At Grappenhall Heys, our science teaching promotes intrigue and knowledge through an engaging curriculum. We aim for all our children to learn more and remember more.
In science, children develop their knowledge through a perspective of ‘I wonder and what if…’ as they view the world around them. Our science curriculum is designed to ensure pupils build upon prior learning, supporting all learners in making rich connections in knowledge, underpinned by scientific vocabulary and secure language development. Teaching encourages children to explore concepts and develop the necessary substantive and disciplinary knowledge to break down ideas, promoting resilience in finding solutions and recording learning showing their understanding. Science investigations are designed to capture enthusiasm and support knowledge acquisition. Working scientifically through the five lines of enquiry: observation overtime; pattern seeking; identifying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing and research using secondary sources is taught alongside subject learning.
Our pupils are motivated to work together and independently to continually question, discuss, engage and reflect throughout knowledge and enquiry learning. In Early Years, our children are encouraged to explore science through different resources using a variety of natural materials found in school and at home, fostering a sticky knowledge approach. This time is used to develop a broad scientific vocabulary introducing experiences of phenomena our children will learn about in later year groups. The strong links we develop between school and home exemplifies how families can support children with their learning. Staff use demonstration, practical work, explanation and assessment opportunities at the start, throughout and the end of each unit of science to address misconceptions, support the transfer of learning from one context to another and provide our children with constructive feedback to support their working memory for next steps in learning.
We utilise the school environment and local community to promote aspirational views of science in the world of work. Science at Grappenhall Heys encourages our children to have the confidence to apply their scientific knowledge to other subjects and to know that science plays an important role in the world we live in.
The Purpose of Our Curriculum
We develop children who are …
1. Understanding of the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics;
2. Interested in different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them;
3. Effective and well equipped with the scientific knowledge needed to understand the uses and implications of science today and
in the future;
4. Confident and fluent in the language of science;
5. Appreciative of the awe and wonder to be found in the exploration of science.
Our Curriculum Offer - What We Teach In Science
The fundamental knowledge, methods, processes and uses of our science curriculum are set out in the EYFS Framework and National Curriculum, where they are categorised into programmes of study. Teachers’ planning ensures coverage of biology, chemistry and physics disciplines on a regular basis. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils are encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They are encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes through the five lines of enquiry. Lessons and planning also recap previously taught material through Bright Ideas Time and prepare pupils for the introduction of future concepts. All lessons contain opportunities for staff to informally assess pupils' learning and provide opportunties for feedback and to address misconceptions. We work hard to promote understanding of the curriculum in science amongst our pupils and organise our curriculum in a spiral to ensure constant recap of knowledge, concepts, skills and vocabulary. While it is important that pupils make progress, it is also vitally important that they develop secure understanding of each key block of knowledge and concepts in order to progress to the next stage. Through each unit of work, teachers respond and adapt to the children during the year based around the needs of their individual class. See below for our science long-term-plans, our progression maps and year group-specific curriculum content, which show how we sequence and organise our curriculum.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
In Early Years, the EYFS Statutory Framework (click here) and Development Matters document (click here) are used for planning and assessment. Pupils experience a wide range of activities linked to Understanding the World, which involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. We provide opportunities for the children to extend their social, cultural, scientific, ecological and technological knowledge and understanding. For example scientific learning is relevant to cooking, art, music making and gardening where children will observe change, the natural world and how things work. Activities are planned for children to play, explore, actively learn and develop their thinking skills in science through focused, continuous and enhanced provision. In Early Years, pupils will also engage in structured science activities – these may be adult-led sessions or independent activities.
Key Stage 1 and 2
The focus of science teaching in key stage 1 is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. They are encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. Pupils are helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using the five lines of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information. Pupils begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most of the learning about science is undertaken through the use of first-hand practical experiences.
In lower key stage 2, Year 3 and 4, pupils start to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. They do this through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments, and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. Pupils start to ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, referring to our five lines of enquiry.
In upper key stage 2, Year 5 and 6, pupils develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They do this through exploring and talking about their ideas; asking their own questions about scientific phenomena; and analysing functions, relationships and interactions more systematically. Pupils encounter more abstract ideas and begin to recognise how these ideas help them to understand and predict how the world operates. Pupils confidently use the fives lines of enquiry and draw conclusions based on their data and observations, using evidence to justify their ideas, and use their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain their findings.
In all key stages, working and thinking scientifically is taught through and clearly related to substantive science (subject knowledge) with a focus on reading, spelling and pronouncing scientific vocabulary correctly.
Working scientifically specifies the understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science for each year group. We believe and embed substantive and disciplinary knowledge through working scientifically within the content of biology, chemistry and physics, focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry, so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions. These types of scientific enquiry include: observing over time; pattern seeking; identifying, classifying and grouping; comparative and fair testing (controlled investigations) and researching using secondary sources. Posters for class working walls support children when using these five lines of enquiry.
Key Stage 1 Working Scientifically
During years 1 and 2, pupils are taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills and will refer to them as the five lines of enquiry:
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
gathering and recording data to help in answering questions.
Lower Key Stage 2 Working Scientifically (Year 3 and Year 4)
Pupils are taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills and will refer to them as the five lines of enquiry:
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
reporting 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
using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.
