Science
At Corporation Road Primary School, we believe that by studying science, children will develop a sense of the world around them and how it works. We aim to use science as a tool to help children work together and begin to build the collaborative skills that they will continue to use as they grow older. Our curriculum aims to teach our pupils about the natural world as well as imparting the knowledge that they can take into their secondary education. We strongly believe that learning is better when it is kept simple and through discussions, demonstrations, experiences and ‘hands on’ learning, children will be better prepared to retain the knowledge and skills that they have been taught.
Intent
- In order to develop a love of science, we teach and value the skills that our children will need in order to succeed in school and in their futures.
- We aim to generate enthusiasm about the subject of science so that our children are ready to continue their learning journey when they move onto secondary school.
- As teachers, we aim to educate our children about the importance of investigative and practical science so that they are able to ask questions and explore their curiosity about the ever-changing world around them.
- Children should be given opportunities to plan investigations and experiments and to understand the idea of fair testing. Science can also support and improve English and maths skills.
- We aim to teach our children the scientific knowledge so that they are able to use it to make sense of the world around them.
National Curriculum
Key Stage 1
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
Key Stage 2
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.
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 a 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
