Intent
At St. Andrew’s Primary School, we teach Science in blocks, so that children can fully immerse themselves in their scientific study. All children will have a high-quality science education which 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. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils will be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They will be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
St Andrew’s Primary School follows the national curriculum for science which 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
Implementation
Science is taught in blocks so that children can learn a unit of work in it’s entirety, without breaks in learning. We feel our children learn best this way.
Skills and Techniques
Children will:
- Use scientific vocabulary with confidence
- Work scientifically
- Observe patterns over time
- Identify, classify and group
- Research
- Collect and analyse data
- Apply mathematical skills when analysing data
These techniques are repeated over the years so that the children can build upon and refine their skills in each area. Throughout all projects, drawing and sketching will be a common thread and will be continuously developed.
Learning Links
Throughout each unit a thread of scientific enquiry, ensures that pupils build upon their experiences in a progressive and age appropriate way. Children will learn about fair tests and will know how to carry out an investigation resulting in accurate and fair results, from which to make conclusions.
Throughout KS1 and KS2 children will have the opportunity to make links with other topics like using electricity within a design and technology project or extend their knowledge such as using their knowledge of rocks and soils when learning about mining. As much of the learning, where possible, will be practical. In some studies, outdoor learning will be a pathway to teach from; such as evolution and inheritance. We will use our school grounds to teach some our studies.
Local Links
In addition, we draw upon the local area to ignite, embed or extend learning. An example of this would be the Centre for Life, a local nature reserve, Botanic Gardens in Durham, Washington Wetlands, The Discovery Museum in Newcastle, Shildon Railway and visits by the school nurse.
Curriculum Enrichment
In addition to Science lessons, pupils are able to further their experiences in Science by attending a STEM after-school club and through Outdoor Learning and Forest School lessons.
Impact
As a result of learning Science at St. Andrew’s Primary School, pupils will have a sound understanding of how Science works in the world around them and will have the skills to investigate scientific questions, answering them in an accurate and systematic way.
More Information
Please see our Whole School Long Term Plan to see what our pupils will study during each year here.
For information about Science in Early Years, please go to our Early Years section here.
