Introduction

Children are naturally fascinated by everything in the world around them. They learn by playing with things in their world. They pick up clues about what they see, touch, smell, taste and hear in order to makes sense of it all. Eventually they come to conclusions which they match up with all the experiences they have had. As with many primary subjects, a child’s interest and enjoyment of science is shaped before they leave primary school and whilst not all children will follow a career in science or related disciplines when they leave the school system, science literacy will influence their daily lives: for example by managing their health and understanding issues such as climate change. This means that science taught in primary schools is of vital importance to individuals and the nation’s well-being.

National Curriculum

The National Curriculum 2014 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.

Our Vision for Science

Aspiration

Science will encourage all children to be aspirational learners by allowing them to investigate the world around them. All lessons will be taught through an investigative approach which inspires children to find the knowledge them selves and share their learning.

Creativity

Science will provide plenty of opportunities for creativity through the ways in which children can approach an investigation and report their findings.

Curiosity

Science is a subject that naturally inspires curiosity because it looks at the world we live in. By investigating our world further, children’s interest and curiosity is tapped when they can make connections with what they already know and discover reasons for phenomenon they have encountered.

Courage

Children will learn that mistakes will be made in the investigative process and improvements will need to be made. Learning that it is OK to make mistakes is integral to learning. Science will also provide children with opportunities to be risk takers.

Cooperation

In Science the children will be given opportunities to work as part of an investigation team or pair. By talking together children can be encouraged to explore and observe so that they can group objects and events and look for similarities and differences. They learn how to measure and record discoveries in ways that make sense to them so that later they can share their new knowledge with others. They will be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

 Independence

Children will be encouraged to formulate their own investigations, analyse their results and interpret their findings before sharing with the class. In addition to this, children will be taught how to independently use different scientific tools (such as electrical equipment for circuits, knives for dissecting and magnifying glasses for deep looks)to help with their investigations.