Science
At St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School, we want every child to develop a sense of wonder about the world around them.
Our science curriculum encourages children to be curious, ask questions, explore ideas and develop an understanding of the world God has created. We want pupils to become knowledgeable, confident and enthusiastic scientists who can use their learning to make sense of the world around them.
Science is taught as a carefully sequenced subject from the Early Years through to Year 6. Children build secure knowledge over time, revisiting important concepts and developing increasingly sophisticated scientific vocabulary and skills.
Developing Scientific Knowledge
Our curriculum is designed to ensure that children develop a strong understanding of the key scientific concepts set out in the National Curriculum.
Pupils learn about:
• plants and animals
• humans and the human body
• materials and their properties
• forces and motion
• electricity
• light and sound
• Earth and space
• habitats and ecosystems
• evolution and inheritance
• seasonal and environmental change.
Important knowledge is revisited regularly so that children can remember, connect and apply what they have learned.
Learning Through Investigation
We want children to experience science rather than simply learn facts about it.
Practical work, observation and investigation are an important part of our science teaching. Children have opportunities to observe closely, explore materials, carry out investigations, collect evidence and use their findings to develop explanations.
As pupils move through the school, they become increasingly confident in planning investigations, identifying variables, making predictions, recording results and drawing conclusions from evidence.
We teach children that scientists do not always know the answer immediately. Asking questions, testing ideas, making mistakes and changing our thinking are all important parts of scientific learning.
Scientific Enquiry
Children develop their scientific enquiry skills progressively throughout their time at St Vincent’s.
They learn to:
• ask relevant scientific questions
• make observations and measurements
• use equipment safely and appropriately
• perform simple tests
• plan and carry out investigations
• gather and record evidence
• identify patterns
• interpret results
• draw conclusions
• explain their findings using scientific vocabulary.
These skills enable children to approach unfamiliar scientific problems with increasing independence and confidence.
Scientific Vocabulary and Talk
Vocabulary is an important part of our science curriculum.
Teachers explicitly introduce and revisit scientific vocabulary so that pupils can describe what they observe, explain scientific processes and communicate their ideas accurately.
Children are encouraged to discuss their predictions, observations and conclusions with others. Through purposeful questioning and discussion, pupils learn to explain their thinking and listen to alternative ideas.
We want children to leave primary school able to talk about science with confidence and use appropriate scientific language.
Science Across the Curriculum
Science is connected to children's wider learning wherever meaningful links can be made.
Children draw on their mathematical skills when measuring, recording data and interpreting results. Reading plays an important role as pupils encounter scientific texts and develop their understanding of subject specific vocabulary.
Children also explore the relationship between science, technology and the wider world, helping them understand how scientific knowledge influences our lives and the choices we make.
Caring for God's World
As a Catholic school, we believe that caring for creation is an important part of our responsibility.
Science provides many opportunities for children to explore the natural world and consider how we can care for God's creation. Through learning about habitats, animals, plants, climate and the environment, pupils develop an understanding of their responsibility to protect and respect the world around them.
Our Eco Team and wider environmental work provide opportunities for children to put this learning into action.
Supporting Every Scientist
We have high expectations for every pupil and believe that all children can succeed in science.
Teachers use adaptive teaching to ensure that pupils can access ambitious scientific learning. Children who need additional support are provided with appropriate scaffolding, resources and vocabulary, while pupils who are ready to deepen their understanding are challenged to reason, investigate and apply their knowledge in increasingly complex ways.
We are committed to ensuring that disadvantaged pupils, vulnerable pupils and pupils with SEND have the support and opportunities they need to participate fully and achieve well in science.
Inspiring Future Scientists
We want children to understand that science is all around them and that scientific knowledge can help us understand and improve the world.
Through practical experiences, investigations, discussion and rich scientific learning, we encourage children to develop curiosity, resilience and a willingness to think deeply.
By the time children leave St Vincent’s, we want them to have secure scientific knowledge, strong enquiry skills and the confidence to ask questions, investigate evidence and explain the world around them.
Above all, we want our pupils to remain curious, to care for God's creation and to approach the world with a sense of wonder, ready to achieve, belong and thrive and to let their light shine.
At St Vincent’s we aspire to make the learning ambitious for all learners. Our school curriculum includes the knowledge, skills and life experiences children need to thrive. Our learning is carefully planned and sequenced using the National Curriculum that can be found below:
Knowledge and skills are built on from previous years and there is clear progression in each subject. You can see an overview of progression below:
Each curriculum area is taught across the year and evidenced on a long term plan, divided into half termly blocks. You can see the long term plan below:
