Science At Bushmead Primary School

At Bushmead, we teach Science following the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. The children are taught Science as a discrete subject and it equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to develop their understanding beyond fostering their curiosity and imagination throughout all of the topics of their broad and balanced curriculum.

Through high-quality science teaching, we aim to help our pupils understand how major scientific ideas have played a vital role in society. Moreover, we aim to prepare our pupils for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world. We aim to do this by:

• Delivering high quality, interesting and engaging Science lessons, differentiated to meet the abilities of all;
• Using scientific contexts to develop and consolidate cross curricular skills in English, Maths and Computing;
• Teaching Science in a global and historical context; including the contributions significant scientists from a range of cultures;
• Developing and extending pupils’ scientific knowledge and understanding;
• Developing pupils’ ability to work scientifically and involve pupils in predicting, planning, carrying out and evaluating investigations;
• Developing pupils’ scientific vocabulary and ability to articulate scientific concepts clearly;
• Ensuring that all pupils are appropriately challenged to make good progress in Science.
• To develop and further develop their sense of awe and wonder about the world in which they live.

Intent statement

Science Intent: The National Curriculum 2014 states: “A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. All pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes”. Science teaching at Bushmead Primary school aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future. Concepts taught should be reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry, so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions through a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers will plan and teach exciting lessons based around scientific enquiry, focusing on the child-led enquiry phases, encouraging independence and ownership of their own learning. Through high-quality science teaching, we aim to help our pupils understand how major scientific ideas have played a vital role in society. Moreover, we aim to prepare our pupils for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world.

What children will be taught

As children move through our school they will be taught a progressive curriculum that builds on the knowledge from previous years. Children will learn about the following areas in each year group.

Early Years

Use all their senses in hands-on exploration of natural materials.

Explore collections of materials with similar and/or different properties. 

Explore how things work. Plant seeds and care for growing plants. Understand the key features of the life cycle of a plant and an animal. Begin to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things.

Explore and talk about different forces they can feel.

Year 1

Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made.

Identify and name a variety of materials, identifying their properties.

Make predictions, ask questions carry out a test and discuss fair testing.

Identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Identify, name and draw parts of the human body.

Observe changes across the four seasons.

Identify and name a range of common wild and garden plants.

Year 2

Describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials

Find out about and describe the basic needs of animals including humans for survival.

Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, deal and things that have never been alive.

Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants.

Year 3

Know the lifecycle of a plant.

Finding out what is in different foods.

Understanding how reflective materials reflect light.

Understand how friction is used to understand forces.

Learn about human and man made rocks.

Year 4

Create an electrical circuit.

Compare solids, liquids and gases.

Identify how sounds are made.

Recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.

Describe the basic functions of the digestive system.

Name the different teeth in humans and their functions.

Year 5

Describe the differences in the lifecycles of mammals, amphibian, insets and birds.

Describe the movement of the Earth and other planets relative to the sun in the solar system.

Describe the lifecycle of a human.

Identify the parts of a flower.

To describe the different forces that are on Earth.

Compare and group everyday materials on the basis of their properties.

Year 6

Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines.

Recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about the context of evolution of plants and animals.

Identify and name the parts in the human circulatory system.

Describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics.