Science

“Science is fun. Science is curiosity. We all have natural curiosity. Science is a process of investigating. It’s posing questions and coming up with a method. It’s delving in” Sally Ride 

“Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.” Stephen Hawking 

Intent

At Worsley Bridge we believe that science is a subject that, perhaps more than any other, can produce in young minds a sense of wonder and amazement. Whether a child is learning about rainforests and different ecosystems, discovering that the Earth is a giant magnet, or learning about human anatomy, scientific enquiry offers children of all ages a hands-on and practical way of engaging with and understanding the world around them.  

Our aim is that all children engage in a high-quality science education that provides the foundation for their understanding of the world; are equipped with the skills for lifelong learning and are confident in the investigational skills required to explore the wider world. We want to provide the foundation stones for the science capital required for children to make a successful transition to secondary school and beyond into the wider world.  

Implementation

All of our children fully engage with a range of scientific topics whose content is sequenced in a logical order. In EYFS, science is a key part of the understanding the world area of the framework. Children are provided with hands on opportunities to investigate, observe and to ask and answer questions. We use EYFS PLAN Matrices to build on the skills that will help to prepare the children for science in KS1. 

In KS1 and KS2, our curriculum aligns with the National Curriculum. We have designed and adapted our curriculum using the Rising Stars scheme to ensure a seamless progression of knowledge and skills as pupils advance through each year. This sequential learning journey revisits and reinforces prior knowledge, building upon the foundation of what has already been learned. We introduce new topics by first imparting substantive knowledge (the "what") before delving into disciplinary knowledge (the "how") 

In the Summer Term all children in KS1 and KS2 take part in a topic on inspiring scientists using the enquiry question “What did you do for us?” this enables our children to develop an accurate and genuine understanding of scientists. 

At Worsley Bridge we have designed our knowledge organisers to support the delivery of the curriculum. We have a Knowledge Organiser for each topic from KS1- KS2. Each one has a well-structured enquiry question and identifies the key scientific vocabulary needed. Information is coherently plotted so that it is clear what the children need to have learnt by the end of that unit of work. It also acts as a tool to support children to see the connections between what they are learning and their prior knowledge. This is vital in retaining and retrieving knowledge for life-long learning. 

Our children also have the opportunity to attend our after-school science clubs- one for KS1 and one for KS2 where children engage with different hands-on experiments and apply their knowledge in a fun environment.  

We believe that our science curriculum must reflect our community so we therefore ensure that there are opportunities for trips where children can reinforce their learning with real life experiences. These include visits to the Science Museum and taking part in a science and maths day at St Olave's Grammar School. 

Impact

The measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age related knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also have skills to move their learning forward. 

All children at Worsley Bridge will have: 

• A greater scientific knowledge and understanding 
• A wider range of scientific enquiry skills 
• A richer vocabulary 
• High aspirations 
• An enjoyment and enthusiasm about science in our school 
• Standards in science at the end of Key Stages are at least good. 

Please click to view our Science Overview:

Science Overview

Please click to view examples of our Science Knowledge Organisers:

Space Knowledge Organiser

Animals Including Humans Knowledge Organiser

Forces Knowledge Organiser

Please click to view our Science Progression of Skills and Knowledge:

SCIENCE Progression of Skills and Knowledge