Science

Intent

At Woodthorpe C of E Primary School, we want every child to see themselves as a scientist: curious, knowledgeable and confident to question, investigate and explain the world around them.

Our ambitious and inclusive science curriculum is carefully sequenced from the Foundation Stage to Year 6. Children progressively develop both scientific knowledge and the skills of scientific enquiry, building from observation, questioning and exploration towards increasingly independent investigation, analysis, evaluation and evidence-based conclusions. This progression is mapped through our science curriculum.

Science connects with our wider Woodthorpe curriculum by helping children understand themselves, their local community and the wider world. Vocabulary and oracy are central. Pupils progressively learn to observe, predict, explain, justify and draw conclusions using increasingly precise scientific vocabulary.

Our Christian vision,“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), underpins science through collaboration, curiosity and respect for others' ideas, alongside opportunities to explore and appreciate the natural world and consider how we care for it responsibly.

Implementation

Science is taught through high-quality, inclusive teaching, ensuring that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, can access an ambitious curriculum and achieve highly from their individual starting points. This reflects our 2026–27 commitment to adaptive teaching, disciplinary literacy, vocabulary, oracy, retrieval and responsive assessment.

Across the science curriculum, children:

build knowledge and scientific enquiry skills progressively;
ask increasingly purposeful scientific questions;
observe, measure, identify, classify and investigate;
plan and undertake comparative and fair tests where appropriate;
record findings using drawings, tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and scientific models;
identify patterns, use evidence and draw conclusions;
evaluate predictions and, as they become older, consider the accuracy, reliability and improvement of investigations;
explicitly learn and revisit scientific vocabulary and use structured scientific talk to explain and justify their thinking;
develop thinking and metacognitive skills, reflecting on their predictions, evidence, conclusions and approaches to investigation;
make purposeful connections with subjects including English, mathematics, computing, geography, DT, PSHE and PE. Assessment help teachers identify misconceptions, check what pupils know and remember and adapt subsequent teaching. Floorbooks and workbooks capture pupil voice, enquiry, enrichment, reflection and curriculum outcomes,

Enrichment

We bring science to life through opportunities including:

practical investigations and hands-on science;
exploration of our school grounds and local environment, including habitat surveys and fieldwork;
outdoor learning and environmental experiences;
educational visits, visitors and community links;
STEM challenges and cross-curricular learning;
opportunities for stewardship and courageous advocacy, connecting scientific understanding with caring responsibly for our world.

Impact

By the time children leave Woodthorpe, we want them to be curious, knowledgeable and confident scientists who:

know more, remember more and make connections between their scientific learning;
use scientific vocabulary accurately and confidently;
think and talk like scientists, using evidence to explain and justify their ideas;
investigate, observe, measure, classify and draw conclusions with increasing independence;
analyse evidence, identify patterns and evaluate their investigations;
make connections between science, their everyday lives, their community and the wider world;
demonstrate curiosity and responsible stewardship of the world around them;
are well prepared for the next stage of their scientific education.

Impact is evaluated through assessment, pupil voice, floorbooks, work scrutiny and subject leadership review, helping us identify misconceptions, evaluate knowledge retention and continually refine provision.