What is this curriculum trying to achieve, and how does this relate to our overall aims and ethos?
At Lyminster Primary, our aim is to develop children’s scientific understanding through a carefully planned and engaging science curriculum. We provide exciting opportunities that help pupils build knowledge, develop skills, and explore the world around them. Through a range of investigations, enquiries, and thought‑provoking questions, children learn about scientific processes both inside the classroom and outdoors. While our curriculum follows the National Curriculum, we also nurture children’s natural curiosity by encouraging them to ask questions and pursue their own interests, helping them develop a lifelong appreciation of science.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
In the Early Years, children take part in regular hands‑on experiences that encourage them to observe, explore, and talk about what they notice. They begin to use simple scientific language to explain their ideas and discoveries, setting the foundations for future learning.
Key Stage One (Years 1–2)
In Key Stage One, pupils continue to observe and explore the world around them. They are encouraged to talk about what they see, ask questions, test ideas, and make links in their learning. Topics are designed to challenge misconceptions and gradually broaden their scientific understanding of everyday phenomena.
Key Stage Two (Years 3–6)
Throughout Key Stage Two, children build confidence in using scientific language and begin to communicate their findings more clearly. They recall scientific ideas, explain what they have discovered, and later present their results in written or digital formats.
In Years 5 and 6, the focus is on deepening their understanding of scientific concepts. Pupils are given time to explore ideas in greater depth, make decisions about how to investigate questions, and choose appropriate ways to record and present their findings. This encourages independence and ownership in their scientific learning.
We follow the National Curriculum, teaching year group specific knowledge through scientific enquiry skills that have been broken down into incremental yearly steps so that children can consolidate and build upon previous learning. To help the children see the relevance and importance of Science, it can be taught within the context of a cross-curricular topic or discretely through a mini topic. However, the objectives are used to ensure subject integrity is maintained and the children are being taught how to be scientists, as opposed to learning to quote ‘scientific facts, for example.
Any relevant support included in the ILPs or EHCPs of children with SEND will also be in place in Science lessons as far as is practicable. Cognitive load is reduced where helpful through limiting the scope of (eg) instructions or resources, and scaffolding of written tasks for example through STEM sentences or recording frames. Children may also give verbal responses where a written response may take their cognitive focus away from the science. Processing time is increased with extra time for further discussion in small groups and with an adult, and extra visual resources/prompts may be provided. Where possible and helpful, the task and focus may be adapted to make it more concrete and relevant to the child’s personal experience. Lessons will be sequenced to assess all pupils against previous programme of study to reinforce these building blocks for learning, and to minimise the impact of gaps in their learning.
Key pieces of work are identified in the Progression Overview and the Long Term Plan, which are identified for assessment of whether the children have met objectives for the unit. Whether children continue to meet these objectives over time forms the basis of a summative judgement on whether the children are on-track for meeting age-related expectations at the end of their Key Stage. The Science leader will monitor learning across all year groups through moderations and book looks. Pupil voice is supported across the school using concept cartoons, teacher-led questioning, reflection time, and topic exit tickets. A summative judgement is made formally once a year and reported to parents.
Planning
At Lyminster Primary School, all of our science planning includes key questions to guide learning, as well as common misconceptions that children might have. This helps us address misunderstandings early and support pupils in building secure scientific knowledge.
Our lessons are designed to move children’s learning forward through purposeful questioning and opportunities to think more deeply. Scientific enquiry skills—such as observing, predicting, investigating, and drawing conclusions—are taught alongside age‑appropriate scientific knowledge.
We use our “Working Scientifically” progression document to ensure that enquiry skills are introduced in a structured, age‑appropriate way for each year group. This means every child has the right level of challenge and support as they develop confidence and independence in their scientific thinking.