James Watt Primary School

Here at James Watt we aspire to ensure that all of our children become the ‘inventors and scientists of the future’. Science at James Watt is a subject that stimulates and excites our children to be naturally curious about the world around them. Our curriculum has been developed to ensure full coverage of the National Curriculum and to foster a sense of awe and wonder to develop an enthusiasm for, and enjoyment of science through a range of engaging and hands on activities. Pupils enter James Watt in EYFS as naturally curious learners and during the children’s journey at James Watt we want to seek to develop this through investigations, knowledge and understanding of important scientific ideas, along with key processes and skills. This will enhance their ability and skills to pose questions, find things out and communicate their findings effectively, to learn more about the world around them. This is to ensure the children develop the scientific knowledge to use critical and creative thought today and in the future in science. An important aspect of Science at James Watt is through oracy and for the children to learn and use scientific vocabulary in the correct context, as we want our children to have a vocabulary-enriched environment where scientific language thrives and is developed when units are revisited in different year groups across the key stages. 

Science in Nursery and Reception builds on the children’s natural curiosity. In the Autumn term the children explore the natural world around them using their senses to describe what they see, hear and feel outside while also using their senses in hands on exploration of  natural materials.

Throughout the year the children explore the changing seasons of the world around them exploring the different weathers and the effect the changing of seasons has. The children learn about the seasons and the changing states of matter through this.

In the Spring and Summer term the children begin to make observations over time of the world around them related to plants and animals drawing upon their experiences. The children will learn about the life cycle of a plant and an animal.

In Science in Nursery the children will explore, use their senses and experience the natural world throughout the year. The children will experience materials, weather and materials.

In Science in Reception the children will ask questions, explore, use their senses and complete simple investigations of the natural world through their topics:

• The World I live in
• Plants and Growing
• My Home
• Going on an adventure
• I am special

The children will gain knowledge and learn about and experience growing, bodies, weather/season, materials and changes in materials.

Science in EYFS is where children are naturally curious and learn science through play.

In Science in Year 1 children explore, experiment and develop their knowledge and working scientifically skills through the Science units:

• Identifying materials
• Changing seasons
• Comparing materials
• Parts of animals
• Types of animals
• Plants

Year 1 explored different equipment to measure different type of weathers. They used thermometers to measure the temperature, a rain gauge to measure rainfall and a wind toy to measure wind direction. 

In Science in Year 2 children explore, investigate, classify and develop their knowledge and working scientifically skills through the Science units:

• Uses of materials
• Living things
• Feeding and exercise
• Growing Plants
• Changing shape
• Habitats

Year 2 tested and explored the properties of cornflour slime. The children explored how the cornflour slime changed from a solid to a liquid depending on what action they did.

In Science in Year 3 children explore and develop their knowledge and working scientifically skills through the Science units:

• Rocks and Soils
• Magnets and Forces
• Movement and Feeding
• Parts of plants
• What plants need
• Light and shadow

During the unit ‘Rocks and Soils’ the children explored fossils and even created their own imprint fossils using salt dough and a range of objects such as shells, insects and bones to create the fossils,.

In Science in Year 4 children explore, classify, investigate and develop their knowledge and working scientifically skills through the Science units:

• Human nutrition
• Changes of state
• Grouping living things
• Electricity
• Dangers to living things
• Sound

When finding out about the effects of temperature on changing states of matter the children investigated a way to melt the ice as quickly as possible.

In Science in Year 5 children experiment, investigate, examine, classify and develop their knowledge and working scientifically skills through the Science units:

• Earth and space
• Forces
• Materials
• Separating materials
• Types of change
• Life cycles

In Science in Year 6 children experiment, classify, investigate and develop their knowledge and working scientifically skills through the Science units:

• Our bodies
• Evolution and inheritance
• Changing circuits
• Classifying living things
• Light and sound

In Year 6 the children observed over time the effects of different conditions on mould and food decay.