Intent

At Holy Family we understand and value the extent to which science stimulates pupil’s curiosity, develops their sense of enquiry and their understanding of the world around them. At Holy Family, children learn to work as scientists, planning and undertaking practical investigations on their own and with others.

 Our Science curriculum is dynamic and engaging and is enhanced with stimulating resources and challenges to ensure children receive outstanding Science lessons throughout the school.

Our Science curriculum ensures that not only are the essential skills met within each phase, but that children have a rich scientific vocabulary, an inquisitive mind, and high aspirations that will prepare them for the next steps in their education and beyond. 

The curriculum provides clear progression with an investigative approach and enables children to build upon prior knowledge and develop their scientific skills. Children are taught how to observe, identify, classify, group, compare, make predictions, investigate and use fair testing in order to carry out different types of scientific enquiries.

Implementation

 Our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) develop their Understanding of the World by covering aspects of the curriculum through People, culture and communities and The Natural World. In Key Stage 1 and 2 the science curriculum is taught through cross curricular topics and specific science lessons.

 We understand the importance of nurturing curiosity in Science. Children are able to make meaningful links between other areas of the curriculum, including Maths, Literacy, History and Art. In a Science lesson at Holy Family you will find children excited and engaged, striving to pose and answer scientific questions, challenging themselves and investigating the world around them.

 At Holy Family we have a great emphasis on children developing their scientific vocabulary so that they are able to challenge concepts, raise questions and develop their analytical thinking. Walking into a science lesson at Holy Family, you will be greeted by our children engrossed in scientific discussion through, for example, minibeast investigations in Year 1, recreating the human digestive system in Year 4, a heart dissection in Year 6 or melting metals in the Forest School.

 Each topic is linked to a key scientist from each particular field to ensure the children understand that science is inclusive and for all and can become further inspired by the subject.

We have been awarded a Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) for our clear intent and aspirational vision for Science.

Enrichment

Pupils have access to a wide range of rich and varied experiences to further develop their love Science. These experiences include:

Themed weeks, Science Club, workshops, Science Trips, Reading promoted within science, famous scientists celebrated, National science days, Science Ambassadors, Worldwide Science News celebrated.

Forest School lessons enhance the pupil’s learning within science, providing exciting, creative and
thought-provoking hands-on experiences.

“In the Forest, for our topic ‘Darwins Delights', we disected owl pelettes, which we discovered are regurgitated bones and fur of other organisms that owls can’t digest. Another activity was to match up 200 year old large-scale bones of cows and horses and compare them. Finally, we built our own fire using flint and steel and learnt about the way the energy is created. It was such an exciting lesson.”
Kate, Year 6.

Year 3 were learning about Predators and invited in a host of exotic animals.

“The snake can eat something that is six times as big as its head. I also learnt that some Tarantulas have bee venom. I got to hold a Tarantula and it felt very tickly.” Laith

“The Bull Frog makes himself big and ugly to frighten off predators. They live in Africa. It does not get eaten by predators because it  camouflages. It caught and ate a small insect right in front of us! It could not see the insect but knew where it was because it could hear it and then it caught the insect with its tongue.”  Roisin

'The best classroom and richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky.’

Margaret McMillan