Swarcliffe Primary School

EY Foundation Stage

Children in Foundation Stage will start to gain the science knowledge that they will build on throughout Y1-Y6, such as developing their skills of observation, questioning, prediction, critical thinking and discussion. These skills in the Foundation Stage are underpinned by ‘The Characteristics of Effective Learning’, and will be embedded particularly through teaching of the strand of ‘Understanding of the World’. By the end of reception, children will;

• Know about similarities and differences in relation to objects, materials and living things
• Make observations of animals and plants
• Explain why some things occur
• Talk about changes.

Key Stage One 

The principal focus of science teaching in key stage 1 is to enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly constructed world around them. Children in KS1 will be encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice. They will be helped to develop their understanding of scientific ideas by using different types of scientific enquiry to answer their own questions, including observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative tests, and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They will begin to use simple scientific language to talk about what they have found out and communicate their ideas to a range of audiences in a variety of ways. Most of the learning about science will be done through the use of first-hand practical experiences, but there will be some use of appropriate secondary sources, such as books, photographs and videos.

Key Stage Two

The principal focus of science teaching in lower key stage 2 is to enable pupils to broaden their scientific view of the world around them. Children in KS2 will do this through exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and the relationships between living things and familiar environments, and by beginning to develop their ideas about functions, relationships and interactions. They will ask their own questions about what they observe and make some decisions about which types of scientific enquiry are likely to be the best ways of answering them, including observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out simple comparative and fair tests and finding things out using secondary sources of information. They will draw simple conclusions and use some scientific language, first, to talk about and, later, to write about what they have found out.