Science
At HPAPL we strive to develop an awareness and understanding of the role and importance of science in everyday life. We appreciate the constantly changing nature of scientific knowledge and use scientific procedures of investigation to introduce, develop and study the application of science in a broad range of contexts e.g. personal growth and health, the home, the immediate environment and technology. We are of the view that the development of scientific knowledge and skills are a crucial, core entitlement for all our pupils, since science stimulates and excites pupils’ curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It is through this excitement that pupils are encouraged to ask questions, discuss their questions and question their questions to deepen their understanding about all things science. In addition to this, the Academy gives children the opportunity to plan and conduct practical science activities and experiments. We believe that practical activities breathe life into concepts that might otherwise seem abstract to children.
With this is mind, HPAPL joined the ‘Think universe…All is One’ research project in September 2016. Shirin Sheikh- Bahai (BSc, MA, PGCE, PhD), from the Research department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment at UCL Institute of Education is leading the pilot phase of a novel approach to science education for year 6 pupils. This project has been running under a partnership grant allocated by the Royal Society. ‘All is One’ takes its name from the modern discovery that everything we see in the universe, including ourselves, is made out the very same fundamental building blocks assembled together at different stages along unimaginable periods of time. Encouraging their inherent curiosity at this age and with the help of scientific equipment, ‘All is One’ offers a new way of looking at an important part of the natural world, which would be otherwise invisible. The project can be seen as a foundation approach to all natural sciences that gives pupils the basic tools to appreciate and understand the wonderful discoveries of the last few decades about our fragile position in the Universe.
Where possible the teaching of science is also applied across the curriculum. Links to maths, literacy and other foundation subjects, such as geography and history, further enrich the children’s learning experiences. HPAPL regards science as an integral part of the curriculum, being awarded the Silver Primary Science Quality Mark in 2016, and is dedicated to giving the children the tools to be successful scientific thinkers and practitioners.
Throughout the year children partake in a variety of trips and local visits to support their learning. Some of the highlights are Year 1’s seasonal walks and Year 5’s trip to the National Space centre. Within the academy we hold an annual science week, which allows each class to exhibit their science learning. The children in Year 6 also become teachers for the day as part of the ‘All is One’ research project.
Jade Horton
