Science
At Whittlefield Primary School, we inspire our children to spark a love of science!
Our intent is to provide every child with a broad and balanced Science curriculum that enables them to confidently explore, question and discover the world around them. We want them to develop a deep understanding of the world we live in and to see themselves as capable, curious young scientists.
We want our children to love science. We want them to believe that there are no limits to their ambitions and to grow up aspiring to be astronauts, forensic scientists, toxicologists, microbiologists and so much more. To support this, we expose children to a wide range of science‑related careers at the start of each topic and invite external visitors and companies to work with pupils during Science Week.
We want our children to remember their science lessons, cherish these experiences and embrace every scientific opportunity they encounter. To achieve this, our curriculum is built around exciting, practical, hands‑on learning that encourages curiosity, questioning and problem‑solving. These stimulating and challenging experiences help every child secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary, while nurturing a genuine love of learning.
Key Stage 1
The principal focus of science teaching in Key Stage 1 is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking closely at the natural and human‑made world around them. Children are encouraged to be curious, ask questions and explore what they notice. They develop their understanding of scientific ideas through a range of enquiry types, including:
Observing changes over time
Noticing patterns
Grouping and classifying
Carrying out simple comparative tests
Using secondary sources to find information
Pupils begin to use simple scientific language to communicate their findings to different audiences. Most learning takes place through first‑hand practical experiences, supported by appropriate secondary sources such as books, photographs and videos.
‘Working scientifically’ is taught through and clearly linked to the substantive science content. Pupils read and spell scientific vocabulary in line with their developing reading and spelling skills.
Key Stage 2
The principal focus of science teaching in Key Stage 2 is to enable pupils to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of scientific ideas. They explore and discuss their ideas, ask their own questions about scientific phenomena and analyse functions, relationships and interactions more systematically.
Pupils encounter more abstract concepts and begin to recognise how scientific ideas help them understand and predict how the world works. They also learn that scientific ideas change and develop over time.
Children select appropriate methods to answer scientific questions using a range of enquiry types, including:
Observing changes over different periods of time
Noticing patterns
Grouping and classifying
Carrying out comparative and fair tests
Using a wide range of secondary sources
They draw conclusions from data and observations, justify their ideas with evidence and use scientific knowledge to explain their findings.
‘Working and thinking scientifically’ is taught through and clearly related to the substantive content. Pupils are expected to read, spell and pronounce scientific vocabulary accurately.