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Our Approach to Science

Our intent for science is that children will be equipped with the knowledge, attitude, skills and experiences to build a lifelong engagement with science. By the time children reach the end of their primary schooling we want them not only to be well-equipped for the transition to Senior School, but also to appreciate the breadth of opportunities within science and STEM careers, and the rich history of technological development in our nation. We aim for children to understand how scientific understanding is foundational to the world around them, and is a still-developing field to which they can make a contribution.  

Science learning across the school develops from engaging children’s natural curiosity in the world around them, with questioning and practical exploration laying a basis for the introduction of increasingly abstract concepts. Children learn to use scientific vocabulary accurately, to handle equipment confidently and safely, and to start to make their own decisions about ways of investigating or recording results. Using our extensive grounds for biology topics inspires a sense of care and responsibility towards the environment.

Throughout their time in the school, children are encouraged to debate, research, and adopt leadership roles within their peer groups. Key stage 2 children with specific interests in areas of science act as Science Ambassadors, helping to develop science throughout the school. There is an annual whole-school Science week with a specific theme: recent science weeks have focused on Inventors and Inventions, and the 1969 Moon Landings. Each Science week is followed by a Science fair, in which every child in the school exhibits project work completed within school, as well as having opportunities to present their own independent research. Learning the history of scientific discovery provides amazing role models for resilience and the importance of daring to think differently in order to innovate.