Science

How is science taught and what does it look like at Oatlands?

At OJS, we are all scientists! We want our children to be informed, inquisitive, enthusiastic and able to ask and answer questions across the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. In order to do this, we ensure that in our weekly science lessons:

• We focus upon the development of 'working scientifically' skills, including observing over time, pattern seeking and comparative and fair testing, through frequent practical investigation. We want science to be 'hands on' and accessible for all children!
• Children have the opportunity to apply acquired scientific knowledge to real life situations, from designing their own flowers to creating new breeds of animal and suggesting improvements to our own local habitats! We want children to appreciate the importance and relevance of their science learning.
• Scientific vocabulary is modelled by teachers and used regularly by children. We want them to leave our school able to speak about science with confidence and clarity!
• Children have the opportunity to answer and ask their own questions about a range of scientific topics, from Plants and Light to Earth and Space and Evolution. We want our children to be curious about and understand the world in which we live!
• Children practise regularly using a range of scientific apparatus, from trundle wheels, measuring cylinders and pipettes to Newton-metres when studying Forces and cells, wires and switches during their Electricity learning! We want our pupils to have the practical skills they need to answer questions they have about the world around us!
• Children receive and have the chance to respond regularly to feedback in order to make the best progress with their learning.

Extra-curricular events, including visits from people working in STEM fields, enhance children's classroom learning and emphasise the significance of science beyond the school walls.

What will my child will leave OJS knowing, understanding and appreciating in science?

At Oatlands, we want all children to leave our school not only with a curiosity about the world around them but the requisite skills to be able to explore, answer and explain their conclusions about the questions they have. By the end of Year 6, children will have covered topics across the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics and have used each of the five types of scientific enquiry - observing over time, comparative and fair testing, research using secondary sources, pattern spotting and identifying, grouping and classifying - to explore these. Children will have used apparatus from measuring cylinders and pipettes to Newton-metres and tuning forks and recorded results obtained in a variety of styles. 

Children will recognise famous scientists and the impact their work has had and be enthusiastic about the future careers open to them as a result of their own scientific studies. Off-site visits to an arboretum and the Great Yorkshire Showground and in-school visits from professional scientists will have supported and enhanced your child's classroom learning.