Science

At Christ Church School our main aim is to foster a sense of excitement and curiosity about science whilst increasing children’s awareness and understanding of the world around them.

Science is central to many aspects of life and children should be encouraged to look at the world as scientists. It is a core subject in the National Curriculum which aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
• Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
• Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Children learn most effectively through ‘doing’ and we teach this subject through topics or themes with a hands-on, creative approach. Children learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions. Through working scientifically, children are encouraged to: make observations over time; seek patterns; identify, classify and group; make predictions, carry out comparative and fair tests (controlled investigations); and research using secondary sources.

We aim to help pupils describe their learning in a common language, whilst helping them to become familiar with, and use, technical terminology accurately and precisely with the aim of helping them to communicate their ideas to others clearly and confidently. Through writing explanations, reports and instructions, children are building on the skills taught as part of our English curriculum. They are also encouraged to apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collecting, presenting and analysing data.  Making these cross curricular links puts the learning in context for children and gives a real life reason for writing or analysing data. Science lessons provide children with the chance to learn a range of skills which they can use throughout their life.