Intent

At Waterfield Primary School, our science curriculum is intended to support curiosity about the world and develop a lifelong interest in scientific discovery. Beginning in Reception, children explore the natural world through observation, questioning and hands-on experiences that encourage them to notice patterns and changes around them. As pupils progress through Key Stage 1 and into Key Stage 2, they build on this curiosity by developing their scientific knowledge and vocabulary while learning to ask deeper questions about how and why things happen.

Children’ natural curiosity and wonder about the world around them can be nurtured and developed through experiencing the joy of scientific discovery and they will develop both scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Children are immersed in scientific vocabulary, linked to scientific concepts, which supports their acquisition of scientific knowledge and understanding. 

Implementation

To achieve our intent, our Science curriculum will provide the following:

  • A progressive, sequential journey of knowledge, skills and concepts from EYFS to Year 6, encompassing the depth and breadth of the science curriculum
  • Opportunities to address cultural capital disadvantage
  • A focus on subject specific Tier 3 scientific vocabulary to equip pupils with the language to express their scientific knowledge with precision and confidence
  • Explicit links with high quality examples texts, including models, use of technology and practical resources, to provide contextual links and reinforce scientific knowledge
  • Key outcomes, described as ‘sticky knowledge,’ which form the foundation of prior and subsequent learning
  • Higher order, subject-specific questions to assess knowledge and understanding
  • Enhanced learning through memorable experiences and visiting experts
  • Links to the local area through use of the school’s science garden and exploration of the Millpond
  • Adaptable approaches that enable all pupils’ opportunities to explore science and experience success
  • Learning opportunities that encourage children to develop a genuine curiosity in science

Science plays a crucial role in developing our understanding of the world around us.  Science teaching at Waterfield School helps us to prepare children for their life, through experiences and exploration of the world in which they live in. Through practical investigations, discussion and enquiry-based learning, pupils are supported to think like scientists—making predictions, testing ideas, and drawing conclusions. By Year 6, pupils have developed the confidence and skills to investigate independently, think critically, and understand how scientific ideas help us to explain and improve the world around us.

Across all year groups, pupils also learn about significant scientists and the impact their discoveries have on the world today.