Westvale Park
Primary Academy
Always Children First
Science
At Westvale Park Primary Academy, we believe that science provides answers to questions about the world. Children are encouraged to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of the world and the processes by which we learn to understand it. Science is, by nature, an investigative subject, which develops an understanding of concepts, knowledge, skills and processes.
We seek to inspire in children a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people which will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Science is the study of the world around us. Scientists learn about their subject by observing, describing, and experimenting. The curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, throughout their time at Westvale Park Primary Academy and also to their further education and beyond. We also aim to develop an understanding of what it is to be a scientist. What skills does a scientist use and why? How is science distinct from other subjects such as geography? Children at Westvale Park complete their work in a subject specific book and are able to talk with confidence about the subject, including the stages of investigation.
In each unit, teachers ensure the key principles are referred to. These are: fair testing, identifying and classifying, observing changes over time, scientific research and enquiry and patterns and relationships. We also aim to grow children’s subject vocabulary through learning the definitions of key words in each lesson which children can continuously refer back to with the use of knowledge organisers.
Science knowledge organisers include essential facts about the topic, laid out in easy-to-digest chunks; key vocabulary or technical terms and their meanings; images such as maps or diagrams and; famous quotations, if relevant. Knowledge organisers are shared with parents via the school website at the start of each half-term.
Children in the EYFS learn science through play and understanding the world around them. Pupils develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to make sense of the world around them. This learning is heightened through opportunities for pupils to understand and use technology, study organisms, people and objects in their natural environments and in real-life situations, and to undertake practical experiments and investigations, including working with a range of materials.