Science In our School
A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science.” National Curriculum 2014.
Science learning is about discovering, exploring and investigating to help encourage children to ask questions about the world around them. Through Science, children learn how to collect evidence to answer key questions, to evaluate and question what makes a fair test and to communicate ideas through using scientific language appropriately.
At Pimperne CE VC Primary School we aim to create learning experiences which offer curiosity and provide challenge. Activities are matched appropriately to the needs of the child, building on existing knowledge of the child, developing broader concepts and ideas to move their learning forward.
We plan a Science curriculum that encourages the children to work scientifically, using enquiry skills. These enquiry skills include observing over time; pattern seeking; identifying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing (controlled investigations); and researching using secondary sources. The children seek answers to questions through collecting, analysing and presenting data. We develop these enquiry skills within the teaching and learning of knowledge and conceptual understanding of the following scientific areas:
- Year 1 - Animals including humans, material – their uses and properties, weather and plants.
- Year 2 - Animals – habitats and life cycles. Materials – their uses and properties and plants.
- Year 3 - Keeping healthy, light and shadow, rocks and fossils, forces and magnets, plants and pollination.
- Year 4 - Electricity, materials – states of matter, sound, habitats and teeth.
- Year 5 - Space, forces, changing materials, living things and their habitat and human growth.
- Year 6 - Light, electricity, living things and their habitats, evolution and the human body.
To support the development of scientific understanding we value the use of scientific vocabulary. At key stage 1 this is introduced to enable children to use it verbally. In key stage 2 this is developed to help children draw simple conclusions and use first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out. We also promote the links between maths and science, providing opportunities for the children to apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collecting, presenting and analysing data.