Barnwood C of E Primary School

Science

Miss Thomas

Albert Einstien: “To raise new questions, new possibilities to regard old problems from a new angle, requires imagination and marks a real advance in science.”

At Barnwood C of E Primary School, we believe that a quality Science curriculum should develop children’s understanding of our world and the natural phenomena that surrounds them in order to make sense of it. Starting with our school site and location for Barnwood as an exploratory playground, our children are developing a culture of curiosity by asking investigable questions and they will seek to answer them. They are taught to develop their scientific skills through their knowledge and understanding of biology, chemistry and physics and are encouraged to progress by building independence in their own investigations and experiments. By effectively using speaking and listening skills, pupils can articulate their scientific reasoning using appropriate language and vocabulary.

As our globe becomes progressively more dependent on scientific advances, we believe our pupils should be exposed to scientific capital and how science is relevant to them and their futures. We want our children to understand the role we play as caretakers to preserve our rapidly changing world and give them the basic tools to proactively respond to current and impending challenges. We aim to provide a Science curriculum that follows a progressive pathway, from EYFS to Year 6, and fosters a positive attitude to lifelong learning and is driven by our core vision of ‘loving our neighbour and working together to be the best we can be, for the good of all’.

Our Christian values provide a strong foundation upon which to build, with St Lawrence Church and our surrounding community of Barnwood placed at the heart of our school. However, we will also provide the scientific knowledge which enables children to challenge religious concepts and begin to establish their own beliefs whilst being able to develop and respect tolerance of other cultures and an understanding of British Values within the wider global community in Gloucestershire and beyond.

Science helps children to explore and understand the way in which our world works. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s prosperity. Pupils will be taught essential aspects of knowledge, methods and processes and uses of science.

The aims are –

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 scientific enquiry that help pupils to answer scientific questions about the world around them.

To equip pupils with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science today and for the future.

EYFS

Science is covered in the EYFS curriculum mainly through Understanding the World. The children will make sense through their physical world and their community by experiencing the world around them, like vising our local arboretum, and visiting members of society, such as firefighters. They will also experience a range of stories, rhymes and poems which will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically, and ecologically diverse world. As reading is the golden thread through our school, this element of the EYFS curriculum will enrich and widen children's vocabulary, which will later support reading comprehension.

Key Stage 1

The principal focus of science teaching is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking closely at the natural and the humanly constructed world around them.

Programmes of study for Years 1 and 2 include –