Intent

Our school aims for science are to:

• Build on children’s natural curiosity
• Teach the children scientific knowledge and skills
• Stimulate the children to investigate and question
• Teach the children to communicate ideas using appropriate scientific language
• Teach the children to evaluate and record their findings and suggest explanations

Implementation

Our children have many opportunities to share their love of science through their theme learning.

We promote a hands-on practical approach to learning, where links with the real world are made evident. Working scientifically is an essential component of the curriculum; skills of enquiry are developed through regular research, observations, investigations and enrichments opportunities.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (Reception) and the Key Stage 1 National Curriculum (Year 1/Year 2) provides us with a basis of the knowledge, skills and techniques that our children will learn throughout their time at Bakewell.

In the early years, child will start to gain the science knowledge that they will build on throughout their primary school years, such as developing their skills of observation, prediction, critical thinking and discussion. Science is introduced through activities that encourage children to explore, problem solve, observe, predict, think, make decisions and talk about the world around them. It’s called ‘knowledge and understanding of the world’.

Across Key Stage 1, children are taught to work scientifically:

• Ask simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
• Observe closely, using simple equipment
• Perform simple tests
• Identifying and classifying
• Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions
• Gather and record data to help in answering questions