At Thornhill Primary School, we recognise the importance of teaching Science in every aspect of daily life. Science is taught in as practical a way as possible so that the children experience the investigations and experiments first hand. We are fortunate to be able to use our school grounds across lessons to allow our children to become inquisitive and use their investigative skills within the Science Curriculum, for example for mini-beast hunts. By building up key knowledge and concepts, pupils will be encouraged to develop a sense of excitement and curiosity around the subject and it will allow them to understand how Science can be used to explain what is taking place, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
The Scientific area of learning is concerned with increasing pupils’ scientific knowledge which they can remember in the long-term and apply alongside their enquiry skills. It will develop the natural curiosity of the child, encourage respect for living organisms and the physical environment and provide opportunities for critical evaluation of evidence. The staff at Thornhill Primary School will ensure that all children will be exposed to a broad and balanced Science Curriculum, by being immersed in scientific vocabulary, taking part in investigations and applying their scientific enquiry and investigative skills to a variety of lessons.
The National Curriculum will provide a structure for teaching of the Science Curriculum throughout the school. At Thornhill Primary School, children will have weekly lessons in Science throughout Key Stage 1 and 2 and within Early Years it is taught through learning about the world around them through play. Additional opportunities are also provided, for example through Science Week, where many visitors are welcomed to the school and provide enriching opportunities within Science.
It is our intention that by the end of each Year, every child will have an understanding and remember a variety of scientific concepts which they can apply in other contexts and confidently discuss them and use them in future lessons.