Science

East Wichel Primary School & Nursery Science Long Term Curriculum Map

At East Wichel, our goal is to shape aspirational, prosperous scientists who are equipped with rich scientific knowledge; passionate; and are able to implement their understanding and experiences of the world for today and tomorrow’s future.

The pupils at East Wichel will be exposed to a broad and rich science curriculum and the incredible world around them. The curriculum will give pupils the opportunity to become confident learners through substantive and disciplinary knowledge, where practical and immersive experiences compliment the rich knowledge taught to them. Learning is brought to life in science, with distinct links made between the learning in the classroom and the world around them outside of it. All pupils’ science will link to one of the three disciplines of science: biology, chemistry and physics. From KS2, pupils will be made explicitly aware of which science units fall into which disciplines as they develop and create connections between different units. At East Wichel, every pupil has access to science and the curriculum, and the teachers ensure that all pupils feel included, even with significant scaffolds and support. Science at East Wichel is broken down into small steps, with clear learning objectives and progression of skills and knowledge. Reading plays a central part to the substantive knowledge of the curriculum, with reading in every science lesson. Pupils at East Wichel will have opportunities throughout the curriculum to reflect upon and retrieve prior knowledge through prior knowledge quizzes, prior learning lessons, retrieval quizzes, end of unit quizzes and interleaved lessons sequencing which makes reference to previous learning in the curriculum.

Pupils will focus on one key scientist a year which falls into one of their units. These scientists have been carefully selected, so that each pupil learns about different scientists from different disciplines throughout their scientific journey at East Wichel. The scientists have been carefully chosen to reflect the diversities of modern life; to celebrate diversity; to build identity, connection and pride of our town Swindon and beyond; and to create a sense of inclusion and belonging.

At East Wichel, working scientifically is imperative to a pupil’s learning journey in science. Effective practical lessons help pupils apply their substantive knowledge into real-world situations. Experiments and practical activities have been carefully chosen to equip pupils with a variety of skills for their science learning. At East Wichel, both substantive and disciplinary knowledge is intertwined to build diverse and complex science schemas for our pupils. Where possible, pupils at East Wichel will have the opportunity to connect and interact with their local environment – making specific links to science and the world directly around them.

Aims of the National Curriculum

The national curriculum for science 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.

Please find the links to our science curriculum below: