Science
'Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.'
Albert Einstein
At Holy Family, Science is taught through an evidence-led approach to learning that encourages pupils to think critically, build curiosity, and develop a deep understanding of the world around them.
Our curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that children's substantive knowledge (subject knowledge and explicit vocabulary) and disciplinary knowledge (working scientifically) are built progressively over time, enabling children to make meaningful connections across biology, chemistry, and physics.
Using research-informed teaching strategies, we support pupils to retain and apply scientific knowledge through fun and memorable practical investigations, discussions, retrieval practices, and purposeful enquiries. Across the year groups, children are encouraged to work scientifically by making predictions, observing closely, gathering evidence, analysing results, and drawing conclusions based on their findings.
We believe that all pupils can succeed in science when high quality teaching is structured, ambitious, and engaging. Through carefully sequenced learning, vocabulary development, and regular opportunities to revisit prior knowledge, pupils build confidence and resilience as young scientists.
Our aim is to inspire curiosity and a lifelong interest in science while equipping pupils with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking needed to understand and contribute to an ever-changing world.
At Holy Family, we use and adapt CUSP curriculum, which is infused with evidence-led practise and enriched with retrieval studies to ensure the long-term retention of substantive and disciplinary knowledge across this core subject. Adopting CUSP Science into our curriculum, allows for the national curriculum to be sequenced into meaningful and connected small-steps which are evidentially proven to reduce the load on the working memory, as well as creating coherant and strong long term memories. Through the high-quality teaching of CUSP Science, we are promoting children to become 'a little more expert' as they progress through their time at Holy Family and enjoy a lifelong love for the sciences.
The EEF Improving Primary Science Guidance Report outlines six practical recommendations for making meaningful improvements to primary science teaching. These recommendations are underpinned by high-quality evidence and teachers at Holy Family have received training on each of these areas. This means that as practiitioners, we are able to support all pupils in our school, cultivating positive attitudes towards science and recognising which approaches best support the learning of our children.
Please click here to read a copy of the report.
Science Long Term Plan
EYFS
In the foundation stage, children will be introduced indirectly to science through the Specific areas of Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design and the Prime area of Physical development. Through first hand experiences, children will begin to explore, observe, problem solve, predict, and think critically and gain a wider experience of the world around them. Children will be encouraged to make decisions and discuss creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environments and staff will ask relevant, open-ended questions, to help children to think critically and make connections between ideas. Through carefully planned and appropriate adult led activities, following the children's interests, providing an enabling environment (both inside and out of the classroom) and allowing the children to explore, investigate and make sense of their environments independently, we hope to foster a love of science and develop the children's scientific skills and understanding.