At St Paul’s, our science curriculum encourages children to explore scientific concepts and discover their relevance to the world around them. We aim to inspire children, develop their scientific knowledge and provide them with skills and tools that can be re-applied and strengthened each year. Our curriculum inspires and engages children, instilling ambition in our children to choose STEM careers such as engineering, artificial intelligence, global health and biochemistry. The planned outcomes are designed to enable children to build upon conceptual knowledge in physics, biology and chemistry and develop their skills of scientific enquiry: observing over time; pattern seeking; identifying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing; and researching using secondary sources. 

As part of our high quality teaching and learning of science, we repeat, revisit and build upon blocks of knowledge and technical scientific vocabulary to strengthen scientific understanding. Each year, the children revisit prior learning; challenge and grow their understanding of scientific concepts and apply their knowledge to a range of practical scenarios. The science curriculum is planned to enable this frequent revisiting of science facts and application which supports children in retaining information which they can then apply independently when investigating, experimenting, reflecting and evaluating scientific concepts and their impact on the wider world. Key skills, technical vocabulary, and concepts and knowledge for Science have been mapped across the school to ensure clear progression through the year groups. All lessons name and define the strand of Science taught with contextual images relevant to each key stage and strand. Each lesson shares the concept that is being grown as well as the learning goals. Scientific vocabulary and the use of stem sentences are explained and modeled to support children’s oracy, developing confidence and independence, both in spoken and written language.

It is our aim that our children develop inquisitive minds, the thirst to seek out answers and articulate their thoughts and findings using the appropriate scientific vocabulary and evidence to back up their ideas. Following the national curriculum requirements, Science at our school also incorporates opportunities for children to apply, strengthen and deepen their competence in other curriculum areas, including English, mathematics, computing, geography and DT. The main aim is that Science develops the use of scientific vocabulary and scientific understanding; articulating scientific concepts clearly and precisely and using discussion as a basis to question and solve misconceptions as well as justify their answers through a collaborative and safe learning dialogue.

Science lessons are taught weekly, with topics revisited throughout the year and over the key stage to further embed and build upon prior learning.  Opportunities are given throughout the year to learn science both inside and outside the classroom, providing children to learn through practical activities. Through exploration, investigation, discussion, testing and asking questions about their learning, children develop a deeper understanding of scientific ideas. Our science curriculum provides children opportunities to use skills from other subjects such as reading, mathematics and computing to research and present their learning.

Children will have clear enjoyment in science. Children will discuss science learning with confidence, accurately using age appropriate scientific vocabulary, talking through their understanding of concepts they are learning and skills they are using. Through carefully planned and implemented learning activities, pupils will broaden their scientific view of the world around them and be able to converse clearly and confidently about the scientific skills they use. Children will be able to discuss and understand the uses and implications of science in everyday life. 

Pupil’s skills and knowledge, when assessed by the class teacher as part of an ongoing process, throughout lessons, will show that they build on previous knowledge and experiences across year groups. More formal assessment such as marking of children’s work and monitoring of outcomes will, alongside more informal child interviews, show progress over time. Careful questioning and planning of child-led discussions will support the science leader in measuring impact and will enable the class teacher and curriculum lead to measure impact and adapt planning, overviews and support where necessary.

Progression of Skills and Knowledge in Science

The Progression of Skills and Knowledge documents provide information about what the children are taught in science by phase group.