Science

What does Science look like at St. Paul's?

At St Paul’s Primary School, it is our intention to recognise the importance of Science in every aspect of daily life. We give the teaching and learning of Science the prominence it requires. Children are born scientists, from the moment they are born they began exploring and investigating the world around them using their senses. Our aim for science at St Paul’s is for our children to continue that enquiry and see themselves as scientists; from The Early Years Foundation Stage, through Key Stage One to the end of Key Stage Two and beyond.

At St Paul's:

We use PLAN matrices as a guide for key learning and vocabulary taught for each topic within the National Curriculum.
The children will use a range of resources to develop their knowledge and understanding which is integral to their learning and the development of their understanding of working scientifically.
We plan for practical investigative opportunities within Science lessons using the example activities within PLAN matrices.
The children will reflect on previous learning and cross curricular links will be made wherever possible.
The children will build on prior knowledge and link ideas together, enabling them to ask deeper questions and become enquiry based learners.
The children will be given the opportunity to develop the following skills of investigation – observation, measuring, predicting, hypothesising, experimenting, communicating and interpreting.

Enrichment activities

We enrich the science learning at St Paul's by trying to include as many practical activities as possible.

When learning about our bodies in Year 1, we labelled our friend.

We named the parts of the body we knew and wrote them on post it notes. Then we stuck them to our friend.

When learning about our bodies and movement in Year 3, we investigated skeletons- labelling bones, identifying joints and discussing the main functions of the human skeleton.

When learning about light and shadows in Year 6, we used torches to create shadows. We used different objects and moved the torch, noting how the shadows change and making hypothesis about our findings.

We also encourage trips linked to current learning.

Year 3 trip

Longdendale Environmental Centre

Year 1 Trip

Cockfields Farm

Each year we celebrate science by having a whole school Science week. We love sharing our scientific learning.

Support for Parents

Engage with everyday science

Point out science in daily life: Look for science in things like the condensation on a bathroom window, the way sounds echo, or the changing seasons.
Talk about observations: Discuss the world around you. For example, when visiting a park, talk about different animals and whether they are mammals or reptiles.
Involve them in problem-solving: Include children in practical tasks like fixing a bike, planning a garden, or understanding how household appliances work.

Create hands-on learning experiences

Do simple experiments: Use materials from around the house, like the kitchen, to do easy science experiments. For example, explore floating and sinking with water and various objects, or explore the properties of solids by having your child collect different solid items.
Build models: Get creative with materials you have. Make a skeleton with cocktail sticks or build a model solar system using different-sized fruits.
Go outside: Nature is a great classroom. Go on nature walks to collect items, observe insects, or build a model spider web with twigs and string.