Whole School Intent - We want children to bond with nature.
- We want to give pupils the opportunity to gain a better understanding of how and why things function.
- We want children to become more engaged with their communities through various environmental projects and competitions.
| Science & Environmental education | Whole School Implementation - Environmental education is a part of every single AoL taught at Oakland school.
- Pupils learn science by investigating and experiencing things on ‘have a go’ basis.
- Pupils learn about science and environmental education through books linked to the science big days.
- Pupils are promoted to be a part of environmental and ecological projects in Leicester community.
- Pupils are building the bond with nature through structured Spinney sessions and interaction with animals like Guinea pigs and chickens.
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Across the Pathways |
Nurture and Willow | Elm and Cherry | Chestnut |
Intent - Develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.
- Compare similar things.
- To promote creativity through environmental education.
Implementation - Sensory experiences for example looking after chickens and Guinea pigs
- Mastery approach
- Targets set through OPAL and link to EHCP outcomes
- Exploratory approach to science and environmental education.
- Life skills woven throughout the curriculum.
- Learning powers: Explore, Connect and Persevere.
| Intent - Develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.
- Compare similar things.
- To promote creativity through environmental education.
- To develop sustainability knowledge, skills and values.
- Observe changes over a period of time
notice patterns, and be able to group and classify things. Implementation - Short science experiments and activities
- Functional and active learning opportunities.
- Repeated opportunities to practise skills.
- Mastery approach
- Targets set through OPAL and link to EHCP outcomes
- Learning powers: Explore, Connect, Persevere and Feel
| Intent - Develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.
- Compare similar things.
- To promote creativity through environmental education.
- To develop sustainability knowledge, skills and values.
- Observe changes over a period of time
notice patterns, and be able to group and classify things. - Understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
- Look more closely at the natural and humanly constructed world around them.
- To use different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions.
Implementation - More complex science experiments and activities
- Functional and cross curricular links
- Mastery approach
- Targets set through OPAL and link to EHCP outcomes
- Learning powers: Explore, Connect, Persevere, Feel and Reflect
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Curriculum Content - Spinney sessions: All classes have a spinney session each week. We intend to encourage children to learn through play and exploration involving the natural world, Sessions are intended to build up ecological and environmental skills and knowledge over the school year, from the simpler to the more complex.
- Science Big Days: We intend our learners to explore certain science topics during these big days. The focus of big days is:
Autumn 1, 2021: Human body, especially heart and lungs Autumn 2, 2021: Waste and recycling Spring 2022: Life cycles Summer 2022: Water - Sensory garden and other growing areas + chickens / Guinea pigs: We intend for our learners to develop their skills and knowledge about sustainable food growing in our school setting. We intend our learners to make connections with the natural world through caring for chickens and Guinea pigs.
- Eco Award, Healthy Schools, Food for Life, Pumpkins completion: We intend our learners to participate in ecological and environmental competitions in the city and nationwide.
- Other Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural links to environmental education and ecology
Curriculum overviews and planning have been developed as appropriate for each pathway. The typical time budget for each pathway, including embedded pratice and ‘teachable moments’ is as follows: |
| Nurture, Willow and Elm | Cherry and Chestnut |
1 hour per week of Spinney session 30 minutes per week of Growing time 20 minutes per week of Chickens / Guinea pigs 1 day per half term of Science day with specific topics | 1 hour per week of Spinney session 1 hour per week of Growing time 20 minutes per week of Chickens / Guinea pigs 1 day per half term of Science day with specific topics |
Strengths - Staff constantly building the bond between children and nature.
- Staff in class are always modelling skills linked to the environment and ecology.
- We have high expectations that all children will make progress in their science skills and built the bond with the nature.
- Repeated revisiting of science and environmental education in different contexts and with cross curricular links.
- Staff have a strong understanding of the needs of their students.
- Staff teams are able to create engaging and purposeful curriculum for their pathways.
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Areas for Development - Apply for Silver eco-school reward / enrol for next year grow your own grub.
- Developing the sensory garden area and growing curriculum.
- Planning for another Science BIG day.
- Evaluate Spinney planning.
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