'The important thing is to never stop questioning.' – Albert Einstein

Curriculum Intent

At St Peter’s, we want children to be curious about the world around them and confident in exploring how it works. Our science curriculum develops their understanding of key scientific ideas while teaching them how to investigate questions, gather evidence and use what they discover to explain the world around them.

We want every child to see themselves as a scientist. Children learn to ask questions, test ideas, make sense of their findings and apply their knowledge to new situations. By exploring the achievements of a diverse range of scientists and considering the ethical implications of scientific discoveries, children learn to think critically about how science affects people, society and the world we live in. Through this, they develop an appreciation of science and its role in shaping our future.

Curriculum Design

Our science curriculum is carefully sequenced from EYFS to Year 6, enabling children to build on prior learning and develop increasingly secure scientific understanding. Through revisiting and connecting our big ideas across different topics, children deepen their knowledge and apply it in new contexts. Each unit is organised around an enquiry question that encourages curiosity and gives purpose to their learning.

Our curriculum is organised around a set of big ideas across Biology, Chemistry and Physics. These ideas are revisited and developed throughout children's time at St Peter’s, helping them make connections between topics and build a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Working Scientifically underpins every science lesson at St Peter’s. Our seven concepts develop children's disciplinary knowledge, helping them to think and work like scientists. These skills are revisited and developed throughout their time at school, enabling children to work with increasing confidence and independence.

 

Asking and exploring questions
Children develop curiosity about the world around them, asking questions and identifying what they would like to find out.

 

Making predictions
Children use their existing scientific knowledge to predict what might happen and explain their reasoning.

 

Scientific enquiry
Children explore different ways to answer scientific questions, including comparative and fair testing, research, observation over time, pattern seeking and identifying, classifying and grouping.

 

Observing and measuring
Children make careful observations and use appropriate equipment to measure and gather accurate evidence.

 

Recording data
Children record and present their findings in different ways, including drawings, tables, charts and graphs, to help them identify patterns and communicate results.

 

Concluding and evaluating
Children use their evidence to draw conclusions, consider how well an enquiry answered their question and identify ways to improve investigations.

 

Applying scientific knowledge
Children use their scientific understanding to explain observations, interpret results and make connections between concepts, applying what they know to new situations.

 

 

Children experience a range of scientific enquiry types, learning to select and justify appropriate methods with increasing independence. Knowledge organisers support learning by highlighting key knowledge, vocabulary, enquiry types and links across the curriculum. Practical experiences bring science to life, from visiting Longleat Safari Park to explore living things and their habitats, to growing plants, creating rockets to investigate the chemical reactions involved in irreversible changes, visiting the planetarium to explore space and dissecting hearts in Year 6 to understand the structure and function of the human body. These experiences help children connect scientific knowledge to the world around them and develop a deeper understanding of science in action.