Science
At Chantry Community Primary School science is fully inclusive to every child. Our aim is to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for science by providing a high-quality science education which stimulates pupils’ curiosity and fascination about natural phenomena and events in the world around them. We believe that all children should:
- enjoy science by ensuring that lessons are engaging and fun.
- ask questions about their world by building on their natural curiosity.
- develop their scientific knowledge and find answers through first-hand experience and practical investigations.
- ensure they are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to help take their learning further.
- have access to the language and vocabulary of science.
- develop their science capital.
Early Years
In Early Years, children engage in scientific activities through learning journeys which lead towards the Early Learning Goals in Knowledge and Understanding of the World. Children are encouraged to
- explore their surroundings using all senses
- develop their skills of observation and to develop descriptive language
- ask questions about what they experience and why things happen
- learn about themselves and other living things; look closely at similarities, differences patterns and change
- begin to explore the wider environment through outings and trips
Key Stage 1
The framework for our science curriculum in Key Stage 1 follows the national curriculum and is designed to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly constructed world around them. During years 1 and 2, pupils are also taught to use practical scientific methods, processes and skills by:
- 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.
Lower Key Stage 2
The framework for our science curriculum in lower key stage 2 follows the national curriculum and is designed enable pupils to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. Children experience this through:
- Setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests.
- Making systematic and careful observations.
- 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.
Upper Key Stage 2
The framework for our science curriculum in upper key stage 2 is to enable pupils to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They should do this through:
- 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 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.
Throughout the school we also aim to develop the skills of all our children by providing a variety of structured activities and more open-ended investigative work including:
- Activities to develop good observational skills.
- Practical activities using measuring instruments which will develop children’s ability to read scales accurately.
- Structured activities to develop understanding of a scientific concept and open-ended investigations.