Science

Why is science important? At Paddocks, we believe that a high-quality Science education provides the foundations for understanding the world; Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of Science.

As the children progress through the school, they build up a body of key knowledge, vocabulary and concepts and are encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena.

Our Vision

At Paddocks, we are inspiring the children to become the scientists of the future. Pupils are encouraged to understand how Science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes. We aspire to promote children’s independence and encourage all children to take responsibility for their own learning in the subject; through this, they will develop transferable skills which equip them for an ever-changing world and motivate them to keep asking questions and finding answers to problems that need solving.

What does Science look like at Paddocks?

Science in our school is about developing children’s ideas and ways of working that enable them to make sense of the world in which they live through investigation, as well as using, applying and learning skills in all three disciplines of Biology, Physics and Chemistry. We ensure that all children are exposed to high quality teaching and learning experiences, which allow children to develop their scientific enquiry and investigative skills. They are immersed in scientific vocabulary, which aids children’s knowledge and understanding not only of the topic they are studying, but of the world around them. Planning for Science is a process in which all teachers are involved to ensure that the school gives full coverage of the National Curriculum and ‘Understanding of the World’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Science is either linked to class topics or taught as discrete units and teachers plan to suit their children’s interests, current events, their own teaching style, the use of any support staff and the resources available. As children progress throughout the school, more time is devoted each week to the teaching of Science, up to a maximum of 2 hours.

What do our pupils think?

“I loved making a house with lights and a door bell.”

“It was funny when the man came in and we looked at wee!”

“I enjoyed finding out about the bugs that live in the classroom and on our hands.”

“I thought it was fun to look at the rocks and fossils.”

“I like doing practical work and finding stuff out.”

Progression

Biology
Animals incl. humans
Yr1 identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals including pets) identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense.	Yr2 To notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults To find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air) To describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene - Ducklings –	Yr3 identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat identify that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement	Yr4 Digestive system. Tooth decay describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey	Yr5 life cycle of human beings including reproduction describe the life process of reproduction in humans.	Yr6 Circulatory System identify and name the main parts of the human circulatory system, and describe the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way their bodies function
Plants
Yr1 identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees	Yr2 - Growing cress seeds. - To describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy	Yr3 identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers To explore the requirements of plants for life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant investigate the way in which water is transported within plants explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal
Biology
Living things and their habitats
	Yr2 Identify habitats and the living things that are suited to live there. - Identify plants which grow in a specific area identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats - Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive		Yr4 Classifying living things recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things	Yr5 Lifecycles: Describe the differences in the life cycles of an amphibian, an insect and a bird	Yr6 Micro-organisms: -describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including micro-organisms, plants and animals Give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics.
Biology
Evolution and Inheritance
					Yr6 Evolution recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to their parents identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution
Physics
Materials
Yr1 distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties	Yr2 - Identify and compare the suitability of a variety of materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses (Our homes, what are they made of and why? Local walk.) - Find out how shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed.	Yr3 Rocks compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter
Physics
Seasonal changes
Yr1 observe changes across the 4 seasons observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies
Physics
Light
		Yr3 recognise that they need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light notice that light is reflected from surfaces recognise that light from the sun can be dangerous and that there are ways to protect their eyes recognise that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object find patterns in the way that the size of shadows change			Yr6 Light: - recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines - use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye -explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes -use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them.
Physics
Forces and Magnets
		Yr3 Forces compare how things move on different surfaces notice that some forces need contact between 2 objects, but magnetic forces can act at a distance observe how magnets attract or repel each other and attract some materials and not others compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of whether they are attracted to a magnet, and identify some magnetic materials describe magnets as having 2 poles predict whether 2 magnets will attract or repel each other, depending on which poles are facing		Yr5 Forces: gravity, air/ water resistance and friction, levers, pulleys and gears explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction, that act between moving surfaces recognise that some mechanisms including levers, pulleys and gears allow a smaller force to have a greater effect
Physics
Electricity
			Yr4 Electricity Everyday objects. Circuits identify common appliances that run on electricity construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers identify whether or not a lamp will light in a simple series circuit, based on whether or not the lamp is part of a complete loop with a battery recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit and associate this with whether or not a lamp lights in a simple series circuit recognise some common conductors and insulators, and associate metals with being good conductors		Yr6 Electricity: -associate the brightness of a lamp or the volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of cells used in the circuit -compare and give reasons for variations in how components function, including the brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches - use recognised symbols when representing a simple circuit in a diagram.
Physics
Sound
			Yr4 Sound identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases
Physics
States of Matter
			Yr4 States of matter Heating and cooling. Investigate gases. compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled, and measure or research the temperature at which this happens in degrees Celsius (°C) identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature
Physics
Earth and Space
				Yr5 Earth and Space: the movement of the Earth and other planets relative to the sun, the moon in relation to the Earth, rotation of the Earth and explaining day and night. describe the movement of the Earth and other planets relative to the sun in the solar system describe the movement of the moon relative to the Earth describe the sun, Earth and moon as approximately spherical bodies use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky
Chemistry
Properties and Changes of Materials
				Yr 5 Properties of Materials: comparison of everyday materials, separation of mixtures compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda Properties of Materials: knowledge of solids, liquids and gases, dissolving and changes of state demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating

Paddocks Primary School Newmarket

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