Upper Key Stage 2 Working Scientifically (Year 5 and Year 6)
Pupils are taught to use the following practical scientific methods, processes and skills and will refer to them as the five lines of enquiry:
planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision, taking repeat readings when appropriate
recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations
identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments.
Our Bespoke Curriculum Offer from EYFS to the end of KS2
We do not follow a specific scheme with our science curriculum, but provide our pupils with a bespoke offer utilising resources and activities from a range of resources and utilising the ASE Primary Science Resources. These matrix plans provide expectations of end points to staff and pupils for each unit of work and are used as a guide to teachers when constructing their medium term planning for children in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. Medium term planning shows the sequence of lessons taught in order to reach the endpoint.
Our pupils and staff love learning about science and we work hard to develop and build upon our science knowledge at Grappenhall Heys. We encourage active learning and questioning to promote independence and resilience. We provide a progressive curriculum and engage with our children in using their prior learning to develop and build upon their knowledge and vocabulary for the unit of work. Our science learning road maps help all our children with knowing where their learning fits, building upon previous knowledge, preparing them for their next steps and in knowing more.
We promote subject knowledge and vocabulary for working scientifically using knowledge organisers. These can be found on class pages of the website under the classes current science learning. The units knowledge organiser is accessed by the children in their science books and supports their learning. Knowledge organisers alongside the learning roadmap and progression maps are used by teachers to understand what children should already know and how they are adding to pupils' knowledge.
Our Curriculum Offer - How We Teach Science
High expectations are set for all pupils and our outcomes are achieved through scaffolding learning and providing children with opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding. We want our children to learn more and remember more in all lessons and teach the substantive and disciplinary knowledge alongside each other. Effective questioning allows teachers to remove barriers and adapt teaching for all. Pupils regularly engage in Bright Ideas challenges in lessons to support their knowledge and encourage them to talk about what they understand, drawing upon their prior learning knowledge. At the start and the end of each sequenced unit of learning, pupils undertake pre or post learning tasks to check knowledge. A central component to our teaching is utilising Thinking, Doing, Talking Science strategies, our five lines of enquiry and knowledge enriched activities along with a focus on scientific vocabulary. Drawn from research, these ideas, alongside our learning pedagogy, underpin our teaching and pupils' learning across school.
Thinking, Doing, Talking Science (TDTS) is a programme that aims to make science lessons in primary schools more practical, creative and challenging. Teachers are trained in strategies that aim to encourage pupils to use higher order thinking skills.
Ambition For All
We deliver a curriculum that is accessible to all children. Click here for further information on how we support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Our science curriculum is accessible for all pupils, regardless of their starting points. It inspires children to think big, broaden their understanding of the world and encounter global diversity. Regular assessments and interventions are in place to support each child’s individual progress, ensuring that they are well-prepared for their future learning challenges and goals.
We work hard to ensure that all children can access our science curriculum and teachers adapt their planning and teaching methods to ensure that all children receive the support they need to make progress and reach their full potential. Structured support, such as scaffolding and modelling, is provided to help the children as they learn new concepts and to break tasks down into smaller steps, providing prompts or cues. Pre-learning activities also prepare children for upcoming learning, this can include introducing key vocabulary, texts, concepts, or background knowledge to build a foundation for learning.
Within lessons, collaborative learning allows children to work together, learn from their peers, and develop important social and teamwork skills. In addition, classroom walls are used to display working walls, key information, visuals, and reference materials related to the current learning. Technology and digital resources, including computers, tablets, and interactive whiteboards, are integrated into teaching and learning to support pupils with their writing.
Accommodations, such as providing coloured paper for children with visual processing difficulties, ensure that learning materials are accessible to all. When language barriers exist, the use of translators or interpreters may be used to help children access content and participate in the learning process effectively. We use catch-up and keep-up sessions to support learning. By tailoring and adapting our teaching and support methods, we create an inclusive learning environment that celebrates diversity and fosters success for all children.
Year 5 Science Workshop 2024
Some of our Year 5 children went to Broomfield's Junior School to take part in crime scene investigation workshop.
“The children worked hard and showed great enthusiasm throughout the session. They actively participated in all activities, demonstrating their dedication and teamwork. I hope that they had a good time.” Feedback from Broomfield's teacher who lead the science workshop.
What Makes Science Special at Grappenhall Heys?
Everybody in our school loves science and we work hard to promote the subject at Grappenhall Heys. We ensure that all pupils, regardless of their starting points, have access to high-quality lessons. Teachers use responsive teaching to adapt learning and provide resources to meet the needs of pupils to and ensure ambition for all.
In addition, we have regular STEM and enrichment activities, which use specialist teaching, workshops and class visits. Across the curriculum, we aim to develop cross-curricular links, encourage creativity and provide opportunities for all learners.
STEM Week 2024
The 2024 National Science Week theme was Time. This year we have loved getting involved in a whole school biscuit dunking experiment with the theme of TIME, predicting how many dunks each biscuit would last.
Our Pupil Voice
"Science is the best because you get to do experiments to find out why things work they way they do." Year 5 Pupil.
We welcome parental support to secure science vocabulary and learning knowledge and skills. Click on the links below for further information. If you are looking for a hands on approach to science enquiries for home try some of these investigations.
