During our LPS Review Week, during the Autumn term, members of the Pupil Voice Group (PVG) and the AoLE leader undertook workbook looks. The AoLE leader also completed Learning Experience Sampling to provide an overview of the LPS Science and Technology (S&T) experience for pupils at each Progression Step (PS) stage within LPS.  

All S&T learner experiences sampled have reflected local, national and the wider world within the topics. Learners at PS1 use local businesses as a stimulus for their topic, whilst learners sampled at PS2 and PS3 used local, as well as some wider world experiences to enhance their learning.

The S&T learning experiences sampled offered appropriate cross-curricular skill development.

Within PS1, key scientific vocabulary (such as carnivore and herbivore) was used with literacy activities, as well as the use of ICT resources whilst pupils gathered research.

In PS2, the learners sampled demonstrated appropriate use of scientific language within the instruction text of how to plant seeds, they also used the online J2E platform to plot bar graphs.

Learners sampled within PS3 used age-appropriate reading strategies whilst researching prior to their scientific investigation and used comprehension skills based on the scientific element of their research topic.

S&T skills have been developed, reinforced and built upon during each topic, from build-up research for dinosaur fact file presentations in PS1 to research on seed growth and planting observations in PS2.

Within all PS sampled, there was little evidence to suggest much self-directed learning towards S&T, and that the Question Matrix (QM) was having a minor impact concerning S&T learning within the topics.

Improvements:

• An emphasis on following up some QM influences within each PS for the experiences to be enhanced by learner self-direction.
• Reflecting and building upon S&T skills taught, being able to link skills back to previous activities/trips.
• More meticulous planning to take advantage of any ‘missed opportunities’ to develop S&T skills.

Next steps:

• AoLE leader and iTeam to review all LPS Curriculum Projects to monitor implementation and coverage throughout year – to be monitored during Review weeks.
• AoLE leader and iTeam to suggest further S&T learning experiences, providing pupil voice to help shape the LPS Curriculum – Ongoing target to be monitored during Review weeks.
• AoLE leader to communicate with other leaders to make cross-curricular links and plan for S&T effectively.