Science

The Greetland Academy Science curriculum inspires a curiosity in children and develops a sense of excitement and curiosity about the natural world. Children are encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes. It focuses on the three fundamental scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics, giving pupils a rounded understanding to appreciate and enquire about the world around them.

Working scientifically is essential, these skills are embedded throughout each unit so that in addition to the core knowledge and vocabulary, children develop skills of observation, investigation, fair testing, classification and data handling. In addition to this, during our STEM Week in the final half term of the year, each class embarks on an investigative science unit of work to further consolidate the working scientifically skills and knowledge taught throughout the year.

The STEM unit also emphasizes the collaboration, communication, research, problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity skills that children need to be successful in today’s world. Children apply the ‘Design, Make, Evaluate’ cycle to this unit.

At the Greetland Academy, every Science unit is framed around an overarching enquiry question and echoes the structure of the National Curriculum programmes of study for each Year group. The planning of each year group and unit is supported by the Science Greetland Curriculum documents and the Rising Stars Switched on Science scheme. These explicitly set out progressive learning objectives, enquiry questions, key vocabulary, working scientifically skills and expectations. The structure enables children to broaden their scientific knowledge, and enquiry skills are developed with increasing depth and challenge as children move through the year groups. The sequence of lessons helps to embed scientific knowledge and skills, with each lesson building on previous learning. There is also the opportunity to regularly review and evaluate children’s understanding.