What Science looks like at St Laurence
At St Laurence, our Science curriculum inspires children to be curious about the world around them and to understand how science shapes everyday life.
Through practical, engaging learning, pupils are encouraged to ask questions, explore ideas and think critically. We want children to see themselves as scientists and recognise that science is relevant to their lives, their community and their future.
Our curriculum develops secure scientific knowledge alongside the skills needed to work scientifically. Learning is carefully sequenced so that key concepts, vocabulary and enquiry skills are revisited and strengthened as children progress through Key Stage 2.
Our curriculum aims
Through our Science curriculum, children will:
•    develop curiosity about the natural and physical world
•    build secure scientific knowledge and understanding
•    ask questions and suggest ways to investigate them
•    make observations and measurements accurately
•    plan and carry out practical enquiries
•    record, present and interpret findings
•    use evidence to draw conclusions
•    explain ideas using appropriate scientific vocabulary
•    recognise how science affects everyday life
•    develop confidence, resilience and independence

How we teach Science
Science is taught through a carefully sequenced curriculum which builds knowledge and skills progressively across the school.

Lessons combine clear teaching of scientific concepts with regular opportunities for practical investigation, discussion and exploration. Children learn through first-hand experiences while also using texts, diagrams, models, photographs and digital resources to develop their understanding.

Teachers identify and revisit key knowledge and vocabulary so that children can remember important ideas and make connections between different areas of science.
Working scientifically
Working scientifically is embedded throughout our Science curriculum rather than taught as a separate area.
Children are taught to:
•    ask relevant scientific questions
•    make careful observations
•    take accurate measurements
•    make predictions based on prior knowledge
•    identify variables
•    plan fair and comparative tests
•    use equipment safely
•    record results in different ways
•    identify patterns and relationships
•    draw conclusions from evidence
•    evaluate investigations
•    suggest further questions

As children progress through the school, they are expected to make more independent decisions about how investigations should be planned, carried out and evaluated.
What children learn
Throughout Key Stage 2, children develop their knowledge across the main areas of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
•    Plants and living things
•    Animals, including humans
•    Evolution and inheritance
•    Materials
•    Forces and magnets
•    Light
•    Sound
•    Electricity
•    Earth and space

Scientific vocabulary
Accurate vocabulary is essential to children’s understanding of Science.

Teachers introduce subject-specific words explicitly and encourage pupils to use them when speaking, recording observations and explaining findings. Vocabulary is revisited regularly so that children become increasingly confident in communicating scientific ideas.

Children are taught to distinguish between everyday and scientific meanings where appropriate.
By the end of Year 6
By the end of Key Stage 2, children will be able to:
•    demonstrate secure knowledge across Biology, Chemistry and Physics
•    ask relevant scientific questions
•    plan and carry out increasingly independent investigations
•    select and use equipment appropriately
•    take accurate measurements and record results clearly
•    identify patterns and relationships within data
•    use evidence to support conclusions
•    evaluate the reliability of an investigation
•    use scientific vocabulary confidently
•    make connections between scientific ideas
•    explain how science affects everyday life
•    approach unfamiliar problems with curiosity and resilience
Enrichment and wider opportunities
We enrich our Science curriculum through practical experiences which help children see how science operates beyond the classroom.
These may include:
•    investigations and experiments
•    outdoor learning
•    visits and workshops
•    Science Week activities
•    visitors working in scientific careers
•    links with Forest School
•    environmental projects
•    cross-curricular learning
•    opportunities to explore science within the local area

These experiences help to develop children’s scientific capital by showing them that science is carried out by a wide range of people and can lead to many different careers.
Supporting all learners
Our Science curriculum is adapted so that every child can participate, make progress and experience success.
Teachers may use practical equipment, visual resources, models, vocabulary mats, demonstrations and carefully structured recording formats. Investigations can be broken into manageable stages and pupils may work collaboratively where appropriate.

Children can demonstrate their understanding through discussion, diagrams, practical work, photographs, tables and written explanations. Adaptations support access while maintaining ambitious expectations for all pupils.
Personal and spiritual development
Science provides many opportunities for children to experience curiosity, awe and wonder.

Pupils are encouraged to notice the complexity, beauty and order of the natural world. They reflect on their responsibility to care for living things and the environment and consider how scientific developments can affect people and the planet.

Children also learn that scientific knowledge develops through questioning, evidence and a willingness to reconsider ideas. This encourages humility, open-mindedness and respect for different viewpoints.