Science at All Saints
Intent
At All Saints Primary, we believe that Science is a body of knowledge built up through the experimental testing of ideas and systematic investigation. It is about providing opportunities for pupils to be able to explore and make sense of the world around them, while also equipping them with a wealth of skills-based processes.
Science is one of the core subjects in the National Curriculum, which aims to ensure that all pupils:
- To develop pupil’s enjoyment and engagement in Science and an appreciation of the increasingly scientific and technological world they are growing up in.
- To develop lively, enquiring minds with an ability to question.
- To introduce pupils to the language and vocabulary of Science.
- To enable pupils to develop a knowledge of appropriate scientific facts and to develop basic concepts.
- To develop pupils’ practical skills and their ability to make accurate measurements.
- To encourage open mindedness so children interpret their findings critically and do not always expect ‘the right answer.’
Implementation
The teaching of Science at All Saints Primary involves adapting and extending the curriculum to match all pupils’ needs. Where possible, Science will be linked to class topics but will also be taught as discrete units, to ensure coverage.
Due to the mixed year groups in our school structure, Science units are taught on a two-year rolling programme, with the exception of Y1 and Y2 who are taught through differentiated tasks. This ensures progression between year groups and guarantees all topics are covered.
Activities are planned to allow pupils to develop key knowledge, concepts and skills and to progress according to their ability. Activities within classes are matched to specific ability groups. Opportunities are planned for open investigations that allow differentiation by outcome. Pupils are presented with a range of activities.
Recording in Science
The way in which Science is recorded will vary across the school depending on age and ability. Teachers ensure that a range of appropriate methods are used. These may include:
- Written accounts including: instructions, reports and explanations;
- Diagrams, drawings and pictures;
- Annotated diagrams;
- Spreadsheets (data collection);
- Charts, graphs and tables;
- Model making.
Although most Science will follow a pattern of ‘Question, Prediction, Method, Results, Evaluate’, it is important to remember that the most valuable time is spent engaging in practical Science which allows children to understand a concept, rather than recording it.
This successful approach at All Saints results in a fun, engaging, high-quality science education, that provides children with the foundations and knowledge 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. Frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom is embedded throughout the science curriculum. Through various workshops, trips and interactions with experts and local charities, children have the understanding that science has changed our lives and that it is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Children learn the possibilities for careers in science and are exposed to a range of different scientists from various backgrounds; all children feel they are scientists and capable of achieving.
Science Overview
Class 1 – Nursery and Reception | |||||
Aut1 | Aut2 | Spr1 | Spr2 | Sum1 | Sum2 |
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Class 2 - Year 1 Curriculum | |||||
Aut1 | Aut2 | Spr1 | Spr2 | Sum1 | Sum2 |
Everyday Materials: Name everyday materials Simple physical properties Compare and group materials |
Seasonal changes |
Animals including humans: Name common animals Identify carnivores, herbivores, omnivores. |
Animals including humans: Identify, draw and label parts of the human body Associate body parts with the senses. Seasonal changes |
Plants: Identify wild and garden plants Explore the structure of plants |
Seasonal changes |
Class 2 - Year 2 Curriculum | |||||
Aut1 | Aut2 | Spr1 | Spr2 | Sum1 | Sum2 |
Everyday Materials: Identify and compare materials How shapes of solids can be changed |
STEM – design and make weather tools, take measurements. |
Living things and their habitats: Living, dead, never lived Habitats and suitability Name a wider variety of plants and animals Simple food chains |
Animals, including humans: That animals, including humans have offspring that grow into adults Basic survival needs Healthy lifestyles of humans |
Plants: Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs mature Conditions for good growth |
Revision and scientific enquiries |
Year 3 and 4
Rolling Programme 1st Year (2019-20) | |||||
Aut1 | Aut2 | Spr1 | Spr2 | Sum1 | Sum2 |
Living Things and their Habitats/Adaptation/ Food Chains Focus Habitat: Desert Life
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States of Matter Water Cycle |
Changing Sound | Eating and Digestion | Circuits and conductors | Health and Movement |
Rolling Programme 2nd Year (2020-21) | |||||
Aut1 | Aut2 | Spr1 | Spr2 | Sum1 | Sum2 |
Plants | Forces and Magnets |
Changing Environments/ Habitat Helpers |
Rocks and Fossils
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Light and Shadow
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What do Scientists Do?
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Class 3 (Year 5 and 6)
Rolling Programme 1st Year | |||||
Aut1 | Aut2 | Spr1 | Spr2 | Sum1 | Sum2 |
Scientists and Inventors | Materials & Their Properties | Forces |
Animals including Humans (Our body and its system) |
Living Things & Habitats | Revision and Scientific Enquiries |
Rolling Programme 2nd Year | |||||
Aut1 | Aut2 | Spr1 | Spr2 | Sum1 | Sum2 |
Light |
Electricity
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Earth & Space
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Classification | Evolution and Inheritance | Revision and Scientific Enquiries |
Year 1 Overview | Everyday Materials | Animals, including Humans | Plants | Seasons |
Knowledge | ||||
Suggested Content | Identify between an object and how it is made. | Understand the parts of the body and associate with the different senses. | Examine seeds in different fruits. | Compare leaves on the ground to those on the trees. |
Name a variety of everyday materials, including plastic, wood, glass, water and rock. | Explore the sense of touch using different parts of the body. | Visit and examine a variety of local trees. | Describe leaves and their structure. | |
Understand which materials can be recycled. | Make close observations of facial features. | Find weeds and examine their roots. | Compare leaf loss to tree size. | |
Examine absorption when selecting materials for a book character’s home or clothing. | Name and identify common animals. | Identify and name plants in the school grounds. | Survey the trees in the school grounds. | |
Identify and name materials based on their properties. | Compare the structures of different animals. | Note the changes in the growth of a sunflower. | Measure rainfall at different times of the year. | |
Describe how shaving foam changes over time. | Classify animals based on their features. | Grow a variety of vegetables, noting similarities and differences. | Describe the weather over a short period of time. | |
Understand the features of fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds. | Make own compost and explore its use. | Describe the weather in different seasons. | ||
Identify what different animals eat. | Collect and sort leaves. | Observe how day length varies. | ||
Classify animals as carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. | Understand why animals hibernate. | |||
Key Vocabulary |
object smooth material waterproof hard absorbent soft everyday stretchy dull stiff transparent bendy plastic rough recycle |
sight carnivore taste omnivore hearing herbivore aroma identify cleanliness predator healthy construct require grouping |
warmth evergreen deciduous bud leaf branch root stem |
humidity cloudy pouring droplet blizzard shiver clear crystal |
Core Skills | ||||
Observing over time | What happens to shaving foam over time? | How does my height change over the year? | How does my sunflower change each week? | How the temperature change throughout the seasons? |
Pattern Seeking | Does the tallest person have the longest arms? | Is there are pattern in where we find weeds growing in school? | Do trees with the largest leaves lose them first in Autumn? | |
Research | Which materials can be recycled? | |||
Identifying & classifying | Making a shelter / clothing – which materials are suitable? | How can we organise the animals that live in our area? | How can we sort the leaves we have collected? | |
Comparative tests | Which materials are the most absorbent? | Is our sense of smell better when we can’t see? | Which type of soil grows the tallest sunflower? | In which season does it rain the most? |