Subject Leader now writes an Action Plan for Science across the school, and monitors this carefully with the Leadership Team In consultation with the School Leadership Team – the whole school action plan began to incorporate science, in response to science results across the school the previous year The Headteacher’s views on how science is moving forward across the school The new assessment format used across the school A3 The current School Development Plan has appropriate and active targets for science

Getting visitors in to share their knowledge and work alongside the staff is effective in stimulating science learning and supporting staff at the same time Year 5 Social media has become an effective tool at sharing science learning with the parents and wider community Monitoring shows that 100% of children felt that effective questioning was helping them to learn more Inspiring the scientists of the future – a Whole School Science Day – initiated by the Subject Leader! Year 6 Testing water surface tension on the science day A4 There is a shared and demonstrated understanding of the importance and value of science to children’s learning Teaching Assistant in Year 6

Another exciting approach to learning the digestive system in Year 4 The Subject Leader has presented at Governors – in addition to regular communication with school staff Another exciting approach to learning the digestive system in Year 4 Monitoring of science progress and attainment is being undertaken through the assessment sheets used in each class Observing good practice around the school through drop-ins and looking at displays and classrooms, has given an insight in the active learning occurring and where A5 The science subject leader knows about science teaching and learning across the school

Year 4 had a trip to Brandon Marsh Year 4 investigated forces Year 6 have been genetically modifying dogs Reception were exploring a range of different sciences A range of good science learning is taking place across the school – trips and learning outside the classroom, exploration and investigation, exciting events, questioning and presenting findings in a range of different appraoches 3, 2, 1, Blast Off – Rocket investigations in Year 5! A5 The science subject leader knows about science teaching and learning across the school

Regular monitoring of staff ideas and requirements Staff are given an opportunity to identify areas that they need support in, and receive CPD regularly in the form of shared good practice, ideas for evidence and links with external professionals who can support also Sharing good ideas from other schools Outreach CPD is passed down through staff meetings, emails and regular communication B1 Staff continue to have opportunities for CPD within science that increases their skills, knowledge and understanding

B2 There is a range of teaching and learning approaches for Science Year 1 made bird seed feeders as part of their topic on plants and animals Year 1 and 2 used their outdoor area, to build a minibeast hotel – which linked to both science and D&T Year 4 created a dance to show how the digestive system works Year 4 were building sets of teeth in skulls Year 2 planted seeds to observe how they grew The teaching and learning of science has become very broad through a range of a different and much more exciting approaches Year 1 explored the force of rocket mice Year 4 tested sound through their own instruments B2 There is a range of teaching and learning approaches for Science

B2 There is a range of teaching and learning approaches for Science Year 6 Whole school science day! Year 2 Hands on plants! Year 1 and 2 Trip to the Botannical Gardens to look at plants and animals Visitors come into school, as part of outreach, to share their knowledge and engage and inspire learning Year 6 DNA extraction and Science through mine! Year 4 Science homework, as part of their deep sea topic B2 There is a range of teaching and learning approaches for Science

Year 4 have used skulls and teeth models to learn about the different teeth and where they are in your mouth Year 4 used balloons and tuning forks to learn about sound Microscopes are used to look at things in better detail – both digital and traditional Families and friends of the school supplied resources to help Year 1 and 2 build their minibeast hotels Sometimes resources have to be brought in fresh, as Year 4 found out! B3 There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning Science. ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching

The Subject Leader conducted an audit on the resources available to support science teaching and learning. Everything was organised according to subject and labelled clearly. This was shared across staff. Resources, websites, and useful science links are shared with staff regularly New equipment is ordered, as identified in advance of a new topic During the audit, broken equipment was thrown away B3 There is a range of up-to-date, quality resources specifically for teaching and learning Science. ICT is used both as a tool and as a resource for teaching

Investigations about changing state of materials took place, which involved decision making and solving problems Hands-on, engaging scientific enquiry was evident in an exploration of water elasticity During an egg investigation – Year 4 evaluated their findings – explaining in depth whether their result was what was expected or not, and why C1 All pupils are actively engaged in a science enquiry; using a variety of enquiry strategies, independently making decisions, using evidence to answering their own questions, solving real problems, evaluating their work

Making decisions and solving problems were evident in a challenge to create a new animal, which is adapted to its environment In year 2, children were discovering liquids and how they felt, what their properties were and how they changed. They found evidence to explain their findings and recorded what they found out Asking and answering questions through exploring how the volume of water changed the pitch in lower KS2 Year 4 had purpose for their challenge to create a game for the British Science Museum. This used a variety of skills and enquiry strategies C1 All pupils are actively engaged in a science enquiry; using a variety of enquiry strategies, independently making decisions, using evidence to answering their own questions, solving real problems, evaluating their work

The subject leader has ensured the school action plan for science puts into place a new formal assessment to address expectations and monitoring of results and progress Following consultation with staff, through a monitoring and evaluation exercise, it was identified that we needed a formal assessment in place for science The gap analysis for science identifies objectives in the national curriculum which won’t be taught through the Cornerstones units chosen C2 The purpose of science assessment is well understood and shared by the members of the school community. Assessment approaches are designed to fit those purpose

C3 Children enjoy their science experiences in school Pupil voice questionnaire – July 2016 Comments from the second pupil voice questionnaire in December 2016 Clearly science is being seen in a positive light and children are expressing their enjoyment of it as a subject. The impact of a more hands-on, engaging and varied teaching and learning taking place is evident Reception class enjoying their experiences of ice C3 Children enjoy their science experiences in school

Year 1 have been finding out about minibeasts, whilst linking with maths and counting in 2 legs! Building minibeast hotels in Year 1 and 2, was cross-curricular – as it combined science (purpose) and D&T in planning, preparing and bringing to life their design Demonstrating how the digestive system works, through the medium of dance, shows a link with two very different subjects. Year 4 pulled if off in real style and learning was very clear to see D1 Science supports and links with other curriculum areas and contributes to maximising whole school initiatives while retaining its unique status

Learning about evolution in Year 6, has allowed the children to link art through fossils and ICT through the method of presenting their findings Using art to create rockets in Year 5, as part of their space topic, was creative and exciting. There was a real purpose and the learning and results were engaging and fun Year 3 also used art to demonstrate their learning of the skeleton. This was also linked to English through the book ‘Funny Bones’, creating a very strong link cross-curricularly In Year 3, science has been linked to ICT, as the children learnt about and created food chains D1 Science supports and links with other curriculum areas and contributes to maximising whole school initiatives while retaining its unique status

The whole school science day, lead initially by the University of Warwick’s Chemistry Department outreach department – and then followed up by staff from the department coming in to support staff and share expertise, has created strong external links to enrich science teaching and learning The use of social media to share what science is happening across the school is helping to enrich teaching and learning in science, as parents can find out and talk to their children about their learning Reaching out to parents and families with science expertise, through the school newsletter D2 There are clear links to other schools and outside agencies/organisations/ communities to enrich science teaching and learning

Cannon Park Primary School Thank you for taking the time to read and share with us what science teaching and learning looks like at Cannon Park Primary School Val Price – Science Subject Leader (March 2017)