Intent
At St Paul’s C of E Junior School, we have designed our Science curriculum with the intent to harness the innate curiosity children are born with. As natural scientists, children have enquiring minds and a desire to explore the world around them, asking questions and interacting with their environment. Science changes lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Now, more than ever, scientists and engineers are in demand with a range of fascinating career opportunities available that can make a real difference to the future of our world. Therefore, it is essential that we take advantage of this existing enthusiasm and teach the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science.
We have a well-planned and structured curriculum in the branches of Biology, Chemistry and Physics that builds on foundational knowledge to acquire new concepts within tangible and meaningful contexts. Providing the necessary subject knowledge is an essential element of scientific learning and care is taken to ensure that this is consolidated in order to secure firm foundations for future learning; however, the children are also given the opportunity to investigate self-directed lines of enquiry, using their newly acquired subject knowledge in order to make predictions and explanations. Wherever possible, links across the curriculum are made and opportunities harnessed to apply newly acquired skills to other subjects and a variety of situations.
Whilst Science lessons are organised into topic areas, the curriculum builds on knowledge and skills so that learning shows clear progress across the key stage with explicit links made to the key big ideas within the Science paradigm. Children will be taught explicitly about key scientists both historical and contemporary, understanding the importance of developing knowledge and the dynamic nature of learning.