“Science is about exploring, and the only way to uncover the secrets of the universe is to go and look.”
– Brian Cox
"Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science."
- Edwin Hubble
Why Science is important
Wherever you look, whatever you do and wherever you go, science is all around us. Human nature is to be curious about the world we live in and children enjoy being curious and inquisitive.
From an early age, children ask the question ‘Why?’ As parents and teachers, we may not always have the answers to these questions but it can be fun trying to find out and make sense of what is happening all around us. Scientific enquiry is the area that the children seem to enjoy most. Discovering things for themselves, rather than being told, is a great way to learn in a meaningful way. It’s not always finding out why things work but also learning from why things don’t work.
National Curriculum - Purpose of Study
A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
What Science Looks Like at Ranworth Primary School
At Ranworth Square Primary School, Science stimulates and excites pupil’s curiosity about natural phenomena and events in the world around them. Pupils understand how major scientific ideas contribute toward technological change – impacting on industry, medicine, business and improving quality of life. They learn to question and discuss science-based issues that may affect their own lives, the directions of society and the future of the world, encouraging and supporting the development of Science capital. Scientific Enquiry is at the forefront of every lesson and children show clear progression of their scientific enquiry skills throughout their years of studying Science at Ranworth Square. By working scientifically through pupil lead investigations, children will enhance skills in:
- planning, completing and analysing comparative and fair testing
- pattern seeking
- observing over time
- identifying, grouping and classifying
- problem solving
- researching using a variety of sources
All teachers, design and plan activities providing opportunities for students to display and to develop and apply their creative and imaginative capacities in Science. These activities also enable them to experience an ongoing sense of success in their teaching and learning which are transferable to other subjects and come to appreciate the nature of the learning process.
Inclusion
All science lessons/activities are designed and planned to include all children through a range of approaches. Lessons are planned to facilitate the best possible outcome for all children within the class.
Concepts Running Through the Science Curriculum
- Change - States of matter, Weather, Seasonal change
- Power - Magnets, Electricity, Forces, Lightning, Weather
- Diversity - Weather, Forces, Techniques, Methods
- Comparison - Experiments, Variables, Techniques
- Significance - People, Discoveries