Science
Our science curriculum follows the content and sequencing of the Primary Knowledge Curriculum (PKC), which is designed to be both knowledge-rich and coherently sequenced. It equips children with the foundations for understanding the world through a scientific lens, inspiring curiosity, questioning, and a lifelong desire for discovery.
Pupils study units of work that cover and go beyond the National Curriculum, developing a deep understanding of science as a unique discipline made up of biology, chemistry, and physics. Alongside these, they explore aspects of Earth Science, gaining insight into sustainability, the environment, and the important role science plays in sustaining life on Earth. As pupils progress, they build a strong foundation of knowledge, learning to ask thoughtful questions and communicate their understanding with increasing depth and precision.
The curriculum introduces children to fascinating content such as the human body, animals and their habitats, plants and their features, forces in nature, and space. From the Early Years, pupils begin to explore the human body, learning basic body parts and the roles of bones, muscles, and skin. In Reception, they also learn that all living things, including humans, grow and change over time, laying the groundwork for later study of human development.
As pupils progress through primary school, their knowledge deepens. For example, they move from recognising and naming body parts to understanding how muscles, blood, and the nervous system work together to keep us alive. This incremental approach allows pupils to revisit and build upon what they have learned, helping them master key concepts while developing a growing scientific vocabulary. It also enables teachers to identify and address any gaps in understanding as they arise.
Pupils are encouraged to use their knowledge to investigate and test scientific ideas, applying what they know to answer questions and explore hypotheses. Substantive knowledge is taught first, so that children fully understand the elements of each enquiry and can make informed observations. Pupils develop their disciplinary knowledge through the five types of scientific enquiry: observing over time, pattern seeking, identifying, classifying and grouping, comparative and fair testing, and research using secondary sources. Through these investigations, they learn to gather and record data, create graphs, interpret findings, and draw conclusions, deepening their understanding of how science works and how it differs from other disciplines.
Throughout the curriculum, pupils learn about diverse scientists from across history and around the world, recognising that science is a global and ongoing quest for understanding. They study the work of Lewis Howard Latimer, who invented the carbon filament that allowed Edison’s lightbulb to illuminate the world; Jabir ibn Hayyan, who is thought to have invented the alembic, a crucial tool in the distillation process; and Helen Keller, who overcame the challenges of blindness and deafness to achieve academic success. From Ancient Baghdad to Ancient Rome and beyond, pupils see that many voices have shaped the story of science.
By the time pupils leave primary school, they have developed a secure understanding of key scientific concepts, processes, and methods, recognise the relevance of science to their lives, and understand its importance in shaping the future. Above all, our curriculum ensures that children move on to secondary school with curiosity, confidence, and a passion for discovery.
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