Science

At Swaffham CofE Primary Academy, our vision is to inspire children, their families and our staff to SHINE, LEARN, BELIEVE and BELONG so our children achieve their very best, leaving us as confident, happy, resilient learners. We believe that all children should have fun and valuable learning opportunities to experience a variety of hands-on practical enquiries in science.

We follow the National Curriculum for Science using elements of the Dimensions curriculum and exemplification materials from the Association for Science Education. To ensure progression both with scientific knowledge and working scientifically, the coverage in each year group is in line with the National Curriculum. The units of Science have been carefully selected and strategically placed to ensure that they complement and coincide well with the overarching Dimensions theme to allow children to make links in their learning.

Children will experience the five different types of scientific enquiry (comparative and fair testing, observing over time, identifying and classifying, pattern seeking and researching) from Reception to Year 6, which will see them take a gradually more child-centred approach as they progress through the school.

From their earliest years, they will learn scientific knowledge effectively and practically and be shown how to form and answer enquiry questions. This will help develop the children’s confidence and strategic thinking, whilst also encouraging them to believe in their own ability to be passionate learners with a growing interest for the world around them. Their growing love for science will help lead to the development of further questions and an intrinsic desire to answer them, as well as help create a school full of independent learners with improving leadership skills.

All children will shine and enjoy enquiry-based learning and take ownership of it within the classroom setting and the surrounding natural environment - where possible, science will be taken outdoors as we know how vital this is for life experiences both in and out of school. They will have access to a wide range of good quality, specific scientific resources to develop their skills to work scientifically, whilst also using materials and tools which they may experience in their daily lives and be explicitly taught crucial scientific vocabulary, which they will use accurately as they make sense of the world around them. They will belong to a school where both children and staff are enthusiastic about science. Staff at Swaffham CofE Primary Academy will enjoy teaching science and feel secure teaching its content, confidently posing problems to the children to be answered through a variety of types of scientific enquiry.