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Science
Science Curriculum Design
Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.
Rosalind Franklin
At Thorpe Willoughby CP School, science is about developing our children’s understanding, enjoyment and interest in science so that they appreciate the impact science has on our lives and the world in which we live. We believe that science encourages children to explore their curiosities and investigate their own theories relating to science.
We aim to ensure that children are excited and intrigued by our Science Curriculum. Our half-termly themes ensure children are given opportunities to perform exciting practical activities and investigations. We encourage children to ask their own questions about what they want to find out and then ask some more!
Our immersive curriculum offers opportunities for our children to build links across science and other subjects. We want them to be able to articulate their scientific thinking across our curriculum themes which have been carefully chosen to deepen their thinking by providing them with real-life contexts.
Our curriculum aims to broaden the children's scientific view of, and respect for the world around them, whilst promoting a love for enquiry and a desire for exploring new things.
Our Science Curriculum has a focus on significance. We provide opportunities to explore and learn about significant people, places and events that have impacted the world of science including those throughout the history of science.
We recognise through our Science Curriculum that subject-specific vocabulary is important for children to acquire. This will support their knowledge and understanding of the subject and themes. When planning our themes, the vocabulary required to succeed is planned for and modelled within our lessons.
We intend that our Science Curriculum demonstrates and celebrates our school values, giving our children opportunities to live, practise and represent our six values.
What Science Looks Like at Thorpe Willoughby
In our Foundation Stage, we teach Reception-aged children science through the EYFS Statutory Framework and the Development Matters non-statutory guidance. Understanding the World is one of the four specific areas within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and guides children to make sense of their physical world and their community. We ensure our curriculum and provision areas encourage children to explore and investigate.
Our Science Curriculum is developed around the Primary National Curriculum, England for children in Key Stages 1 and 2. Science is taught through our half-termly themes for example in Key stage 1, Everyday Materials is taught through our ‘Building our Future’ theme.
Science often serves as the main driver subject for our themes ensuring explicit science teaching of both knowledge and ‘working scientifically’ skills within an immersive curriculum. The five types of scientific enquiry play a key part in encouraging our children to become scientists. They allow them to explore science through different lenses ensuring they develop an understanding of concepts that builds year on year.
Within our Science Curriculum, we ensure:
- Children understand, learn and appreciate what their local environment can teach and offer scientifically through activities such as bug hunts, seasonal walks and growing their own fruit and vegetables.
- Practical activities and investigations develop children’s skills and knowledge in an active, ‘hands-on’ way e.g. investigating light and shadow, exploring beak adaptations and how sound travels.
- Children learn about significant people, places and events that have shaped the world we live in e.g. Charles Darwin, Mary Anning and the Jurassic coast.
- Enhanced educational experiences are provided e.g. visiting local nature reserves, inviting athletes into school, arranging Birds of Prey visits
- Children are immersed in key topical events through the whole school foci on British Science Week and the Great Science Share. Both of which offer the opportunity to appreciate just how widely science impacts our world, through studies on endangered species, deforestation and plastic pollution.