Science

Intent

Learning within science builds children’s understanding of the world around them. It develops critical thinking skills, rational explanation and inspires curiosity.

Children understand how science impacts their daily lives and how ideas and understanding have developed over time. They are equipped with the scientific knowledge to understand implications for present and future scientific progress.

In Key Stage 1, the children learn about materials and their uses; human senses, parts of the body and what humans need to survive; plant and animal parts and what they need to grow and stay healthy; habitats; and seasonal changes.

In Lower Key Stage 2, the children study body systems, such as the skeletal system, the muscular system and digestive system; healthy diets and nutrition; plant nutrition and reproduction; classification; states of matter; light and shadows; sound; forces and magnets; and electrical circuits and conductors. Some science content is closely linked to geographical concepts and is covered in the geography projects: learning about rocks and soils is delivered through Rocks, Relics and Rumbles, and the water cycle is studied in Misty Mountain, Winding River.

In Upper Key Stage 2, the children study Earth and space; human and animal life cycles; and evolution and inheritance. They broaden their knowledge of body systems, including the circulatory system; materials, including thermal conductivity, solubility, reversible and irreversible changes; light, including how light travels; forces, including gravity, air resistance and water resistance; and electrical circuits, including components and voltage. They broaden their knowledge of classification and plant and animal life cycles in the geography projects Frozen Kingdoms and Sow, Grow and Farm.

Implementation

At Maidwell we achieve this by:

• Teaching science weekly. Children cover the topics detailed below throughout their primary education and have opportunities for science based educational visits;
• Science learning is linked to everyday life to ensure learning is made relevant;
• All scientific enquiry types are explored regularly in all classes to ensure scientifically skills are developed alongside knowledge and concepts;
• Learning regularly takes place outside the classroom to enhance children’s experience of primary science;
• Children are explicitly taught, and given opportunities to use and revisit, a wide range of scientific vocabulary;
• Children are given opportunities to think deeply about what they know and to apply it to new situations;
• A love of science, exploration and discovery is fostered at every opportunity. 

Impact

By the end of each year, children should have gained the substantive knowledge (knowledge of established scientific facts) and disciplinary knowledge (knowledge of the methods used in science to establish facts) in the skills and core knowledge statements for that year group. Children will experience working scientifically in the six areas of investigation: comparative/ fair testing; research; observation over time; pattern-seeking and identifying; and classifying and problem solving. They will also be exposed to a rich hinterland of contextual and broader knowledge, information, examples, illustrations and experiences to support their learning.

By the end of their time with us, children have learned, improved and embedded a range of scientific skills. They have explored key scientific knowledge and concepts, essential for an understanding of the world, and had many opportunities to evaluate and rationalise. They have experienced a variety of approaches to answer scientific questions. They have an appreciation for the different ways in which scientific enquiries can take place and understand their importance in the world’s future prosperity.

Please refer to our Long-Term Programme for details on when each unit of work is scheduled.