Science Intent at Archbishop Benson C of E School
‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13)
‘With fun and learning, hand in hand, all things are possible.’
At Archbishop Benson, we strive to teach each child to see themselves as a scientist and never stop being amazed by the wonders our world has to offer. Our curriculum is designed to excite pupils’ curiosity about natural phenomena and events in the world around them, providing them with the foundations needed to recognise the importance of science in every aspect of daily life. We aim to satisfy their curiosity with knowledge gained from engaging, practical experiences in and out of the classroom environment.
Throughout the year groups, we aim to equip children with excellent knowledge and understanding of living things, materials and physical phenomena. They will work together to collect evidence to help them answer questions, begin to evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. Pupils will be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes. They will apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas to familiar phenomena, everyday things and their personal health. Closely linked to our school values, we teach children to respect living organisms and the physical environment. They will learn to question and discuss science-based issues that may affect their own lives, the direction of society and the future of the world.
As children progress throughout the school, they will be equipped with knowledge that builds on prior learning, showing progression year on year. Our curriculum is taught with a cross-curricular key enquiry question at the heart. Children will be challenged and inspired to become active independent learners, making connections across the whole curriculum, including areas such as geography, design and technology and computing. Children will have the opportunity to apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science including collecting, presenting and analysing data. They will revisit prior learning in order to build on their skills and develop them further, embedding and deepening their understanding. Each scientific topic has an element which challenges the “Thinking Scientifically” element of the curriculum and focuses on building different aspects of enquiry skills.
Children will be immersed in key scientific vocabulary, which supports in the acquisition of scientific knowledge and understanding. We ensure that all of our children are able to access carefully planned lessons and that they are will supported in their learning opportunities.
We aim for our Science curriculum to equip children with the scientific skills and knowledge that will enable then to embrace the secondary curriculum and life as an adult in the world outside the classroom, as well as inspiring them to pursue careers in Science.