Science

Why is Science important?

Science has changed how we live and what we believe since the invention of the plough. Science has allowed man to pursue societal concerns such as ethics, aesthetics, education, and justice, to create cultures, and to improve human conditions by making life easier. Through Science, our lives are changed for the better. We believe all pupils should be taught about the role that Science plays in positive advancements, as well as scientific knowledge, methods and processes and working scientifically. Advances in Science are continuing to transform our world and we need to do our best to prepare our pupils for the future.

Whole School Overview

	Autumn 1	Autumn 2	Spring 1	Spring 2	Summer 1	Summer 2
Nursery	Colour Ourselves	Celebrations Fairy Tales	People who help us	Science Week	Animals	More units will be added periodically for EYFS to look at.
Reception	Colour Ourselves	Celebrations Fairy Tales	People who help us	Science Week	Animals	More units will be added periodically for EYFS to look at.
Year 1	Seasonal Changes	Animals including humans	Animals including humans (Ext unit)	Materials Science Week	Materials (Ext Unit)	Plants
Year 2	Living things and habitats.	Materials	Animals including humans	Animals including humans (Ext Unit) Science Week	Plants	Plants (Ext Unit)
Year 3	Rocks	Light	Forces and magnets	Science Week	Animals including humans	Plants
Year 4	Animals including humans	Sound	States of matter	Science Week	Electricity	Living things
Year 5	Forces	Properties of materials	Space	Science Week	Living things and habitats	Animals including humans
Year 6	Animals including humans	Evolution and inheritance	Electricity	Science Week	Light	Living things and habitats

 

How do we ensure National Curriculum Coverage?

We use the Plymouth Science scheme of work and the curriculum is designed around the National Curriculum statements for Knowledge, Working Scientifically and Scientific Enquiry. 

Early Years

Beginning in the Early years, children use their senses to explore and investigate the world around them to develop their knowledge and skills, using cause and effect. The EYFS curriculum is designed to develop the characteristics of effective learning. Children are encouraged to create and think critically. They have and develop their own ideas, make kinks between ideas and develop strategies for doing things. Children are encouraged to be active learners. They keep on trying of they encounter difficulties and enjoy their achievements. The children are encouraged to play and explore. They investigate and experience things with increasing independence.

Key Stage 1

The principal focus of science teaching in key stage 1 is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. They should be encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They should be helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using 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. They should begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most of the learning about science should be done through the use of first-hand practical experiences, but there should also be some use of appropriate secondary sources, such as books, photographs and videos.

Working Scientifically

During years 1 and 2, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:

• asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
• observing closely, using simple equipment
• performing simple tests
• identifying and classifying
• using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions
• gathering and recording data to help in answering questions.

Lower Key Stage 2

The principal focus of science teaching in lower key stage 2 is to enable pupils to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. They should do this through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments, and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. They should 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, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They should draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out.

Working Scientifically

During years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:

• asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
• setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
• making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
• gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
• recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables
• reporting on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions
• using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions
• identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes
• using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.

Upper Key Stage 2

The principal focus of science teaching in upper key stage 2 is to enable pupils to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They should do this through exploring and talking about their ideas; asking their own questions about scientific phenomena; and analysing functions, relationships and interactions more systematically. At upper key stage 2, they should 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. They should select the most appropriate ways to answer science questions using different types of scientific enquiry, including observing changes over different periods of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out comparative and fair tests and finding things out using a wide range of secondary sources of information. 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.

Working Scientifically

During years 5 and 6, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:

• planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
• taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision, taking repeat readings when appropriate
• recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
• using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
• reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations
• identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments.