Science

Science teaches an understanding of natural phenomena.  It aims to stimulate a child’s curiosity in finding out why things happen in the way they do.  It teaches methods of enquiry and investigation to stimulate creative thought.  Children learn to ask scientific questions and begin to appreciate the way in which science will affect the future on a personal, national, and global level.

The objectives of teaching science are to enable children to: 

• ask and answer scientific questions;
• plan and carry out scientific investigations, using equipment (including computers) correctly;
• know and understand the life processes of living things;
• know and understand the physical processes of materials, electricity, light, sound, and natural forces;
• know about the nature of the solar system, including the earth;
• evaluate evidence and present their conclusions clearly and accurately.

Teaching and learning style

We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in science lessons.  Our principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding.  Sometimes we do this through whole-class teaching, while at other times we engage the children in an enquiry-based research activity.  We encourage the children to ask, as well as answer, scientific questions.  They have the opportunity to use a variety of data, such as statistics, graphs, pictures, and photographs and use ICT in science lessons because it enhances their learning.  They take part in role-play and discussions, and they present reports to the rest of the class.  They engage in a wide variety of problem-solving activities.  Wherever possible, we involve the pupils in real scientific activities, for example, investigating a local environmental problem, or carrying out a practical experiment and analysing the results.

We recognise that in all classes children have a wide range of scientific abilities, and we ensure that we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child.  We achieve this in a variety of ways: 

• setting tasks which are open-ended and can have a variety of responses;
• setting tasks of increasing difficulty (we do not expect all children to complete all tasks);
• grouping children by ability in the room, and setting different tasks for each ability group;
• providing resources of different complexity, matched to the ability of the child;
• using classroom assistants to support the work of individual children or groups of children.

The Foundation Stage

We teach science in reception classes as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year.  As the reception class is part of the Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum, we relate the scientific aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to five.  Science makes a significant contribution to developing a child’s knowledge and understanding of the world, for example through investigating what floats and what sinks when placed in water.