Audit of science at my school
Aspect
Stage 1
Curriculum
plan
 There is no clear description of what every
year group must learn.
 Each individual teacher pretty much
decides how much science they teach and
what they cover.
 Longitudinal studies probably don't take
place
 There is no shared philosophy for how
science should be taught.
 Children rarely engage in meaningful
scientific enquiry
Teaching time
 Some teachers are not teaching anywhere
near enough science to allow children to
make good progress
Sci co
confidence in
teaching
science
 I am not sure what an effective science is
like.
 I worry about allowing children to make
their own decisions about how to do
experiments and so don't give them
opportunities to plan and do their own
experiments.
 I feel more comfortable telling children
what they should have found than
allowing them to discuss their
conclusions.
 I sometimes lack confidence that I
understand what I am teaching children
Sci co
confidence in
leadership
 I do not provide guidance to other
teachers about how much science they
should teach or what they should teach
because I lack confidence or knowledge.
 If I find that another teacher is not
following what the school has agreed I
lack the confidence necessary to deal with
the issue.
 I do not feel happy making suggestions
about science to my headteacher.
 I avoid monitoring.
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
 Key ideas are mapped across the whole
school.
 School has a clear rationale and
expectation for how much science should
be taught and this happens.
 Clear expectations agreed and shared
about what science learning should be
like.
 Scientific enquiry is embedded and drives
most learning.
 Clear, agreed policy for incorporating long
term environmental studies across the
school
 The amount of time to teach science
effectively has been calculated
 Each teacher knows how much time they
should be spending teaching science.
 All teachers do teach science for this
amount of time
 I am confident I know what good science
teaching is like.
 I feel secure in identifying what I need to
teach children and what they should be
working out for themselves
 I always give children significant
opportunities to puzzle science out for
themselves.
 I am confident that I know enough science
to teach my class and that I don't need to
provide them with every answer.
 I understand how to teach working
scientifically alongside the important
scientific knowledge.
 I am confident to provide the school with a
curriculum map, even if it means people
have to change what they have
traditionally taught.
 I “enjoy” leading staff inset sessions.
 I discuss my plans with the headteacher
and make recommendations where
necessary about things that need to
improve.
 I am comfortable monitoring the work of
colleagues and the progress of children in
science.
 I am confident when teachers come to me
for advice about how to teach and assess
science.
Teacher’s
confidence in
teaching
science.
Assessment
Tracking
Resources
 Heavy reliance on worksheets.
 Very few opportunities for children to
follow their own lines of enquiries or work
out how to do experiments for themselves.
 Teachers tend to tell children the
‘answers’.
 Experimental work is rare.
 Writing is usually descriptive or
instructional or answering closed
questions
 Children rarely have opportunities to
explore their own ideas.
 Planning is focussed more upon the
activities children will do than what pupils
must learn.
 There is very little checking of learning
happening in lessons.
 Teachers rarely adapt what they are
teaching in the light of assessment in
lessons
 Teachers spend most of their time either
talking to the whole class or helping
children with logistical matters.
 Questioning is closed and usually to the
whole class.
 Teachers do not keep any records of what
children are learning and no information is
kept or passed on to the next teacher
 The lack of resources severely curtails the
experiments that teachers need or want to
do.
 Resources are poorly organised and
teachers find it difficult to find them.
 There is not enough money to buy the
resources teachers need.
 The lack of resources mean children
usually work in practical groups larger
than 3
 Virtually all teachers are confident to allow
children to design and carry out their own
experiments.
 Teachers explain science ideas clearly
and in interesting ways.
 Writing in science is purposeful, high
quality and adds to the science learning.
 Children are regularly given meaningful
opportunities to explore their own ideas
through talk and experiment.
 Teachers are confident what children
must learn from lessons as opposed to
what they want them to do
 There is a consistent culture in science
lessons where children’s understanding is
regularly checked during lessons.
 Teachers adapt their lessons in light of
what they find from assessment
 Teachers communicate what is being
learned clearly with children.
 Teachers are skilled at assessing all
children’s understanding.
 Every teacher knows which children in the
class are on track and which are not and
they keep a meaningful record of this.
 This information is passed onto the next
teacher in a way that informs the next
teachers practice.
 The school has good evidence about how
well all children progress with science.
 There are sufficient resources for teachers
to do all the practical work they plan.
 Children never work in groups larger than
three (unless it is deemed helpful to
learning)
 Teachers are able to purchase new
equipment if it is considered necessary as
and when they need it.
 All teachers know what equipment is
available or know how to find out easily