Curriculum Intent
At Gordon Children’s Academy, our Science curriculum is designed to develop curious, knowledgeable and confident scientists who are eager to understand the world around them. We believe that Science should encourage children to ask questions, explore ideas and develop a secure body of scientific knowledge that enables them to explain the natural and physical world.
Our curriculum is carefully sequenced from EYFS to Year 6 so that children build upon what they already know and make meaningful connections between different areas of Science. Substantive knowledge is organised through four scientific disciplines – Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science – and eight threads: Plants; Animals; Human Body; Living Things and Environments; Materials; Energy; Forces and Motion; and Earth Systems and Space. These threads enable important scientific ideas to be revisited and developed with increasing depth as children progress through the school.
Alongside developing substantive knowledge, children learn to think and work scientifically. From observing and asking questions in EYFS and KS1, children develop increasingly systematic and independent approaches to scientific enquiry. Through practical investigations, they learn to make observations, use equipment, take measurements, record and interpret results, draw conclusions and evaluate their enquiries. Children experience different types of scientific enquiry and are encouraged to use evidence to explain their thinking.
Our Science curriculum provides opportunities for children to learn through purposeful practical experiences. Scientific vocabulary is explicitly taught and developed so that children can communicate their ideas with increasing accuracy and confidence. New knowledge builds upon previous learning so that children make connections between scientific ideas and develop increasingly sophisticated scientific explanations.
We want Gordon children to recognise the importance of Science in their everyday lives and in the wider world. Through studying living things, the human body, materials, forces, energy, Earth and space, children develop an appreciation of how scientific understanding helps us explain the world around us. Our annual Science Week provides further opportunities for children to explore Science beyond their usual curriculum, take part in practical experiences and investigations, and discover how Science connects to the wider world and a range of careers. We aim to nurture curiosity and encourage children to question, investigate and seek evidence, providing them with strong foundations for the next stage of their Science education.
