Intent
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
The world is a curious place, which relentlessly provides questions that demand answers. Knowing how it works, and the influence we – as individuals – play in that world, isn’t easy. At Upper Arley C of E Primary School, Science provides our pupils with the opportunity to be curious, to ask questions. More than that, it refines their skill in asking the ‘right’ questions, hypothesising and predicting answers, observing and investigating to figure out how things work. It generates the joyful flush of success when something that wasn’t known suddenly becomes clear and the recognition that asking questions is the key to understanding… for any aspect of life.
Implementation
At Upper Arley, this is approached through a considered and progressive series of Programmes of Study, which provide practical, hands on activities, where children can experience scientific phenomena first hand. To make learning relevant, teachers draw on pupils’ every day experiences and relate science to their real world. We encourage pupils to be inquisitive about the world around them and ask scientific questions. Where possible, pupils are given opportunities to plan and carry out experiments, to make predictions and test their ideas. This gives them a better understanding of the curriculum and enables them to experience science in everyday life. We support our pupils to build on their previous learning to make links with other areas of the curriculum; and to express their findings using vocabulary specific for each topic.