Science

Science Leader: Mrs Holgate

Vision

Our vision is to cultivate young scientists who not only develop scientific knowledge and skills but who also embody these values. We aim to nurture learners who support one another in collaborative inquiry, communicate clearly by explaining their reasoning and findings effectively, and remain honest in acknowledging both successes and mistakes. We encourage children to be responsible by taking ethical approaches to their investigations, respectful by valuing different perspectives and contributions, and resilient by embracing challenges with determination. Above all, we strive to instil confidence, empowering pupils to approach science with curiosity, self-belief, and a passion for discovery.

Support one another: We provide our pupils with an opportunity to support one another by fostering collaboration, teamwork, and shared discovery. We cultivate a sense of respect and community through science, encouraging pupils to work together to investigate, question, and explore the world around them. By embracing curiosity together, pupils develop a collective understanding and appreciation of scientific inquiry.

Honest: Science teaches our pupils the value of honesty by encouraging them to approach investigations with integrity and accuracy. We emphasise the importance of being truthful in their observations, recording results with precision, and acknowledging errors as part of the learning process. By fostering an environment where honesty is valued, pupils build trust and confidence in their scientific explorations.

Communicate: Science helps our pupils to develop clear communication skills by encouraging them to articulate hypotheses, share findings, and present evidence-based conclusions. We foster an environment where pupils learn to express scientific concepts confidently, listen to others’ ideas, and engage in meaningful discussions using accurate scientific language.

Responsible: We instil a sense of accountability in our pupils, helping them understand the importance of ethical scientific practices, safety, and environmental responsibility. By encouraging careful observation, thoughtful experimentation, and respect for living things, we teach pupils to take ownership of their learning and conduct scientific inquiries with diligence and care.

Confidence: Science builds confidence in children by equipping them with the skills to question, investigate, and solve problems. We empower our pupils to approach scientific challenges with curiosity and self-assurance, celebrate their discoveries, and view each investigation as a step toward becoming independent and capable thinkers.

Resilient: The path to scientific understanding is often filled with trial and error. We teach our pupils the importance of resilience and persistence in the face of unexpected results. We believe that making mistakes and refining hypotheses are valuable parts of the learning process, encouraging pupils to embrace setbacks as opportunities for deeper learning.

Respectful: Science fosters respect for the natural world, evidence-based reasoning, and the contributions of others. We teach our pupils to approach scientific exploration with respect, both for the subject itself and for their fellow learners. We value collaboration, teamwork, and a respectful exchange of ideas in our scientific community.

Implementation

Long Term Plans

At Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant School our science curriculum provides the foundations for understanding the world around us. Our long-term overviews have been developed to ensure all pupils are taught essential aspects of the scientific knowledge, working scientifically skills and enquiry approaches, whilst developing a sense of excitement and curiosity about the natural world.

Science is a core subject of the National Curriculum and working scientifically underpins all our teaching. Science is taught through the contexts of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, whilst developing the working scientifically skills of asking questions, making predictions, observing and measuring, planning enquires, recording results, interpreting results to draw conclusions, and evaluating.

We run a two-year rolling cycle in Cherry class to accommodate our EYFS-KS1 children, Oak class to cover Years 3-4 and Rowan Class to cover Years 5-6.

Medium Term Plans

Medium term plans are carefully designed to match the needs and structure of our complex mixed-age classes. They plan purposeful steps to ensure a coherent and sequential learning experience, building a rich and profound knowledge of scientific phenomena, events and concepts.  

Medium term plans coming soon ...

Impact

We assess pupils' skills and knowledge against our curriculum, ensuring clarity in what and how pupils are learning on a day-to-day basis.

To measure the impact of our teaching and learning for each child, we focus on two key areas of assessment:

• Substantive Knowledge: What they know and understand about scientific phenomena, concepts, events and scientists.
• Disciplinary Knowledge: The skills they have learnt through enquiries whilst working scientifically.  

Our 'Plymouth Science' Toolkit

At Hinchliffe Mill Junior and Infant School, our Science curriculum is guided by our core values, which underpin all aspects of our school community. We are committed to cultivating a learning environment where every child is empowered to thrive and develop a profound understanding and respect for the world around us.

Our curriculum is built on the 'Plymouth Science' scheme, which provides a solid foundation for our long-term overviews and medium-term plans, tailored to suit our unique split classes. Teachers use ‘Plymouth Science’ as a professional development tool to enhance their substantive knowledge for each lesson. Additionally, we have created our own disciplinary knowledge statements to ensure that all learning is age-appropriate, fostering a rich and engaging scientific education for all our pupils.