Map of Science topics in Year One

The Network recently completed a map of science knowledge content for Year One:

	Plants	Animals including humans	Everyday materials	Seasonal changes
Exploring and asking questions	- Looking at fruits and vegetables for seeds - Different leaves and shapes of plants - Observing how plants grow	How do mini-beasts move, eat etc	Look at the similarities and differences between different materials (textures and properties)	Observe the changes in the school environment
Observing over time	- Observe the plants in the school grounds in different seasons. - watch seeds grow into plants, observe and record growth	Observe the growth of animals over time (butterflies, chickens, frogs etc)	Observe the effect of weathering on the school environment over time	Changes to trees over time
Identifying and classifying	Where do different plants grow? Group plants and trees by observable features (type of leaf, where they grow)	Group animals by features: herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, where they live	Group materials by properties and features (waterproof, rigid, shiny)
Pattern seeking	Similarities between plants (types of leaf, flower types, where they grow)	Patterns in animals linking features to habitats – laying eggs, live babies, fur, scales, beaks	Look for links in properties: waterproof and rigid? Shiny and hard?
Research (using secondary sources)	Research what plants grow in different environments (jungle, the arctic)	Use second-hand sources to observe the growth of animals and humans over time (photos of yourself from a baby)		Seasonal weather from the past in different places around the world
Performing simple tests	Grow seeds in different conditions and different locations	Testing how well we can hear different sounds, taste different  foods	Test the qualities of materials
Gathering and recording data	Recording data from observations	Recording data from research	Recording tests in different ways	Recording observations over time (photos, video, audio)

Teaching science in Year One

Our thanks to Joe Wilson (Science SLE) for his excellent presentation to the network on 17th May.  His powerpoint and handouts on the effective teaching of Science in Y1 are being uploaded onto the Gants Hill Partnership Teaching Alliance's website shortly (http://www.ghpta.co.uk/cpd/year-one-network).

Strategies for supporting the teaching of Skills and Attitudes in Year One

The following list represents the summary of all the methods used by the members of the Year One network to support the development of children’s skills and attitudes:

• Whilst teaching, focus on offering feedback to children on the lesson’s success criteria.  In addition, ask the children to self-review their progress against the success criteria.
• The use of circle time and Philosophy for Children model to reflect on learning and problem resolution
• Focus behaviour management around mutual respect and a high focus on agreed values, children’s rights and responsibilities
• Focus within the term on sharing the represented cultures, tolerating others and differences
• Embedding the UNESCO Rights Respecting culture into the curriculum
• Encouraging children’s curiosity through lesson planning
• Play-based activities centred around problem-solving and independence
• Planning learning that has a creative focus
• Responding to mistakes as a good opportunity for further learning
• Promotion of a can-do ethos
• Differentiating the curriculum with special high challenges that stretch children’s skills
• Awarding numerous responsibilities to children
• Encouraging children to take risks
• Share work and learning with other classes
• Encouraging children to choose own learning tasks
• The use of reward systems, including praise, rewards, stickers etc
• Focus of support from the SLT
• Using mini-plenaries to offer feedback and encourage learning from our mistakes
• Encouraging children to offer peer feedback
• Using older children as role models

Our thanks to the teachers in the network for this input

CLPE's Reading and writing scales

The CLPE have produced useful guides to learning progression in reading and writing.  These can be used to support planning in English.

Online link to these free resources:
https://www.clpe.org.uk/aboutus/news/download-free-new-clpe-reading-and-writing-scales

Baseline data

Member schools in the Network, all from the London Borough of Redbridge:

Highlands Primary
Fullwood Primary
Gearies Primary
Chadwell Primary
Downshall Primary
Redbridge Primary
Clore Tikva Primary
Mossford Green Primary
Gilbert Colvin Primary
Aldersbrook Primary

Schools have been grouped together to create "like-schools groups" based on variant factors, including SEN, EAL, FSM and mobility.  Schools have been grouped into 3 categories.

Baseline data for the agreed milestones has now been collated.  Our results show:

Group One schools
	Skills and Attitudes					Reading				Science
	Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/ M3		Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/ M3		Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/M3
Group Average	13	13	1		13	12	4		13	9	8
Group Two schools
	Skills and Attitudes					Reading				Science
	Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/ M3		Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/ M3		Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/M3
Group Average	13	13	4		11	11	7		6	14	10
Group Three schools
	Skills and Attitudes					Reading				Science
	Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/ M3		Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/ M3		Emerging/M1	Secure/M2	Embedded/M3
Group Average	15	15	0		20	9	1		11	17	2

Learning pedagogy – it was agreed that all network schools organised their teaching and learning within a social constructivist pedagogical structure, characterized by cross curriculum topics, first-hand learning, an emphasis on dialogue and experiential learning.