Intent - What are we trying to achieve?

At Yealmpstone Farm Primary School, our science curriculum aims to inspire pupils to become analytical and reflective thinkers who question the world around them. Curiosity and deeper thinking are at the heart of our approach, and we aim to equip pupils with the disciplinary skills and substantive knowledge to think like scientists. 

Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught the essential aspects of 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. 

Our curriculum purposefully embeds careers into lessons, helping pupils see how their learning connects to real-world contexts. From the earliest years, pupils encounter a wide range of science professionals and learn how scientific understanding contributes to solving global challenges. 

We ensure that Working Scientifically skills are the heartbeat of each lesson, where the skills are built on and developed throughout the child’s school journey.  Our curriculum is coherently designed so skills and knowledge build up throughout the year to ensure children can do more and know more. 

We also emphasise transferable skills that support pupils beyond the classroom. These include scientific enquiry, problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, critical thinking and communication.

Implementation - How will we achieve this?

Our curriculum is taught through the use of Developing Experts meaning it is coherently sequenced and progressively designed to reflect the requirements of the National Curriculum for each key stage. Knowledge and skills build cumulatively through a spiral and cyclical structure, enabling pupils to revisit key topics at increasing levels of depth and complexity. 

Pupils develop a foundation of scientific understanding through practical, enquiry-based learning. They build working scientifically skills, including observing, classifying, testing, predicting, measuring and evaluating. Lessons balance substantive content with opportunities for hands-on investigation, open-ended questioning and application to everyday scenarios. 

Lessons are coherently sequenced to ensure progression across year groups, enabling pupils to build and retain knowledge over time. Recap prompts, AfL questions and topic threads are embedded throughout, ensuring continuity and reinforcement.

 

Key stage 1

The principal focus of science teaching in key stage 1 is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly constructed world around them. They should be encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They should be helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They should begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most of the learning about science should be done through the use of first-hand practical experiences, but there should also be some use of appropriate secondary sources, such as books, photographs and videos.

‘Working scientifically’ is described separately in the programme of study, but must always be taught through and clearly related to the teaching of substantive science content in the programme of study. Throughout the notes and guidance, examples show how scientific methods and skills might be linked to specific elements of the content.

 

Key stage 2

Lower key stage 2 – years 3 and 4

The principal focus of science teaching in lower key stage 2 is to enable pupils to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. They should do this through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments, and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. They should ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They should draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out.

‘Working scientifically’ is described separately at the beginning of the programme of study, but must always be taught through and clearly related to substantive science content in the programme of study. Throughout the notes and guidance, examples show how scientific methods and skills might be linked to specific elements of the content.

 

Upper key stage 2 – years 5 and 6

The principal focus of science teaching in upper key stage 2 is to enable pupils to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They should do this through exploring and talking about their ideas; asking their own questions about scientific phenomena; and analysing functions, relationships and interactions more systematically. At upper key stage 2, they should encounter more abstract ideas and begin to recognise how these ideas help them to understand and predict how the world operates. They should also begin to recognise that scientific ideas change and develop over time. They should select the most appropriate ways to answer science questions using different types of scientific enquiry, including observing changes over different periods of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out comparative and fair tests and finding things out using a wide range of secondary sources of information. Pupils should draw conclusions based on their data and observations, use evidence to justify their ideas, and use their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain their findings.

‘Working and thinking scientifically’ is described separately at the beginning of the programme of study, but must always be taught through and clearly related to substantive science content in the programme of study. Throughout the notes and guidance, examples show how scientific methods and skills might be linked to specific elements of the content. 

Impact - What difference will it make? 

Throughout our science curriculum, pupils develop curiosity, independence and a lifelong interest in scientific enquiry. They leave each lesson better able to question, reason and apply their understanding to the world around them. 

Assessment is embedded throughout every year group. Class discussions, formative assessments and recap tasks help teachers track progress and address misconceptions. . 

Our approach ensures that pupils not only achieve academic success but also appreciate the real-world value of science and the breadth of careers it offers. 

Practical work is included at every stage of our science curriculum. Pupils develop essential skills through observation, investigation, measurement and evaluation. Practical activities create excitement and build scientific thinking. These are accessible activities and are usually linked to familiar, everyday contexts. 

Every investigation includes clear learning outcomes and opportunities for reflection and discussion, ensuring pupils understand not only what they observe but why it matters. 

Children at Yealmpstone Farm show a real passion and enjoyment for science, and this results in motivated and driven learners.