SCIENCE

Science 

'Learning God's Way'

Intention

At St Mary’s our intent is to make all our pupils ‘Scientists’ by allowing them to investigate the world. We want to provide plentiful opportunities for them to gain knowledge about scientific concepts, famous people and theories. We want our children to develop inquisitive minds; ask questions and wonder at the world around them.

Cultural capital

Through our Science curriculum, we foster wisdom, respect, tolerance, dignity and hope to enable every child to flourish in the fullness of life.

Our children benefit from a flexible curriculum that builds on what they understand and know already. We believe that exposure, not only to culture but also to situations in which the children might not have previous experiences of, is of paramount importance to their ongoing successes.

Gradually widening children’s experiences as they progress through school is an important step in providing rich and engaging learning across the curriculum. We plan carefully for children to have progressively richer experiences in nursery and beyond. These include trips to the local park, shops and visits to places of worship, museums, sports and music venues just to name a few.

Through our teaching, we ensure substantive knowledge by providing pupils with:

-a secure, deep understanding of the nature, processes and principles of science through clear instruction and deliberate practice;  

-an ability to apply long-term knowledge to make predictions and connections between disciplines, and recognise the uses and implications of science in the wider world; 

-A gradual understanding of ‘vertical concepts in biology, chemistry and physics’.  

It also intends to embed core disciplinary knowledge, and the ability to systematically approach challenging, scientifically-valid questions through:  

Scientific Attitudes & Planning  

asking scientifically relevant scientific questions and designing controlled investigations.  

Measuring & Observing  

learning how to use scientific apparatus like rulers and thermometers, and making systematic observations.  

Recording & Presenting  

setting up data collection tables and presenting this data in a variety of charts and graphs.  

Analysing & Evaluating  

interpreting and analysing findings; drawing conclusions and evaluating the reliability of investigations.  

Our aim is to generate an excitement for science, that inspires a curiosity about natural phenomena and the world around us. 

The substantive knowledge builds progressively to develop children’s understanding of concepts, models, laws and theories. It is organised into the following four areas:

Biology

• Living things and their environment
• Reproduction, inheritance and evolution

Chemistry

• States of matter
• Materials (properties and changes)

Physics

• Energy
• Forces

Earth Science

• Earth and space

The disciplinary knowledge builds progressively to enable children to work scientifically and covers the following aspects:

• Methods used to answer questions
• Using apparatus and techniques
• Data analysis
• Using evidence to develop explanations

At St. Mary's we ensure we follow the National Curriculum topics and objectives, which allow for natural progression across year groups. As teachers, we ensure, where possible, that topics fit with other areas of the curriculum and that our Science teaching fosters an interest in the children.

Science is taught in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 in line with the National Curriculum objectives

 Use of cross-curricular links wherever possible. ‘Science in the real world’

 Children in KS1 receive 1.5 hours of Science per week. Children in KS2 receive up to 2 hours of Science per week. Topic may be taught in a block format where suited rather than weekly.

Reading around Science!

Here are a few books that might capture a young Scientist's interest!

STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths!

Here are some interesting, child friendly, STEM websites that we recommend:

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z2pfb9q  This website covers a range of topics that we look at in school. It includes educational videos, fun Science facts and games for you to play. 
• https://code.org/ Some of the activities on this page include making a Dance Party, building worlds on Minecraft, writing a game, programming droids, Scratch and more. 
• https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/   The games on this website teach basic principals like coding, geology, planetary systems and more!
• https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/  NASA Space Place is a colourful and fun website that encourages you to “explore Earth and Space!” This is a great source for anyone who is fascinated with Earth and Space. The website allows you to play games, read articles, make related crafts, and explore various activities.