At St Mary’s First School, our vision is to give children a science curriculum which enables them to confidently explore and discover the world around them, so that they have a deeper understanding of the world we live in. We provide a stimulating science curriculum that nurtures children’s natural curiosity and constantly develops their on-going intellectual development and passion.

Through a hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum, the children experience the joy of having wonderful ideas, exploration and investigation and become passionate about 'finding out'.  Pupils’ individual spiritual development is fostered throughout the curriculum, especially when our focus is on the outdoors, the awe and wonder in our beautiful world.   Our Christian distinctiveness encourages the skills of reflection, meditation and stillness and to develop a personal response to God and the world.  Our aim is that these stimulating and challenging experiences help children secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary.  We believe it is important to show children that there are no limits to their ability and show how science has such a high profile within everyday life, with examples of careers within science and engineering becoming part of regular practice and discussions. From this, children can be inspired and want to inspire others with a passion for science all around them.

The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics;
  • develop their understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries which help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them;
  • are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

INTENT

  • The children learn with practical experiences, covering all areas of scientific enquiry.
  • The children are provided with exciting and engaging activities, that stimulate curiosity and the awe and wonder of science all around them.
  • Teachers plan differentiated tasks that are creative and thought provoking in science.
  • Teachers engage the children with outdoor learning opportunities, highlighting that science is all around us, with learning going beyond the classroom.

A range of teaching styles allow for children to ask their own questions and plan their own investigations. Pupil voice is valued, and the children learn through:

  • first hand experiences, developing their own scientific minds.
  • relevant and current teaching and learning, often linking into ideas which are prevalent in the news or media. Activities are related to real life situations which allows for contextual learning. The children begin to think like a scientist because of these ‘real’ situations.

IMPLEMENTATION

Science follows a two-year cycle and is taught every week.

EYFS  “Understanding the world” involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and community through first hand experiences. Children have frequent opportunities to increase their knowledge, vocabulary and develop their thirst to explore.  They will have opportunities to explore the natural world, make observations and draw animals and plants. They will explore similarities and differences between contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and through stories and texts they have looked at.  They will understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter. Floor books will be used to motivate children, encourage collaborative working and provide evidence of scientific enquiry.

At Key Stage 1:  Children observe, explore and ask questions about living things, materials and physical phenomena. They begin to work together to collect evidence to help them to answer questions and to link this to simple scientific ideas. They begin to evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. They use reference materials to find out more about scientific ideas. They share ideas to communicate topic specific language and tiered vocabulary , drawing, charts, and tables with the help of ICT if it is appropriate. Floor books will be used to collate children’s ideas and engagement of scientific enquiry and skills across the year groups.

 At Key Stage 2:  Children learn about a wider range of living things, materials and physical phenomena. They make links between ideas and explain things using simple models and theories. They apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas to familiarise phenomena, every day things and their personal health. They think about the effects of scientific and technological developments on the environment and in other contents. They carry out more systematic investigations, working on their own and with others. They use a range of reference sources in their work. They talk about their work and its significance, using a wide range of tiered scientific language, conventional diagrams, charts and ICT to communicate their ideas.

At the beginning of each lesson, children are encouraged to share what they know already about a given topic and are given opportunities to express what they would like to subsequently find out. This crucial content is revisted to give children every opportunity to remember key knowledge. It also ensures that lessons are relevant to the context of the class, and also makes teachers aware of the different starting points for each child. Activities are chosen carefully and the teacher ensures that every child can access the key learning objective and the skills required for each lesson, and that an appropriate level of challenge is provided for each child. Lessons are planned to develop oracy skills, as well as written skills. Children are provided with opportunities to develop their scientific skills; asking questions, making predictions, setting up tests, observing and measuring, recording data, interpreting and communicating results, and finding out more through first hand experiences wherever possible.

IMPACT

Through the effective planning and teaching of an enriching and stimulating Science curriculum, our children are able to leave Year 4 equipped with the necessary scientific skills and knowledge that will support them throughout the rest of their learning journey and later in life, as an adult in the wider world. They will be Scientists, as they will be able to talk confidently about their knowledge and understanding of the Scientific concepts they have learned.

Curriculum map - Science

Progression & vocabulary - Animals & humans

progression & vocabulary - living things & their habitats

progression & vocabulary - materials

progression & vocabulary - plants

progression & vocabulary - rocks, forces, electricity, states of matter, sound (KS2)

progression & vocabulary - seasonal changes (EYFS/KS1)

science policy 2023-24