Science 

We appreciate that  science is a means of discovering and understanding the world around us, through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. By learning about the products of science, pupils are able to explain the material world and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.

We recognise the importance of science as a core subject within our curriculum, and appreciate how the subject has transformed our lives. Therefore, we teach it weekly to provide pupils with the opportunity to revisit, practice and consolidate their learning before moving on to new content. 

Our science offer aims to develop a pupil’s schema of substantive scientific knowledge and concepts, as well as supporting them to understand how scientists have come to acquire this knowledge through scientific enquiry. We want to encourage pupils to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

We appreciate that science knowledge is of a hierarchical nature, and that for children to make progress through the curriculum, they need to develop understanding of each block of knowledge. Therefore, we prioritise teacher directed instruction to ensure that children are explicitly taught the substantive knowledge required. This includes how we teach scientific vocabulary; we want our pupils to describe scientific processes using technical vocabulary accurately and precisely.

There is also the disciplinary knowledge in science of how scientists have come to know something. This knowledge is interwoven into lessons and includes opportunities to develop a pupil's understanding of scientific procedures - from observing over time to engaging in comparative and fair testing. We use different contexts to maximise our pupils’ engagement with and motivation to study science. We take into consideration the needs of all learners to ensure that everyone can access the work provided.