All areas of our curriculum at Boldon School, is successfully adapted, designed and developed to be ambitious and meet the needs of all students. Each subject area develops their knowledge, skills and abilities to apply what they know and can do this with increasing fluency and independence.
Our teachers check pupils’ understanding systematically, identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, direct feedback. They respond and adapt their teaching as necessary without unnecessarily elaborate or individualised approaches. This is to get the very best outcomes for our students whether they are SEND, disadvantaged or to challenge our higher ability students. This will ensure that students are ready for their next stage of education, employment or training to gain qualifications that allow them to go on to destinations that meet their interests and aspirations and the intention of their course of study.
How the Science Curriculum supports our SEND students:
The Department for Education states, ‘Children and young people with SEND all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.’
Boldon School is an inclusive school where every student is encouraged to develop a thirst for knowledge, to enjoy their curriculum and feel valued as a member of our school community. We are committed to the progress, inclusion and resilience of each student and support the learning journey that they require. Our curriculum is successfully adapted, designed or developed to be ambitious and meet the needs of pupils with SEND, developing their knowledge, skills and abilities to apply what they know and can do with increasing fluency and independence across all subject areas.
Students with SEND are supported in Science with a variety of strategies that encompasses personalisation and specific differentiation targeted to individuals. Such strategies include mindfulness of the volume of text a student is exposed to, and the reading ages of text used. All lessons are differentiated with blue, amber or red tasks (BAR) that allow for support, challenge and stretch for pupils. High quality work is scaffolded and modelled by teachers to allow students to access an understanding of standards to strive towards. Class seating plans address any specific pupil need, and allows staff to target pupils with questioning. Students with SEND have adapted assessments, where necessary, and access arrangements are adhered to for pupils with additional needs, such as extra time, exam reader pens and access to a reader. All SEND students in Year 11 are also provided with an intervention lesson once per week. Students in all year groups must complete Retrieval homework and, in Years 9-11, are supplemented with fortnightly Retrieval lessons.
How the Science Curriculum supports our disadvantaged students:
Students with SEND are supported in Science with a variety of strategies that encompasses personalisation and specific differentiated target to individuals.
The science team utilise all information issued by our SENCO and the learning support team to identify the needs of all our students and how best to support them as individuals. TA and HLTAs are deployed to have a positive impact on learning students with the greatest SEND needs will benefit from the most access. Seating plans are carefully considered to address any specific pupil need, and to allow staff to target pupils with questioning and support students during independent work.
Science lessons are by their nature visual and kinaesthetic. Practical activities and demonstrations are chosen to allow all students the opportunity to discover scientific principles and properties. SEND students may receive additional scaffolding and support during practical activities, with instructions being broken down into smaller more manageable chunks. If appropriate, visual aids such as instructions on worksheets.
All science lessons are differentiated with blue, amber or red tasks (BAR) that allow for support, challenge and stretch for pupils. Scaffolding plays a vital role in allowing all students to access the learning content. Lessons are challenging but tasks are carefully set up to give all students the starting points they need to successfully complete the work. This support is removed once students gain confidence.
Science homework is designed to support students in their learning. Students in all year groups must complete Retrieval homework which is designed to support students in the retention and recall of fundamental science knowledge.
Students with SEND have adapted assessments, where necessary, and access arrangements are adhered to for pupils with additional needs, such as extra time, exam reader pens and access to a reader.
Teacher feedback from formative and summative assessments is personalised to individuals allowing students to respond to their own areas of weakness.
How the Science Curriculum supports our higher ability students:
HM Chief Inspector stated, If we are going to succeed as an economy and as a society, we have to make more of our most able young people. We need them to become the political, commercial and professional leaders of tomorrow.
At Boldon school we aim to nurture scholastic excellence through a challenging curriculum where the work given to students is demanding and matches the aims of the curriculum in being coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge. We recognise the need to stretch and challenge all students but especially our MAT and higher ability students to obtain maximum progress.
Higher ability students are supported in Science and challenged every lesson through highly detailed schemes of learning that allow for stretch and challenge in BAR tasks, focussing on higher order thinking skills such as the ability to analyse, synthesise, evaluate and create. Seating plans are arranged so that higher ability students are best situated to hone their skills and maximise learning potential. All higher ability students in Year 11 are also provided with an intervention lesson once per week. Students in all year groups must complete Retrieval homework and, in Years 9-11, are supplemented with fortnightly Retrieval lessons. At KS4, higher ability students access a 7-Up Club at various points throughout the year, which focus on addressing revision at grades 7 and above. Careers identification is interwoven throughout lessons to raise aspirations of further study of science subjects beyond KS4. Students are encouraged to take part in virtual lectures from universities to expand their interest and knowledge, and provide further support for their progress.