St Mary's C.E. (VA) Primary School Wakefield

Science at St. Mary's

We hope you enjoy finding out all about the Science curriculum at our school including the enquiries we carry out and the scientific thinking we do.

Science and our school's vision

Founded in hope St. Mary’s CE (VA) Primary School is a place where all can find their voice, grow in wisdom and live well in community and service.

Science plays a fundamental role in living out our school vision.

Growing in wisdom:

Through our Science curriculum children will flourish in scientific understanding and skills. They will apply their knowledge to making real life choices, for example considering their learning when making choices about the environment they live in.

Finding our voice:

During our Science curriculum children will have opportunities to develop their vocabulary, grow in self confidence to share their scientific thinking and be able to communicate effectively about their scientific enquiries.

Living in Community and service:

Through our Science curriculum children will learn about scientific developments that have contributed to how we live today, understanding their impact on people and communities. Children will have the opportunity to work collaboratively during scientific enquiries, developing their skills in cooperation and taking on different roles within a group.

At St Mary’s, we believe that Science helps children to appreciate the awe and wonder of the natural and human aspects of the world. Children are encouraged to develop a curiosity and inquisitive attitude toward all aspects of Science, fuelling their ideas for their scientific enquiries. The Science curriculum at St Mary’s enables children to develop knowledge and skills to support their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Science is, an enquiry based subject, which develops an understanding of key concepts, knowledge and skills. Through our carefully chosen and logically sequenced curriculum, children will encounter real world issues and be able to delve deeper into the part that Science plays in them. Our vision is that our pupils will leave with an increased confidence in their ability to be Scientists.

The Primary National Curriculum is used to plan St Mary’s School Science curriculum. Substantive and disciplinary knowledge are intertwined and revisited to ensure that children have a firm understanding of key concepts.

What we teach and how we teach it

Scientific enquiry

Talking and writing like scientists

Sentence stems to support us talking and writing like scientists

Our EYFS scientists

Within the EYFS science is largely covered within the Understanding the world area of learning.

The educational programme for this involves

‘guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community..’
‘listening to a range of stories, non-fiction and rhymes will support children’s understanding of the diverse world that we live in.’

The EYFS curriculum also has direct links to the KS1/KS2 National Curriculum for Science in:

Personal, Social &Emotional Development – Manage their own needs: personal hygiene, handwashing, healthy eating.
Physical Development – Know and talk about the different factors that support their overall health and wellbeing.