Science Curriculum - The Big Picture
Intent
The 2014 National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all children:
- To develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
- To develop an 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.
- Children are equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.
- To understand that it is important for lessons to have a skills-based focus, built on a foundation of supporting knowledge.
At St. Cuthbert’s and Christ the King (BEBCMAT), we encourage children to be inquisitive throughout their time at school and beyond. The Science curriculum aims to foster a healthy curiosity in children about our universe and promotes understanding for the world we live in. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes. Throughout the programmes of study, the children will acquire and develop the key knowledge that has been identified within each unit and across each year group, as well as the application of scientific skills. We ensure that the Working Scientifically skills are built-on and developed throughout children’s time at the academy so that they can apply their knowledge of science when using equipment, conducting experiments, building arguments and explaining concepts confidently and continue to ask questions and be curious about their surroundings.
We have worked closely with science leaders at St. Mary’s Catholic Academy to ensure that the Science curriculum, from EYFS to post-16, is ambitious and builds on prior knowledge to enable pupils to learn, retain and recall key learning.
Implementation
We strive to create a positive attitude to science learning within our classrooms and reinforce an expectation that all children are capable of achieving high standards in science. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of science involves the following;
- Science will be taught in planned and arranged units by the class teacher, using teaching and learning planners. This is a strategy to enable the achievement of a greater depth of knowledge.
- Through our planning, we involve problem solving opportunities that allow children to find out for themselves. Children are encouraged to ask their own questions and be given opportunities to use their scientific skills and research to discover the answers. This curiosity is celebrated within the classroom. Planning involves engaging lessons, high-quality resources and precise questioning in class to test conceptual knowledge and skills.
- We identify gaps in learning through assessing prior knowledge at the start of every unit. This may be achieved using spaced retrieval, low stake quizzing, concept cartoons and pre and post unit assessments.
- As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to form conclusions based on real evidence.
- The concept of working scientifically is embedded into lessons to ensure these skills are developed throughout the children’s learning journey. Technical vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching.
- Teachers find opportunities to develop children’s understanding of their surroundings by accessing outdoor learning and workshops with experts where possible.
- Children are offered a wide range of extra-curricular trips and interactions with experts and local charities.
Impact
The successful approach at St. Cuthbert’s and Christ the King [BEBCMAT] results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education that provides children with the foundations and knowledge for understanding the world.
Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them. Frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom is embedded throughout the science curriculum. Links to industry ensure that children have access to positive role models within the field of science from a range of scientific disciplines and Stem related industries.
At BEBCMAT, we aim to ensure every child enjoys science which results in motivated learners with sound scientific understanding. We aim to equip our pupils with the necessary scientific knowledge and skills to continue to be successful at St. Mary’s and in their future learning and careers. Children will have the understanding that science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity.
Curriculum Map
Subject List
Early Years
Autumn 1
Autumn 2
Spring 1
Spring 2
Summer 1
Plants: Explore the growth of a plant from a seed.
Materials/Forces: Floating and sinking
Summer 2
Year 1
Autumn 1
Animals inc Humans: Classifying organisms
Autumn 2
Complete Aut 1 & start Spr 1
Spring 1
Materials: Properties of everyday materials
Spring 2
Habitats: Features of organisms linked to habitats
Summer 1
Forces: Friction & push or pull
Summer 2
Plants: Plants are living things
Year 2
Autumn 1
Animals inc Humans: Life cycles
Autumn 2
Complete Aut 1 & start Spr 1
Spring 1
Materials: Uses of everyday materials
Spring 2
Habitats: Microhabitats
Summer 1
Forces: Introduction to electricity
Summer 2
Plants: Germination
Year 3
Autumn 1
Animals inc Humans: Nutrition, skeletons & muscles
Autumn 2
Material: Rocks
Spring 1
Energy:Light
Spring 2
Habitats: Classifying living things
Summer 1
Forces: Magnets
Summer 2
Plants: Reproduction
Year 4
Autumn 1
Animals inc Humans: Digestive system & Food chains
Autumn 2
Materials: States of Matter
Spring 1
Energy: Sound
Spring 2
Habitats: Environments
Summer 1
Forces: Electricity
Summer 2
Plants: Growth
Year 5
Autumn 1
Animals in Humans: Gestation, Growth & Development
Autumn 2
Materials: Particles, melting & boiling
Spring 1
Energy: Space
Spring 2
Habitats: Off Sprint
Summer 1
Forces: Forecs [Air & Water resistance]
Summer 2
Plants: Roots
Year 6
Autumn 1
Animals inc Humans: Circulation Systems
Autumn 2
Materials: Reversible and irreversible change
Spring 1
Energy: Light
Spring 2
Habitats: Evolution & Adaptation
Summer 1
Forces: Electricity
Summer 2
Plants: Photosynthesis
Working Scientifically (by the end of each Key Stage)
Early Years (Nursery and Reception)
During Early Years, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through teaching the programme of study content:
- Explore and talk about things around them.
- Talk about what they see, feel, hear, and smell.
- Explore collections of materials and their properties
- Recording observations through marks and drawings
- Talk about changes they notice over time
Key Stage One (Years 1 & 2)
During years 1 and 2, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:
- 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 (Years 3 & 4)
Pupils in years 3 and 4 should be given a range of scientific experiences to enable them to raise their own questions about the world around them.
- asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
- setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
- making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers
- 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 (Years 5 & 6)
During years 5 and 6, pupils should be taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills through the teaching of the programme of study content:
- 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
- recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, and bar and line graphs
- using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
- using simple models to describe scientific ideas
- reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations
- identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support
