Science

Science Coordinator: Mrs Leavesley

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” - Marie Curie

The Strands of the Science National Curriculum

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the three specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

• Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through participation in 5 different types of scientific enquiries, enquiries that help them to ask and answer questions relating to the world around them.

• Be equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the importance, use and implications of science, today and for the future.

Our Vision for Science at Eaves

At Eaves, our vision for Science is to develop curious, knowledgeable and enquiring scientists who are fascinated by the world around them and confident to ask questions about how and why things happen. We want children to understand that science is not simply a collection of facts, but a way of observing, questioning, investigating and making sense of the world.

Our Science curriculum reflects our wider Eaves Curriculum Model. Children's earliest scientific learning begins with their immediate experiences – themselves, living things, materials, seasons and the environment around them. As children progress through school, these strong roots are deliberately revisited and extended, opening windows onto increasingly complex scientific ideas and ultimately doors to the wider world, future study and STEM careers.

Our Science Curriculum Offer

Our Science curriculum is carefully sequenced from the Early Years to Year 6 so that children build upon what they already know. Key scientific concepts are revisited at increasing levels of complexity, enabling children to make meaningful connections between different areas of science and develop increasingly sophisticated explanations of the world around them.

Children develop knowledge across the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics, exploring areas including plants, animals and humans, living things and their habitats, materials, rocks, forces and magnets, light, sound, electricity, Earth and space and evolution and inheritance.

Alongside this substantive knowledge, working scientifically is woven throughout our curriculum. Children progressively learn to observe, question, predict, classify, measure, investigate, record, analyse, conclude and evaluate. As they become increasingly independent, they learn to select appropriate approaches to enquiry, consider variables, interpret evidence and recognise that scientific conclusions should be based upon evidence.

Curiosity, Enquiry & The Eaves Way

We want children to approach Science with a genuine sense of wonder and curiosity. Our EAVES values of Exploration, Authenticity, Vision, Encouragement and Synergy are naturally reflected within scientific learning.

Children are encouraged to explore possibilities, ask their own questions, investigate authentic problems and work collaboratively. They learn that an unexpected result is not a failure but an opportunity to question, reconsider and investigate further. Through this process, children develop the resilience, independence and critical thinking that characterise successful scientists.

Importantly, we want children to understand that science is continually developing. Scientific knowledge has been shaped by scientists from different backgrounds, cultures, places and periods of history, and today's children have the potential to contribute to its future.

Science Beyond the Classroom – Experiences, Visits & Cultural Capital

We believe children should have opportunities to experience science beyond the classroom. Educational visits, visitors, workshops, outdoor learning and encounters with people working within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) bring learning to life and help children recognise how scientific knowledge is applied in the real world.

Our school grounds and local environment provide opportunities for fieldwork, observation and investigation, while visits to museums, science centres and other educational settings broaden children's horizons and enable them to experience scientific ideas on a larger scale.

These experiences contribute significantly to children's cultural capital. We want all children, regardless of background or starting point, to encounter inspiring people, places and possibilities that expand their understanding of what science is and who can be a scientist. Through our careers and enrichment provision, children begin to recognise the many future pathways connected to STEM and see these opportunities as something that could belong to them.

Oracy Through Science

Oracy is fundamental to Science at Eaves. Children learn to talk like scientists, using increasingly precise scientific vocabulary to describe observations, explain processes, make predictions and communicate findings.

Purposeful talk is embedded within scientific enquiry. Children ask questions, discuss possible explanations, justify predictions, compare results and use evidence to support, challenge and refine ideas. They learn to distinguish between what they think might happen and what the evidence shows, developing the language of scientific reasoning.

Through explaining their thinking to others, children deepen their own understanding and develop as confident communicators, critical thinkers and collaborative problem-solvers.

Science for the Future

Ultimately, we want every Eaves child to leave primary school seeing science as relevant, exciting and part of their everyday life. Children should possess secure scientific knowledge, strong enquiry skills and the confidence to question information and seek evidence before drawing conclusions.

Most importantly, we want to nurture the natural curiosity with which children begin school, enabling them to continue asking questions, exploring possibilities and wondering “why?” and “what if?” as they look beyond their immediate experiences and towards the possibilities of their future.

Question. Observe. Explore. Investigate. Discover. Explain. Connect. – Science The Eaves Way.

Science - Gallery