Science

At Fairlawn Primary School, we actively encourage our pupils’ natural curiosity about the world around them, whilst providing them with the ability to investigate and understand the scientific processes that lie behind everyday life. As a STEAM school, we want our pupils to learn about the importance and uses of science, its significance to society and relevance to their own lives. We are all scientists.

In EYFS, our youngest pupils begin to explore the world around them through the key area ‘Understanding the World’. Pupils start to develop scientific skills through exploration, observation and questioning; closely studying animals, plants and life cycles, manipulating materials, trying to explain why certain things occur and investigating and discussing changes.

Throughout Key Stage 1 and 2, pupils further expand upon this strong scientific foundation. Science units are organised into the scientific domains: Biology, Physics and Chemistry.  Within these domains, the substantive component knowledge that pupils will learn is carefully sequenced to allow them to understand broader scientific concepts or composites. Knowledge organisers are used to provide an overview of key knowledge and vocabulary for each unit, as well to activate prior knowledge and challenge misconceptions.

Working as Scientists, pupils learn about how scientific knowledge becomes established through scientific enquiry. Progression in the disciplinary knowledge of science, or ‘working scientifically’, is sequenced carefully throughout our curriculum. Pupils are supported to feel confident enough to raise their own questions about science and resilient enough to explore them. We aim to promote a secure understanding of key concepts, scientific language and how to collect, present and analyse data from experiments. We want our pupils to develop respect for living organisms and the physical environment, to understand how science continues to change our lives and how we are responsible for the future of our planet. Science not only provides pupils with an understanding of the world around them but lays the foundation for a range of diverse and valuable careers that are crucial for economic, environmental and social development.