Science
Leader of Learning - Mrs Smith
If you wish to contact Mrs Smith regarding science.
Please email her on butterfly@wardenhillinfant.co.uk
What does Science look like at Warden Hill Infant School?
At Warden Hill Infant School, we aim to inspire children’s curiosity about the world around them through the teaching and exploration of science in practical, hands on experiences. Our curriculum is not only designed to spark interest but also provide the knowledge needed to understand natural phenomena.
Children build their understanding by testing ideas and examining existing evidence. They learn the scientific method, which involves developing and evaluating explanations based on experiments and models. This helps them see how key scientific concepts drive technological advancements that impact industries, medicine and everyday life.
We encourage our children to ask questions and discuss scientific issues that affect their lives and society's future. Our science teaching promotes teamwork, allowing the children to share ideas and explore them together. This collaborative approach helps them develop critical thinking skills while fostering a sense of community.
Our Aims
- Preparing our children for life in an increasingly scientific and technological world.
- Cultivating concern for, and active care of, our environment.
- Helping our children acquire a growing understanding of scientific ideas.
- Enable children to question, hypothesise, test and discover for themselves about our world.
- Developing the skills of investigation - including observing, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating, interpreting, explaining and evaluating.
- Enhancing the use of scientific techniques, language and recording methods.
- Enabling our children to become effective communicators of scientific ideas, facts and data.
We seek to ensure that our children:
- Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding.
- 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.
The School Implementation of Science
At our school, science is an exciting and important part of learning, where all teachers work together to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum programme of study. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, science is primarily covered under 'Understanding the World,' encouraging young children to explore and make sense of their environment. However, it also connects with other early years goals, supporting a well-rounded approach to learning and development.
We believe in making science both excellent and enjoyable, connecting it with other subjects to create a more enriching learning experience. Each year group follows a carefully planned curriculum based on the National Curriculum's guidelines alongside White Rose Science.
Our aim is to provide a broad and balanced science education, where curiosity and enquiry are at the heart of our children's learning. Through hands-on exploration and investigation, we nurture their natural interest in the world around them.
The disciplinary knowledge and key concepts that we help guide our focus of lesson on include:
- Asking questions and proposing theories.
- Selecting a scientific enquiry.
- Research using secondary sources.
- Grouping and classifying.
- Observing over time.
- Noticing patterns.
- Comparative and fair testing.
- Carrying out enquiries
- Planning
- Using scientific apparatus
- Observing and measuring
- Using evidence to draw conclusions and ask new questions
Science in Early Years
In EYFS, science is woven into the broader EYFS themes which naturally inspire children to explore their surroundings and nurture their curiosity about how things work. Play is central to all learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), where children engage in different ways—sometimes expressing their thoughts and ideas, and other times quietly reflecting. Through playful, hands-on activities, children are encouraged to experiment, explore, and ask questions, all within a secure and stimulating environment.
The EYFS strand, ‘Understanding the World,’ is key to introducing scientific concepts and sets the foundation for more structured science learning in Key Stage 1 (KS1). By encouraging curiosity and fostering a love for exploration, we create an engaging learning environment where children can develop a deeper understanding of new ideas.
Wherever possible, cross-curricular links are made with science, helping children see how their learning fits into a broader context and contributing to their overall development.
Key Stage One (Year 1 and 2)
In Key Stage One, children engage in observing, exploring, and asking questions about living things, materials, and their environment. They work together to gather evidence, identify patterns, classify objects, and conduct research from various sources. They also monitor environmental changes and perform fair tests to draw conclusions.
To deepen their understanding, children use reference materials and communicate their findings using scientific terminology, along with drawings, charts, and tables. Science is taught for at least one hour per week, with a focus on creativity and exploration. Lessons include hands-on investigations, recording results, and using outdoor spaces to enhance learning. Where possible, science is linked to other areas of the curriculum.
Impact
We use assessment to inform and develop our teaching.
We assess throughout the topic. Primarily by beginning lessons with a recall session or use of weekly questioning to assess the key knowledge for each lesson. Activities during, and at the end of, each topic record achievement and celebrate success.
Science work, where appropriate, will be recorded in class floor books or individual record sheets; evidence will be photographic or written and is shared with the children.
Mrs Smith, the Leader of Learning for science, monitors progress through the school by sampling children’s work at regular intervals. Children who need additional support or those who show exceptional ability in science are recognised and provided with the resources they need to thrive.
At the end of each term we assess children’s attainment and progress. This is based on feedback and assessment records and work samples.