Science

“The important thing is to never stop questioning”

Albert Einstein

Intent

At Beaumont Primary Academy we recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life. We deliver a curriculum that evokes a natural curiosity, encourages a respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provides opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence.

We want our children to be confident and inquisitive pupils who apply their skills in a scientific way.

They should be able to ask and answer challenging questions and successfully carry out investigations.

The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:

develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Implementation

Our children begin their science experience through ‘Understanding the World’ in Early Years Foundation Stage, with informal investigation within the setting. Teachers facilitate children’s curiosity with open ended questions and clearly thought out learning experiences which are both child led and adult led.

In KS1, children continue to build on their science knowledge with more formal weekly science lessons where they are taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills: asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways; observing closely, using simple equipment; performing simple tests; identifying and classifying; using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions and gathering and recording data to help in answering questions.

Moving in to KS2 children, are to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills: asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them; setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests; making systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, taking accurate measurements using standard units, using a range of equipment, including thermometers and data loggers; gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering questions; recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables to report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions; using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions; identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes and using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.

Throughout all Key Stages we have weekly Forest School sessions that allow the children to explore the natural world.

	Aut 1	Aut 2	Spr 1	Spr 2	Sum 1	Sum 2
Early Years Foundation	Food Materials	Materials Humans	Food Materials	Animals Plants Seasonal Changes	Materials Humans	Materials
Year 1	Everyday Materials	Everyday Materials Seasonal Changes	Animals Seasonal Changes	Humans Seasonal Changes	Plants and Animals Materials	Animals Seasonal Changes
Year 2	Everyday Materials	Humans	Everyday Materials	Living things and their habitats	Plants	Living things and their habitats
Year 3	Rocks and Fossils		Animals/Human Bodies	Flowers and Plants	Light	Forces and Magnets
Year 4	Digestion Teeth	Sound	Classifying Living things and their habitats	Solids, Liquids and Gasses	Environmental Dangers	Electricity

Year 5	Forces	STEM	Living things and their habitats	Properties	Animals including Humans	Earth and Space
Year 6	Evolution and Inheritance	Human Circulatory System Diet, Drugs, Lifestyles, Health	Classification of Plants, Animals and Micro-organisms	STEM	Electricity	Light

Impact

The successful approach at Beaumont Primary Academy results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations for understanding the world. Our engagement with the local environment ensures that children learn through varied and first hand experiences of the world around them. So much of science lends itself to outdoor learning and so we provide children with opportunities to experience this.

The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age related knowledge linked to the science curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.

All children will have:

Have a wider variety of skills linked to both scientific knowledge and understanding, and scientific enquiry/investigative skills.
Have a richer vocabulary which will enable them to articulate their understanding of taught concepts.
Be able to work collaboratively and practically to investigate and experiment.

Suggested websites to help to enhance your child’s interest in Science:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/

https://tinkerlab.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

www.edinburghzoo.org.uk or www.chesterzoo.org – Live Zoo!

https://wowscience.co.uk/

Our science offer is below