Intent

At St Cuthbert’s our Intent for Science is that children build a strong foundation of key scientific knowledge and concepts. Alongside this focus on knowledge, children are also encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation. In addition, we want children to develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about the natural world and an understanding of how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predicting how things will behave and analysing causes.

We aim to ensure that all children develop sound scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Children will develop an understanding of the nature, processes, and methods of science through distinct types of scientific enquiry that help them answer scientific questions about the world around them. We aim to equip all children with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science today and for the future.

Implementation

Science is taught in a discreet lesson each week to children in KS1 and KS2. At St Cuthbert’s we use the Pearson, Science bug scheme of work which carefully sequences both knowledge and working scientifically skills. Practical activities are an important part of developing scientific enquiry skills, and Science Bug helps develop enquiry skills and understanding and promotes excitement about the subject. Some units of work such as plants and living things are spread over the year to allow children to learn about nature as it is happening, for example: studying tadpoles in the pond during Spring and investigating seed dispersal during Autumn. In EYFS science is delivered through the Understanding of the World area of learning. Throughout the scheme of work, children are exposed to high quality texts and taught how to communicate as scientists.