Science

In September 2016 Meadlands was awarded the Primary Science Silver Quality mark and this year (2019) we are going for GOLD!

Subject Leader: Miss Mace

Science is alive at Meadlands. From Twitter messaging with astronaut Tim Peake to monitoring the birds that visit our grounds, pupils are encouraged to be curious about the wonderful world around them. 

At Meadlands, we deliver a high quality science education, providing the foundations for understanding the world. Our pupils are taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. We encourage students to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. The pupils are able to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

We teach science through ‘hands on’ investigations and use the outdoors as much as possible. We focus on providing the children with key knowledge and concepts at each key stage, including scientific skills and specific terminology. We address misconceptions as they arise, through fair testing, research and experimentation.

At Meadlands we hold a variety of scientific events throughout the year, including Grounds Day and a whole school Science Week. We benefit from a range of visitors who use scientific skills in their everyday lives, from doctors, to wildlife experts and botanists! Pupils are also given ample opportunity to use literacy and mathematics skills within science lessons, taking a cross curricular approach. They are also taught key features of scientific enquiry, so that they learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions. These types of scientific enquiry include the following: observing over time; pattern seeking; identifying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing (controlled investigations); and researching using secondary sources.

Meadlands follows the national curriculum for science which aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

• develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.

• are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Have a look at our Science Policy in the Policy Section here.

Celebrating Science

As part of Science Week we were lucky enough to have Professor Bubbleworks come to visit us here at Meadlands. He excited us all in assembly showing us the force of air and the different ways we can use it. This was followed by workshops for each class looking at rockets and how air can be used to power them.