Science Curriculum Statement

At Amblecote Primary School, our science curriculum inspires curiosity and enthusiasm for the world around us. We aim to develop pupils’ scientific knowledge, vocabulary, and understanding while nurturing a love of enquiry and discovery. Through engaging, practical experiences, children are encouraged to ask questions, make predictions, test ideas, and explain their thinking using evidence.

Our science curriculum follows the National Curriculum and is designed to ensure that all pupils develop secure substantive knowledge across biology, chemistry, and physics, alongside strong disciplinary knowledge through Working Scientifically. We want our pupils to be confident, resilient learners who understand that it is acceptable to make mistakes and learn from them, preparing them for future scientific learning and life in a rapidly changing world.

Science at Amblecote Primary School is taught using the Plymouth Science scheme, which ensures clear progression of both knowledge and skills while allowing teachers flexibility to adapt learning to meet the needs of all pupils. Science is taught on a two-year rolling programme to ensure full curriculum coverage across mixed-age classes.

Substantive knowledge and Working Scientifically skills are taught together in every lesson. Teachers explicitly model different types of scientific enquiry and reference these consistently so that pupils understand how scientific knowledge is generated.

Lessons are practical, inclusive, and carefully structured. Pupils are encouraged to ask their own questions, plan and carry out investigations, collect and record data, and evaluate their findings. Safety is embedded throughout, enabling pupils to develop responsibility and confidence when using scientific equipment.

Our science curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure pupils build knowledge and understanding progressively from EYFS through to Year 6.

• In EYFS, children develop curiosity about the world around them through play, observation, and discussion, laying the foundations for scientific thinking.
• In Key Stage 1, pupils learn about plants, animals (including humans), materials, and seasonal changes, developing observational skills and basic scientific vocabulary.
• In Lower Key Stage 2, pupils build on prior learning through topics such as rocks, forces, light, states of matter, plants, and animals, while developing enquiry skills including measuring, recording results, and drawing conclusions.
• In Upper Key Stage 2, pupils apply their knowledge to more complex concepts such as Earth and space, properties and changes of materials, evolution and inheritance, electricity, and advanced forces, working with increasing independence, accuracy, and scientific reasoning.

Key scientific vocabulary is explicitly taught, revisited, and applied to support long-term retention and secure understanding.

The impact of our science curriculum is that pupils know more, remember more, and can do more over time.

As a result of high-quality teaching and carefully sequenced learning, pupils:

• develop secure scientific knowledge that builds progressively year on year
• use scientific vocabulary accurately and confidently in spoken and written work
• apply Working Scientifically skills to plan, carry out, and evaluate investigations
• demonstrate curiosity, resilience, and independence when exploring scientific concepts

Assessment is used effectively to ensure that learning is secure and that pupils are supported to achieve well. Teachers assess pupils’ understanding through questioning, observation, discussion, and scrutiny of pupils’ work. Assessment focuses on both substantive knowledge and enquiry skills, ensuring a balanced understanding of science.

Working Scientifically objectives and enquiry skills are clearly identified in pupils’ books so that pupils understand what they have learned and how they can improve. Retrieval activities are used regularly to strengthen recall and support long-term memory.

At the end of each unit, pupils’ outcomes are assessed against age-related expectations and recorded as:

• Working Below
• At Age-Related Expectations
• Above Age-Related Expectations

Termly TAPs assessments focus specifically on enquiry skills, and assessment information is recorded on Insight to track progress, identify gaps, and inform future teaching.

By the time pupils leave Amblecote Primary School, they have a secure foundation in scientific knowledge, strong enquiry skills, and a positive attitude towards science, ensuring they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.