Science
What does Science look like at Brill?
At Brill Church of England School, we want children to be curious about the world around them and confident in asking questions about how and why things happen.
Science gives children the opportunity to explore, investigate, observe, question and make sense of the natural and physical world. We want our pupils to develop strong scientific knowledge while also learning how scientists think and work.
Science forms part of our Brill Horizons curriculum and is supported by Cornerstones Maestro, providing a carefully sequenced progression of knowledge and skills from the Early Years through to Year 6.
Our beautiful rural setting, school grounds and opportunities for outdoor learning provide a rich environment in which children can experience science beyond the classroom and see their learning come to life.
INTENT
Our Science curriculum is ambitious for every child.
We want children to develop a secure body of scientific knowledge while nurturing the curiosity, creativity and investigative thinking that sit at the heart of science.
Children are encouraged to ask questions, make predictions, investigate ideas, notice patterns and use evidence to develop explanations.
Our curriculum develops both:
Substantive knowledge – the scientific facts, concepts, models and ideas children need to understand the world;
and
Disciplinary knowledge – understanding how scientific knowledge is developed through observation, investigation, testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation.
Through our Science curriculum, we aim for children to:
- develop secure scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding;
- build upon previous learning as they progress through the school;
- develop an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science;
- ask increasingly sophisticated scientific questions;
- plan and carry out appropriate investigations;
- observe, measure, record and interpret findings;
- use evidence to explain and justify conclusions;
- develop and use scientific vocabulary accurately;
- make connections between different areas of science and the wider curriculum; and
- recognise the importance of science in everyday life and the wider world.
We want children to understand that science is not simply a collection of facts that we already know. It is a way of questioning, investigating and continually developing our understanding of the world.
Our children are encouraged to be bold in asking questions, brave in testing their ideas and Brill-iant in using evidence to explain what they discover.
IMPLEMENTATION
Brill Horizons and Cornerstones Maestro
Science is taught through our Brill Horizons curriculum, supported by Cornerstones Maestro.
Learning is carefully sequenced so that children’s scientific knowledge and understanding build progressively from their earliest experiences in the Early Years through to Year 6.
Children revisit important concepts over time, allowing them to make connections with previous learning and develop increasingly sophisticated understanding.
Our Brill Horizons Big Ideas support children in recognising these connections. Concepts including Nature, Investigation, Processes, Change, Materials and Comparison are particularly significant within Science and recur throughout children’s learning.
This enables pupils to see how individual units of learning connect to a much bigger understanding of the world around them.
Working Scientifically
Practical investigation is an important part of Science at Brill.
Children are taught how to work scientifically, with expectations becoming increasingly sophisticated as they progress through the school.
Depending upon their age and the scientific question being explored, children learn to:
- ask relevant questions;
- make predictions using prior knowledge;
- observe carefully;
- identify and classify;
- recognise patterns;
- decide how questions might be investigated;
- carry out comparative and fair tests;
- select and use appropriate equipment;
- take increasingly accurate measurements;
- record and present data;
- interpret results;
- draw conclusions from evidence; and
- evaluate investigations and consider further questions.
Children learn that investigations do not always produce the result they expected – and that unexpected findings can lead to new questions and deeper scientific thinking.
Knowledge and Vocabulary
Secure scientific knowledge provides the foundation for successful investigation and reasoning.
Key knowledge and vocabulary are explicitly taught, revisited and applied throughout children’s learning.
Teachers make connections with previous learning so that children increasingly understand how scientific ideas relate to one another rather than experiencing each topic in isolation.
Children are encouraged to use precise scientific vocabulary when talking and writing about their learning and to explain their ideas using evidence and increasingly sophisticated scientific language.
Science in the World Around Us
Science is everywhere – and we want children to recognise that.
Our location provides wonderful opportunities to take scientific learning beyond the classroom.
Our school grounds, Forest School experiences and the wider rural environment around Brill enable children to observe seasonal change, explore habitats, investigate plants and living things and develop an appreciation of the natural world on their doorstep.
Where appropriate, learning is further enriched through practical experiences, visitors, trips and links with other areas of our Brill Horizons curriculum.
Children are encouraged to recognise how science helps us understand issues that affect their lives and their futures – from health and technology to biodiversity, sustainability and our changing environment.
Scientists and Scientific Careers
We want children to understand that science is a living, evolving subject shaped by people.
Throughout their time at Brill, children encounter scientists from different periods, backgrounds and fields of study. They learn about significant scientific discoveries and consider how scientific understanding has changed over time as new evidence has emerged.
Children are also introduced to the many ways in which science is used beyond school.
By encountering a diverse range of scientists, careers and applications of science, we want every child to recognise that science is something in which they can participate and a field in which they could have a future.
An Inclusive Science Curriculum
Science is for every child at Brill.
Teachers use appropriate adaptations, resources, representations and practical experiences to enable all pupils, including those with SEND and additional needs, to engage successfully with important scientific concepts.
Where children demonstrate secure understanding, challenge comes through deeper thinking, making connections, applying knowledge and increasingly sophisticated scientific reasoning, rather than simply moving on to new content.
We want every child to experience the excitement of discovery and see themselves as capable of thinking scientifically.
Science Across Brill Horizons
Science naturally connects with many other areas of our curriculum.
Children apply mathematical knowledge when measuring, collecting and interpreting data. They use their English skills to read scientific information, discuss ideas and communicate findings. Geography develops their understanding of environments and sustainability, while Design and Technology gives children opportunities to apply scientific understanding in practical contexts.
These connections help children recognise that knowledge does not sit within isolated subjects.
Instead, our Brill Horizons curriculum encourages children to connect what they know, build upon previous learning and use that knowledge to understand the world more deeply.
IMPACT
By the end of their Brill journey, we want our children to see themselves as curious, knowledgeable and confident young scientists.
We want children to leave Brill able to:
- demonstrate secure knowledge of the scientific concepts they have studied;
- make connections between different areas of scientific learning;
- recall and use scientific vocabulary accurately;
- ask thoughtful and relevant scientific questions;
- select appropriate ways to investigate questions;
- observe, measure and record with increasing accuracy;
- interpret information and data;
- use evidence to draw and justify conclusions;
- evaluate ideas and recognise that scientific understanding can change as new evidence emerges;
- apply their scientific knowledge to unfamiliar contexts; and
- recognise the relevance and importance of science in their everyday lives and future world.
Most importantly, we want children to leave Brill with their curiosity intact.
We want them to continue noticing the world around them, asking “Why?”, wondering “What if?” and having the knowledge and confidence to investigate “How could we find out?”
Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Brill-iant.
