Science
“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 for Science, 2014
Science Curriculum Progression Framework
Subject Content Implementation
Through the characteristics of effective learning, children in early years start to develop scientific enquiry. The concepts of playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically show the development of a scientific mind to prepare children as they enter the national curriculum
Key Stage 1
Pupils should experience and observe phenomena, looking closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. Children are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. Are encouraged to use different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information.
Lower Key Stage 2
Pupils are now broadening their scientific view of the world around them. They are beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. They ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them. Children begin to draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, to write about what they have found out.
Upper Key Stage 2
Pupils develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They encounter more abstract ideas and begin to recognise how these ideas help them to understand and predict how the world operates. They should also begin to recognise that scientific ideas change and develop over time. Children should select the most appropriate ways to answer science questions using different types of scientific enquiry. Pupils should draw conclusions based on their data and observations, use evidence to justify their ideas, and use their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain their findings.
Increasing Science Capital
Research shows that while the majority of children in England find science lessons interesting, very few consider a career in science as being potentially ‘for me’. Our curriculum aims to help change that.
Through the work with the PSTT cluster in the STARMAT, science is being developed to raise its profile once again. It is a reflective framework that involves making small changes (‘tweaks’) to existing practice to re-orientate science lessons in ways that better connect with the reality of students’ lives and experiences.
Building a 3D Curriculum
The complete coverage of the curriculum through all key stages ensures topics are revisited and built upon to secure long term memory and develop knowledge.
Science is a very cross curricular subject which has man element of other subjects involved. The use of maths, computing, IT skills and art are often prominent and used to their potential in science.
Working scientifically – this is not taught as a separate strand but as a continuous concept which is developed and improved as children move through school. Children will reflect on work they have done in different units and year groups and use this to create more refined and established methods.