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Science

An interest in Science is promoted within the school at a very early age. Children aged 4 to 8 years explore Science related topics under the supervision of their class teachers. The topics are delivered through strands that run through the whole Infant Programme. Children in Years 4 - 6 follow a combined Science course and have access to a fully equipped Science laboratory and a specialist teacher. The success of the course is based on a fine balance of theory and practical work designed to develop understanding while promoting the pupils' spirit of enquiry and developing their interest and enthusiasm in the subject.

The course is broad at its base, covering many topic areas without too much detail. As the pupil progresses through the year groups, topics become fewer and are studied in more depth. The course is also designed to be spiral in nature, first acquainting the pupils with a topic and then revisiting the same concepts, each time with a greater degree of sophistication, provided that the earlier work was understood. This not only results in pupils gaining a great deal of satisfaction in arriving at the understanding of a concept, but also results in the pupils experiencing pleasure and confidence when meeting and recognising that concept again.

By the end of the course, the pupils should have a sound scientific foundation on which their next secondary school science course can build. It is hoped that children will leave, not only with a lively interest and thirst for the subject, but also an inherent understanding of how Science is applied in the world around them.

Key Stage 1
Autumn	Spring	Summer
Kindergarten	Change Seasons, Weather, Old and New, Other Cultures. Watching Change. Ice Melting, Eggs Cooking, Colour Mixing, Shapes, Numbers.	Materials and Textures What are they made of ? Natural and Man-made. Where do they come from ? Mothers and Babies; Seed Growing. Food and Cooking.	Living things Mothers and Babies. Mini-beasts. Watching things grow. Bean seeds, Carrot tops / Parsnips. Under the Sea Tadpole/butterfly Lifecycles. Pairs – Noah’s Ark
Reception	Ourselves Senses Autumn/Winter Noticing Changes, weather	People who help us Pirates Properties of materials. Magnetism. Floating and sinking. Cooking	Dinosaurs Animals - comparing animals from different habitats Camouflage - animal growth and change
Year 1	The Seaside Rock-pools, Creatures, Pebbles & Sand. Tides, Pollution, Seasonal Changes, Harvest.	Building Things Houses and Homes, Building Materials Strength of Structures. Animal Homes. Seasonal change.	The Garden Plant Growth, Summer The Year 1 Garden. Insects, Mini-beasts, Life Cycles.
Year 2	Farming Food Classification. Flour & Baking, Soil, Re-cycling Animal Products, Farm Safety.	Magnetism, Electricity, Forces Making magnets. Circuits and Switches. How things move. Pushes and Pulls. Natural Forces.	The Earth and Beyond The Earth, Sun and Moon. Day/Night, Sunrise/Sunset, Shadows The Five senses.
Key Stage 2
Year 3	Teeth and Eating Plant and animal nutrition. Comparing animal teeth. Tooth health. Characteristics of Materials Properties of materials. Material Investigations.	Magnets and Springs Testing magnet strength. Law of Magnetism. Recycling Rocks and Soils Hardness, Absorbency. Investigations Soil types. Fossils.	Helping plants grow well Living/nonliving Plants/Animals Sun flowers. Growth requirements. Function of leaves, stems and roots. Light and Shadows Light Sources vs. Reflection Shadows, telling time, Earth rotation.
Year 4	Moving and Growing Vertebrate / Invertebrates. Skeletons, muscles, exercise. Research Project “Vertebrate Groups”. Keeping Warm Temperature, cooling, insulators.	Separating Solids and Liquids Sieving, filtering, dissolving,evaporating Circuits and Conductors Good/Bad circuits. Bulb Brightness Conductors/Insulators. Switches. Electricity Dangers. Research Project “Famous Scientists”.	Habitats Classification, Observations Keys, Food chains, Adaptations. Rock pool study/ Habitat Projects. Friction. Air and water resistance. Using force meters. Units of force.
Year 5	Forces Thrust, Friction, Gravity, Up-thrust. Reducing Friction. Rollers / lubrication. Bearings. Falling objects. Pulleys and Gears. Power vs. Speed. Block and Tackle.	The Earth in Space Concept of Gravity, Weight and Mass. Days, Months and Years. Healthy Living Eating Healthily, 7 Food groups. Exercise, Health Risks. Alcohol, Smoking, Solvents, Drugs.	Gases around us Air, Burning, Breathing, Photosynthesis. Life Cycles Reproduction in Plants, Fertilisation, Seed Dispersal. Interdependence and Adaptation Keys, Food chains/webs, Habitats.
Year 6	Heat Solids Liquids and Gases. Freezing, Melting Evaporation Condensation. Thermal Conductors and Insulators. Convection Currents. Land/Sea Breezes IR. Radiation. Reflection/Absorption	SATS Revision Properties of Light and Sound. Microbes: Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi. Magnetism and Electricity. Dissolving, Separating Solids/Liquids. Plant Life Cycles.	SATS Papers ( Familiarisation ) Post SATS extension work Light and Colour. Animal Research Project. delivered and presented as a web site.