Science
Our vision for Science is to develop children’s passion for a subject that will enable them to be curious about the world and scientific phenomena. We want to create an environment where the children can feel confident to learn from their mistakes and deepen their scientific knowledge by applying a range of skills. We believe these opportunities will equip them to become life-long learners and continually question the world around them.
Science permeates almost every aspect of our daily life; it provides a way of viewing and making sense of the world. Children should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
Aims
We believe children should develop enquiring minds and the ability to question. This will build on their natural curiosity and enable them to understand and care for the world in which they live.
Through our well-planned, and sequenced Science curriculum our children acquire the vital knowledge and skills required for the next stages of their learning journey and on into adulthood. This enables the children of St Martin & St Mary’s Primary School to become successful, active and positive members of their local community and wider world living and understanding life in all its fullness.
The National Curriculum Guidance aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
- Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that 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.
In addition, we aim to:
- Build on the children’s natural curiosity
- Teach the children scientific knowledge
- Teach the children scientific skills
- Encourage children to investigate, think analytically, ask questions and develop positive attitudes of science
- Teach children to communicate ideas using appropriate scientific language
- Teach children how to evaluate their findings and suggest explanations
Key Stage 2:
The fundamental skills, knowledge and concepts of the subject are categorised into the following areas:
• Working Scientifically
• Animals, including humans
• Forces and Magnets
• Properties and change of materials
• Rocks and Solids
• Plants
• Light
• Earth and Space
• Sound
• States of Matter
• Evolution and inheritance
• Living things and their habitats
• Electricity
Key Stage 1:
The fundamental skills, knowledge and concepts of the subject are categorised into the following areas:
• Working Scientifically
• Plants
• Animals, including humans
• Everyday materials
• Seasonal changes
• Continue to explore: forces and movement, light and dark, electricity and sound and hearing.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Scientific aspects of the children’s work are related to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) within the area of “understanding of the world.”
It is introduced indirectly through activities that encourage every child to explore, problem solve, observe, predict, think, make decisions and talk about the world around them. They will observe and manipulate objects and materials to identify differences and similarities. They will also learn to use their senses, feeling dough or listening to the sounds in the environment, and explain why some things occur and talk about changes. Children will be encouraged to ask questions about why things happen and how things work. Children will also be asked about what they think will happen to help them communicate, plan, investigate, record and evaluate findings.
Scientific opportunities are provided through:
• First hand experiences
• Activities inside and outside that encourage curiosity
• Activities that are imaginative and enjoyable
Science Co-ordinator: Catherine Greenall
Science Subject Progression Grid
Science - Curriculum Subject Statement | |||
Core Values | Early Years Foundation Stage | Key Stage 1 | Key Stage 2 |
Love, Honesty, Faith | Children explore the natural world around them, making observations of animals and plants. They understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter. Science gives children the opportunities to find out and gather experiences which they need to understand the world in which we live. | Key Stage 1 children will begin to ask questions to feed their curiosity and they will gain confidence in the knowledge that questioning is a positive and vital aspect of science. They will start to create tests to help answer their questions. We want children to develop a curiosity about (and begin to understand) how processes are working around them; beginning to challenge preconceived ideas of how and why. | Through our science curriculum, we want children to develop an excellent understanding of how phenomena in our world works. Key Stage 2 children will begin to link key scientific concepts together, understanding how knowledge and ideas build on one another. Children will be equipped to test a range of scientific hypothesis, ask scientific questions about our world and also respond critically to… |
Purpose of study
A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
National Curriculum Subject Aims
- 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 understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that 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.
EYFS/National Curriculum Subject Content
EYFS | Key Stage 1 | |||||||
Understanding the World
Children explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants
differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences
processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter. | Working Scientifically During years 1 and 2, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:
| Year 1 | Animals, including humans | Everyday materials | Plants | |||
Seasonal changes | ||||||||
Year 2 | The Environment & seasons | Changing materials | Forces | Plants | Animals, including humans | Living things and their habitats | ||
Lower Key Stage 2 | ||||||
Working Scientifically
During years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:
| Year 3 | Animals including humans | Forces and magnets | Light | Rocks | Plants |
Year 4 | Sound | Electricity | Animals, including humans | States of matter | Living things and their habitats | |
Upper Key Stage 2 | ||||||
Working Scientifically During years 5 and 6, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:
| Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | Forces | Living things and their habitats | Earth and space | Animals including humans |
Year 6 | Living things and their habitats | Evolution and inheritance | Animals including humans | Electricity | Light | |
Science Education Subject Overview Grid | ||||||||
Year Group | EYFS - Nursery | EYFS - Nursery | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
Aut 1 | Healthy lifestyles Seasonal changes- Autumn | Healthy lifestyles Seasonal changes- Autumn | Animals including humans | The environment & seasons | Animals including humans | Sound | Properties and changes of materials | Living things and their habitats |
Aut 2 | Natural Processes | Natural Processes | Animals including humans | Changing materials | Forces – Air resistance and friction | Electricity | Properties and changes of materials | Evolution and inheritance |
Spr 1 | Weather | Seasonal changes – Winter | Everyday materials | Forces | Forces – and magnets | Animals including humans - Digestion | Forces | Animals including humans |
Spr 2 | Weather | Life cycles Animals | Everyday materials | Plants | Light | Animals including humans | Living things and their habitats | Electricity |
Sum 1 | Plants Seasonal changes- Spring | Plants Seasonal changes- Spring | Plants | Animals including humans | Rocks | States of matter | Space | Light |
Sum 2 | Seasonal changes - Summer | Seasonal changes - Summer | Seasonal Changes | Living things and their habitats | Plants | Living things and their habitats | Animals including humans |
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