Science
We have a strong commitment to science at Benhall and all classes are timetabled for approximately one afternoon of each week for this subject.
Science is taught through both traditional classroom approaches where children gain a good grounding in key knowledge and principles as well as practical enquiry where children are encouraged to raise questions and investigate them in order to fully understand the skills and processes.
The feeling of awed wonder that science can give us is one of the highest experiences of which the human psyche is capable. It is a deep aesthetic passion to rank with the finest that music and poetry can deliver.
Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist.
What is our curriculum Intent for science?
Key Purpose
Why is this subject important?
- Science is an essential part of our daily lives and the economy. Our level of scientific understanding influences our views and our capacity for critical thinking when decision-making on important issues such as food, energy, public health and the environment.
- Many careers in the UK such as those in medicine and engineering are dependent on a secure scientific understanding.
- Advances in science are transforming our world at an incredible pace, and our children’s future will be filled with leaps in technology we can only imagine. Being “science literate” will no longer be just an advantage but an absolute necessity.
- There is a strong argument for the intellectual, cultural and ethical benefits of being scientifically literate.
Key Principles
What are the distinctive ways of knowing, working and learning in this subject?
- Systematically develop and sustain learners’ curiosity about the world and how natural phenomena can be explained. Encourage the framing of both ‘big questions’ and those specific enough to lead to practical lines of enquiry.
- Equip pupils with the scientific knowledge required to understand its uses and implications today and in the future.
- Foster understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through a range of practical activities.
- Develop a technical vocabulary for discussing, describing and communicating their observations, ideas and conclusions.
Expectations
What does success look like in this subject?
- Children are in awe of and curious about the world and can explain current thinking on a wide range of natural phenomena using the appropriate technical vocabulary.
- They understand the scientific process and have the capability to raise questions and carry out age-appropriate practical investigations.
- They understand conventions for communicating their findings and can do so with clarity and accuracy.