Science

It is our aim to foster within all Colby children the desire to ask questions and to provide them with opportunities to ‘find out for themselves.’  We expect our children to improve their scientific skills set year on year, whilst simultaneously building up a good working knowledge of early chemistry, physics and biology. We want them to make links between science and other areas of the curriculum and to start to make sense of the world around them.  

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At Colby we place equal importance on the acquisition of scientific skills alongside the development of knowledge.  Scientific learning begins in EYFS where children will explore the natural environment around them through regular outdoor learning sessions which see our children observe and interact with plants and animals in our rural garden area.  Signs of seasonal changes and the weather are strands that continue throughout the year. 

From Key Stage 1 children access our ‘Developing Experts’ science program, a Norfolk based initiative which sees the children enjoy interactive learning songs, watching experts alongside participating in scientific challenges to guide their learning.  We are proud of being part of the Developing Experts scheme which introduces ‘real’ people in ‘real jobs’ to enhance the children’s scientific experiences and highlight the relevance of science to our everyday lives.  In Key Stage 2 children follow the appropriate sequence of lessons which helps them to embed scientific knowledge alongside skills.  

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We follow the national curriculum for our science but are keen to embed our science learning within our children’s interests and local relevance. To this end, we have been working with a multinational energy company, Vattenfall for the last few years and Amethyst children are keen to promote the importance of providing sustainable energy for Norfolk.  They have the opportunity to show visiting children from other local schools how wind energy is sustainable and successful in providing Norfolk’s energy.  Sapphire Class visit Banham Zoo to support their work on Africa in Geography and they handle and find out about the life cycles and habitats of creatures from the African continent.  Living very near to the Norfolk Broads means that Emerald class enjoy visiting and studying the local wildlife of this particular wetland environment.  We feel that is important to promote the idea that anyone could be a scientist or work within a scientific field as their chosen career, which is why ‘Developing Experts’ works for our children as a range of people spanning the genders and race are represented.

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We have a strong history of being an Eco School and our children are responsible for maintaining that status by promoting a sustainable way of living both at home and at school.  Our Eco Club children decide what matters to our children and together we make it happen, whether it be opening a ‘healthy’ tuck shop or taking part in the RSPB Big Bird Watch.

 

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement: the greatest source of visual beauty, the greatest source of intellectual interest. It makes life worth living.” Sir David Attenborough.

 

We regularly assess our children’s progress through lesson observations and questioning.  End of unit quizzes and short assessments will give us more information.  Sometimes the children will present what they know through posters or short verbal group presentations.

 

At Colby this is what we want for our children too: to be allowed to foster that sense of wonderment at the creatures and plants around them and to ask questions about how things work the way they do.  After all, we know that children’s favourite word is ‘why?’  Let’s help them to find the answers.