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Science

At Thwaites School, we aim to inspire every child to become a curious, confident and capable scientist. Our science curriculum helps pupils understand the natural world, ask meaningful questions, investigate systematically and explain their ideas using evidence.

Pupils develop both scientific knowledge and an understanding of how scientific knowledge is created and tested. They learn to observe, compare, measure, classify, investigate, analyse results and draw conclusions. Scientific vocabulary is taught explicitly so that pupils can communicate their understanding accurately and confidently.

Curriculum Organisation

Our science curriculum combines in-depth units with six long-term strands:

  • Working Scientifically

  • Biological Processes

  • Materials and Matter

  • Physical Processes

  • Earth and Space Systems

  • Scientific Communication

These strands begin in Nursery and develop progressively through to Year 6. Pupils revisit important scientific ideas at increasing levels of complexity, enabling them to connect new knowledge with what they have previously learnt.

Science is organised through our mixed-age curriculum cycles. Areas such as animals, materials, forces and space are studied in depth during particular years of each cycle. Planned retrieval ensures that earlier knowledge is revisited, strengthened and connected to later learning.

Teaching and Learning

Science lessons include regular practical investigations and opportunities for pupils to explore, observe, test, measure, record and analyse. Teachers model scientific thinking and encourage pupils to explain their ideas, make predictions and use evidence when reaching conclusions.

Practical resources, models, visual representations and structured discussion make scientific ideas accessible to all pupils. Where additional support is needed, teachers use scaffolds, guided activities and carefully adapted explanations. Pupils who demonstrate secure understanding are challenged through deeper questioning, comparative tasks, extended investigations and opportunities to justify their thinking using evidence.

Assessment

Science assessment is purposeful and designed to help teachers understand what pupils know, can do and remember over time. It has four connected elements:

  1. Ongoing assessment: Teachers assess understanding during lessons through observation, questioning, discussion, practical work and pupils’ use of scientific vocabulary.

  2. End-of-unit assessment: Teachers review pupils’ understanding of the knowledge and scientific skills taught within each unit, identifying strengths, misconceptions and areas requiring further teaching.

  3. Termly strand assessment: Once each term, teachers consider pupils’ progress across the six long-term science strands using the judgements Developing, Secure and Advanced.

  4. Annual retrieval task: Each year, pupils revisit a science topic taught during a previous curriculum cycle and create a PowerPoint presentation showing what they remember. Key Stage 1 pupils use pictures, labels and oral explanation, while Key Stage 2 pupils produce more detailed presentations explaining scientific concepts, processes and evidence.

At the end of each lesson, pupils use the school’s POG system to reflect upon their progress against the learning objective and success criteria:

  • Pink – Developing: “I am starting to learn this, but I still need help.”

  • Orange – Secure: “I can do this on my own most of the time.”

  • Green – Advanced: “I can do this confidently and could help someone else.”

By the end of Year 6, we aim for pupils to have secure scientific knowledge, confidence in carrying out investigations and the ability to explain ideas using accurate vocabulary and evidence. They should leave Thwaites School with curiosity, critical-thinking skills and strong foundations for the next stage of their scientific learning.

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