Intent

At Cutnall Green C of E Primary School, we aim to develop curiosity through questioning, investigating and drawing conclusions, whilst understanding the pivotal role science has in shaping an ever-changing world. Children learn through varied systematic investigations, leading to them being equipped for life to ask and answer scientific questions about the world around them. As children progress through the year groups, they build on their skills in working scientifically, as well as on their scientific knowledge, as they develop greater independence in planning and carrying out fair and comparative tests to answer a range of scientific questions. Children are constantly challenged to move their ‘working scientifically’ skills forward and to think like scientists.

Implementation

The development of key scientific knowledge is an integral part of our science lessons. The progression of knowledge and skills for working scientifically are developed through the year groups and scientific enquiry skills are of key importance within lessons. Children are exposed to a wide variety of topics that support their natural curiosity for learning.  Our curriculum aims to broaden our children’s scientific view of, and respect for, the world around them, whilst promoting a love for enquiry and wanting to explore new things.  We feel it is important for our children to develop a love for science that carries through into later life, instilling in them an awareness of how science is relevant in today’s society.

We ensure that all children are provided with rich learning experiences that aim to:

• Prepare our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world today and in the future.
• Help our children acquire a growing understanding of the nature, processes and methods of scientific ideas.
• Help develop and extend our children’s scientific concept of their world.
• Build on our children’s natural curiosity and developing a scientific approach to problems.
• Encouraging open-mindedness, self-assessment, perseverance and developing the skills of investigation – including: observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
• Develop the use of scientific language, recording and techniques.
• Develop the use of computing in investigating and recording.
• Make links between science and other subjects.

Scientific knowledge and enquiry skills are developed with increasing depth and challenge as children move through the year groups. They complete investigations and hands-on activities while gaining the scientific knowledge for each area covered.

Impact

The impact and measure of this is the children’s ability to know more, remember more and explain more.

All children will have:

• A wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/investigative skills.
• A richer vocabulary which will enable them to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
• High aspirations, which will see them through to further study, work and a successful adult life.