“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 4:11

"Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them"

Psalm 11:2

At St Mary’s, we fully recognise Science as a core subject across key stages one and two and value its importance in the EYFS curriculum through developing children’s Knowledge of the world. As a Catholic school, we believe that learning about and being respectful towards the world that God created for us, is of upmost importance. 

There are two main strands to the teaching of Science in our school. The first is to ensure that the children are taught the specific scientific knowledge set out in the National Curriculum, and covering topics including:

• Plants
• Animals including humans
• Rocks
• Light and Sound
• Forces and magnets
• Living things and their habitats
• Electricity
• States of matter
• Evolution and inheritance
• Earth and space
• The seasons
• Materials

The second is to encourage a spirit of curiosity about the world around them and to develop the skills of scientific enquiry: to be able to predict what will happen in a practical activity, to conduct a fair or comparative tests and to record their results accurately, describing clearly what they have discovered. As part of this, children become increasingly aware of the type of scientific enquiry that they are carrying out or need to carry out to answer their scientific questions.

The types of scientific enquiry are:

• Observation over time
• Research
• Pattern Seeking
• Comparative and Fair testing
• Classifying and sorting
• Problem solving

Statement of Intent

The Science curriculum at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them, providing them with specific skills and knowledge to enjoy science by ensuring that lessons are engaging and fun, and helping them to think scientifically to have access to the language and vocabulary of science. And gain an understanding of scientific processes. It also develops their understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. Our intention is to develop them into budding scientists, who care for the world around them, are curious about what they see and experience, and are able to use science to understand how human activity impacts on the planet and how we can carry out our duty of care for God’s creation.

Implementation

Science is taught throughout the school in weekly lessons and is delivered by class teachers. The school uses Cornerstones which includes units of study linked to the National Curriculum and supports teachers with their lesson planning. Each of the units shows progression in the key scientific knowledge and concepts required from Year 1 to Year 6. Other sources may also be used to enhance the lessons in order to meet the needs of the children. Cornerstones contains the most appropriate scientific vocabulary to be used when studying a particular area of science, a list of the scientists who are working, or have worked, in that particular area of science and practical activities to support the learning. There are numerous opportunities to observe and question; to explore and investigate; to predict; to use equipment safely; plan, conduct and reflect on investigations. Opportunities for cross curricular learning are used whenever possible. Wider opportunities to promote the love of science are made available with additional opportunities such as, gardening club and science clubs.

EYFS

In Early Years, children engage in scientific activities through their study and acquirement of Understanding the World (UW). Reception pupils follow the Early Years Curriculum for UW and are assessed initially against Development Matters criteria, moving to the Early Years Profile towards the end of their Reception year.

Impact

As a result of our curriculum, children at St Mary's Catholic Primary develop a love of science and an increased understanding of the impact that the subject can have on their own and others’ lives. They can demonstrate a clear progression of knowledge and skills in Science and have an understanding of how Science can be used to benefit society. Our teaching ensures that they become resourceful learners who develop independent thinking and questioning skills by the time they leave our school and they go to secondary school with a good scientific knowledge on which to base their deeper learning. In addition, our children also develop an understanding of the importance of caring for the environment sustainably on a variety of levels, including in their own locality and in relation to communities around the world.