Vision

At St John’s School our main aim is to foster a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about science whilst increasing children’s awareness and understanding of the world around them.

Science is an important part of our lives. It is a way of finding out about the world around us, trying out ideas, testing new things, learning how things work, thinking of questions, and looking for explanations. At St John’s, we know that children are naturally curious and we encourage this inquisitive nature throughout their time and beyond. Science helps children grow a curiosity about our universe and promotes respect for everything around us. We encourage children to observe, collect information, make predictions, develop ideas, ask questions, appreciate cause and effect, record and interpret results and solve problems.

How we teach Science at St John’s School.

Science is central to many aspects of life and children should be encouraged to look at the world as scientists. It is a core subject in the National Curriculum which aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
• 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.

Children learn most effectively through ‘doing’ and we teach this subject through topics or themes with a hands-on, creative approach. We make sure the children have opportunities to observe, collect information, make predictions, develop ideas, ask questions, appreciate cause and effect, record and interpret results and solve problems. We believe science encompasses the acquisition of knowledge, concepts, skills and positive attitudes. We aim to help pupils describe their learning in a common language, whilst helping them to become familiar with, and use, technical terminology accurately and precisely with the aim of helping them to communicate their ideas to others clearly and confidently.

Through working scientifically, children are encouraged to: make observations over time; seek patterns; identify, classify and group; make predictions, carry out comparative and fair tests (controlled investigations). Through writing explanations, reports and instructions, children are building on the skills taught as part of our English curriculum. They are also encouraged to apply their mathematical knowledge to their understanding of science, including collecting, presenting and analysing data. Making these cross curricular links puts the learning in context for children and gives a real life reason for writing or analysing data. Science lessons provide children with the chance to learn a range of skills which they can use throughout their life. This is because in science, we are trying to develop the next generation of enquiring minds, by giving them the skill to analyse and explore.