Science

“The reward of the young scientist is the emotional thrill of being the first person in the history of the world to see something or to understand something. Nothing can compare with that experience.”

– Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

Our Approach

At Furzedown Primary School, we believe that science plays a vital role in inspiring children to explore, question, and understand the world around them. Through an engaging and carefully designed curriculum, we aim to nurture a lifelong love of learning, empowering every child to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed. By fostering curiosity and critical thinking, our science lessons provide pupils with the tools they need to thrive as creative, reflective, and active contributors to society.

Through carefully planned lessons, pupils are encouraged to explore their individual potential, fostering confidence and enthusiasm as they engage with exciting concepts and investigations. Collaborative learning opportunities in science promote positive relationships and teamwork, helping children to support one another while developing their skills as curious and critical thinkers.

Our approach nurtures creativity and resilience, encouraging pupils to problem-solve, persevere, and embrace challenges with an open mind. By linking science to real-world applications and global issues, we inspire pupils to think beyond the classroom, cultivating a sense of social responsibility and an awareness of how they can contribute positively to their communities and the wider world. Practical investigations also help children develop physical health and emotional wellbeing, as they learn to approach problems methodically, celebrate successes, and reflect on outcomes.

Science at Furzedown not only supports academic achievement but also helps pupils grow into confident, aspirational, and compassionate individuals who look to the future with optimism and purpose.

Our Curriculum

Our science curriculum is grounded in the principles of effective learning and cognitive science research to provide a rigorous and purposeful programme of study. It ensures all pupils:

Build scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the disciplines of biology, chemistry, and physics.
Develop a deep understanding of the nature, processes, and methods of science by engaging in various forms of enquiry.
Learn how scientific knowledge is established, exploring the practices and processes that scientists use to generate and validate new ideas.

To support meaningful and lasting learning, our curriculum:

Sequences knowledge and skills progressively, ensuring concepts are introduced incrementally and revisited to deepen understanding over time.
Distinguishes between substantive knowledge (scientific concepts, laws, and theories) and disciplinary knowledge (scientific enquiry, data analysis, and methods). Pupils are taught how these two types of knowledge work together to make sense of the world.
Focuses on ten big ideas in science, helping pupils organise their learning around key concepts that explain a wide range of natural phenomena.

science curriculum overview.pdf

Latest News

Year 4 have been learning about their digestive system and had a great time creating our own digestive tract to break down food. Together they made models of the human digestive system using tights and other household items.