Science

Subject Intent Statement:

Bowmandale Primary School seeks to provide high quality Science teaching. Through our practical and enjoyable curriculum, we promote and develop transferable skills; such as observation, communication and team work. Our children are encouraged to have an enquiring mind and to ask questions and be questioned. Our curriculum aims to inspire and excite our children and foster a thirst for knowledge. In a world that is increasingly shaped by science and technology, we aim to equip our pupils for the wider world.

All staff and children recognise the importance of science. It is taught regularly and children are given as many practical experiences as possible to help engage all learners. We are fortunate to have extensive grounds here at Bowmandale, as well as a purpose built Forest School area so that children are able to do a lot of their learning in an outside environment. Children in Key Stage 1 really benefit from opportunities to plant a wide variety of bulbs then watch them grow throughout the year. They take pride and ownership over their planting and are always so excited to revisit them. As part of our coverage of season change, the children also choose and observe a ‘special tree’ throughout their time in Year 1. The children are always so thrilled to revisit their tree and see how it has changed. They are also eager to share their observations of trees at home and in their local environment which is fabulous and shows that they are applying what they’re learning in their everyday lives. It is these real life experiences which we feel are so valuable in teaching children and keeping them so passionate about science.

The solid foundations built during their initial years are further extended during their time in Key Stage 2. Children revisit some areas in far greater detail and gain a wide range of enquiry skills and practical experience with scientific equipment so that they are able to suggest how to set up their own experiments independently. Children also know a wide variety of scientists and are given opportunities to research those of interest to them.

We understand the importance of ‘Science Capital’ (please see video link) and look for lots of opportunities to boost the Science Capital of every child. Feedback from the children is consistently positive around this subject and many of our children consider themselves as scientists. We ensure that the National Curriculum is covered, but always allow time to follow other branches of science that appeal to the children and regularly set up experiments to try answer questions children have posed. We encourage our children to have enquiring minds. Across the school, we watch Twig Reporter weekly which is a roundup of science news from all over the world. This is the highlight of the week for many children and as well as informing them of important scientific advances, it also highlights the phenomenally wide range of occupations that involve science in a highly entertaining way!

Talking is used heavily in all of our science lessons as we believe children can learn such a lot from their friends and it is a great way of addressing misconceptions and promoting the asking of questions. Children are always given the opportunity to show their understanding in a variety of ways so that they are able to show off their science knowledge in a way most suitable to them. Science is for everyone and no one will be limited by reading, writing or mathematic ability. We assess children based on their conceptual understanding and their ability to perform a wide range of enquiry based tasks. We are incredibly proud that many of our pupils aspire to be scientists in the future.  

 "I like learning in science because it's fun and it's also important to know how to look after our planet."   Lenny

“Science can be exciting, especially when we get to do experiments or investigations.”   Rory

Woodland Trust Tree Identification App

As part of the science curriculum, children are taught to name a wide variety of plants. We highly recommend this fantastic child-friendly tree identification App, free from the Woodland Trust. It is great for identifying trees when you're out and about, based on either the leaves, bark or fruit.   

Eco Warriors busy planting our new saplings from the Woodland Trust in our forest school area.

Can't Get Enough of Science?

Check out STEM with Mr N on Youtube. Each week Mr N performs a different demonstration and explains the science behind it. These involve items usually found at home so you can even have a go too!

Enjoy! 

We are attempting the Woodland Trust's Go Green in 15 Challenge. We have successfully completed the first 5 challenges.

We had a brilliant time with Leonie from Amazelab learning all about chemical reactions.

Well done to our Foundation children who won the Spudtacular Potato Grower 2023 competition organised by the Barton Allotment Society. 

To kick off British Science Week 2023, we were lucky enough to the have Arty-Fact Theatre Company perform their Calamity Climate Change production to us this morning. We thoroughly enjoyed it and learned lots about the importance of looking after our environment. 

On Monday 13 March, Year 1 started their BSW tasks by being engineers and were challenged to create a bridge that could span a 20cm wide gap and hold the weight of a toy dinosaur. 

For an even trickier version of this Bridge Blunder challenge, please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY747-zSf3k 

To find out more about engineers and their important and interesting job, please see: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owHF9iLyxic 

On Tuesday 14 March, the children in KS1 participated in an NFU Live Lesson where they were asked the question 'How Are Tractors Connected to Space?'

Fantastic Fingerprints 

On Wednesday, Year One learned all about fingerprints. They experimented with a range of different materials and techniques to try to create clear fingerprint marks. They used magnifying glasses to look at them in detail and to try identify any of their unique features. 

On Thursday the whole school enjoyed some super wacky science from Silly Science. 

Here at Bowmandale, we think that bees are brilliant so we made houses for our gardens to help the bees of Barton to thrive!

We had a fabulous time meeting Steve from the Dinostar Museum. He taught us lots of dinosaur facts and showed us all kinds of interesting artefacts, such as fossilised eggs, bones, teeth, claws, footprints and even a complete Allosaurus skull! We learned how to make some fossil rubbings and casts, just like real archeologists use. Lots of us have decided that we'd now like to be palaeontologists when we grow up!

Look at our creative designs! The lucky winner will receive a family ticket to Jurassic Earth.

As part of Inspire afternoon, we learned about the importance of bees. We then worked together to create a corridor display to help to teach the other children in our school.  

Chloe's fabulous winning design won her some great science prizes. She also won the school all these lovely resources too! 

Meet our Eco Warriors

Each class in school has two children who have volunteered to be Eco Warriors. Their key responsibilities are to ensure their classroom is as 'green' as possible (for example: by turning off lights, interactive boards and taps and ensuring that the paper recycling bins are being used correctly). We all meet up regularly to discuss science in the news and they are asked to share important information with their classmates. Our Eco Warriors will also complete various different assignments throughout the year to help to boost the profile of science within Bowmandale. 

Our Eco Warriors helped to create a display to remind our friends about being environmentally responsible with their litter. 

Year 3 and 4 had a great time exploring pitch. They used a range of musical instruments to see if and how they could change the pitch of a sound. They then used paper straws to create their own musical instrument. 

Science in School

Children from across the school enjoyed using their STEM skills on Inspire afternoon to try and build the tallest towers possible using only pasta and marshmallows.