Science
Intent
As scientists we are inspired to endeavour to be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of modern day science. Our curriculum gives us the tools to explore the changing world around us through scientific enquiry.
Design
Our curriculum is based on the three areas of science, biology, chemistry and physics. We encourage students to ask questions and find answers through a creative science curriculum which is heavily developed on scientific enquiry.
Implementation
Long term: We use the National Curriculum for Science
Medium term: Science topics taught for each year group to build on previous learning. We bridge back each lesson to ensure retention of knowledge to the long term memory. This is achieved through a carefully planned curriculum which is underpinned by ‘spaced learning.’
Short term: Scientific enquiry led lessons which engage children.
Impact: To enable children to leave primary school at ARE so they are ready to access the secondary curriculum.
As a school, we aim to teach our scientific skills through all of our science units, building on each skill to show prgression through the year groups.
The scientific skills that we focus on and develop are:
- Questioning
- Investigating
- Drawing conclusions
- Identifying and classifying
- Recording and presenting
Each year group studies a selection of scientific topics, covering biology, chemistry and physics. These topics are planned to focus on key learning within these areas and create progression throughout the different year groups. Below you will find the topics covered by each year group and some of the learning they will study.
Year 1
Biology - Animals including humans
To identify and compare a variety of common animals and their structures.
Biology - Plants
To identify, name and describe a variety of plants.
Chemistry - Everyday materials
To identify, group and describe everyday materials using their properties.
Physics - Seasonal Changes
To understand that we experience four seasons.
Year 2
Biology - Animals including humans
To understand how animals, including humans, grow into healthy humans.
Biology - Plants
To know how to grow a healthy plant.
Biology - Living things and their habitats
To understand the importance of a habitat.
Chemistry - Use of everyday materials
To compare materials suitability for different uses.
To recognise that some materials can change shape by applying force.
Year 3
Biology - Animals including humans
To understand the function of a skeleton and muscles.
To understand the importance of nutrition for animals, including humans.
To know animals do not make their own food.
Biology - Plants
To know the functions of different parts of flowering plants.
Chemistry - Rocks
To identify and compare rocks, fossils and soils.
Physics - Light
To understand light is an energy that can be manipulated.
Physics - Forces and magnets
To know that forces are a push or a pull in a direction.
To understand magnetism.
Year 4
Biology - Animals including humans
To understand the journey of food through the human body.
To understand food chains.
Biology - Living things and their habitats
To classify living things and understand how habitats can change.
Chemistry - States of matter
To recognise that materials can change state by heating and cooling.
Physics - Sound
To know that sound is a vibration which travels through a medium to the ear.
Physics - Electricity
To know how a simple electric circuit works.
Year 5
Biology - Animals including humans
To understand how humans develop to old age.
Biology - Living things and their habitats
To understand life cycles.
To know and compare the life cycles of different animals and plants.
Chemistry - Properties of materals
To justify materials suitability for different uses.
To identify that changes can be reversible or irreversible.
Physics - Forces and magnets
To know that there are different types of forces and understand their different effects.
Physics - Earth and space
To know and understand the movement of the Earth, Moon and other planets in the Solar System.
Year 6
Biology - Animals including humans
To understand the importance of a healthy circulatory system.
Biology - Living things and their habitats
To classify living things based on specific and common characteristics.
Biology - Evolution and inheritance
To describe how living things have adapted and evolved over time.
Physics - Light
To understand that light travels in straight lines and to know how we see objects.
Physics - Electricity
To know and understand that the amount of voltage in a circuit can affect the output of a componant, including brightness, volume and speed.
STEM Education, at its core, simply means educating students in four specific disciplines, namely, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (collectively shortened as STEM). Instead of training students in any one of these domains, STEM combines all four in an interdisciplinary and applied approach, to better equip students to have a career and consider real-world applications. Through our science lessons, we aim to incorporate as much STEM learning as possible, however STEM is also present in our topic work, where science is used in design and technology lessons.
This year students took part in a Science Super Learning Day, where children moved around school to take part in different STEM workshops (taught by teachers in different year groups). This year, the children combined science and technology to design, create and evaluate products that linked to science within their year group topics. The students loved visiting different classrooms and teachers and more importantly, lots of science fun was had!
British Science week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths that will take place 8th-17th March 2024.
Every year, the school holds a week of science activities and invites outside organisations and the ROTARY club to host workshops and sessions within school for the children to inspire and develop their learning in science. Look out for updates on our next Science Week in 2024.
If you wish you carry out some similar activities at home, past activity packs can be downloaded from the official British Science Week website (see the link below).
