At Sir John Heron Primary School, we aim to inspire a love of science and curiosity about the world around us. Our science curriculum is designed to help children understand scientific concepts while fostering skills like critical thinking and problem solving. It provides all children memorable lessons with knowledge and conceptual understanding of the world around them through exploration and investigations. The wide range of experiences offered provides the children with progressive Science understanding, skills and knowledge as well as offering the children the chance to be inquisitive and find the answers to their own questions. Our aim is to boost the children’s Science capital to help inspire the children with hands-on learning and having a fundamental understanding that science is all around us.

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in science, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. We ensure children have the scientific knowledge for each unit as well as teaching different working scientific skills progressively.   Science modules are organised thematically, allowing pupils to explore interconnected concepts across disciplines (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics).Each unit incorporates numerous practical investigations and experiments, ensuring that pupils have ample opportunities to apply their learning in real-world contexts. 

Scientific enquiries are presented clearly, teachers carefully check learning and identify misconceptions, providing verbal feedback that encourages the children to make links with their prior learning. Teaching is designed to ensure children know more and remember more. At the appropriate stage of their learning, they are encouraged to ask form their own scientific  enquiries and are given opportunities to use their working scientific skills to discover the answers. Science learning is linked with other subjects, such as mathematics and reading, to promote a holistic educational experience. At the start of each unit, we revisit past learning to bridge gaps and address any misconceptions using miscellaneous methods of retrieval practice to strengthen their memory and ensure the learning is ever present.

We strive for all pupils to achieve their maximum potential, by having high expectations and standards in Science. We ensure our lessons are knowledge based with a practical element to engage the children. Work and book scrutiny, monitoring, pupil voice discussions, outcomes of assessments and quality of teaching and learning are all used as tools to assess the impact of our science curriculum. The impact of our science curriculum is evident in the achievements and attitudes of our pupils, as well as the overall school environment. 

Through scientific inquiry, pupils demonstrate enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are applied in various contexts. Pupils work collaboratively in groups, developing strong communication skills as they share ideas, present findings, and conduct peer evaluations. Our primary school offers an engaging science education that nurtures curiosity, develops essential skills, and empowers pupils to become informed and responsible citizens in a rapidly changing world. We remain committed to continuously reviewing and enhancing our science curriculum to meet the evolving needs of our pupils and the broader society.

Useful Weblinks: 

• Natural History Museum learning resources
• ScienceKids
• BBC Bitesize (KS1 Science)
• BBC Bitesize (KS2 Science)
• Nasa Kids Club
• Brainpop Science
• Explorify