Science Aims

At St Helen's we believe a high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. 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. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, we encourage our children to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

Purpose of Study

The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
• develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them
• are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

At St Helen's We Love to Investigate!

At St Helen's, much of our science curriculum is taught through our Imaginative Learning Projects. Many of these have a science focus, for example:

• Splendid Skies in Year 1 which looks at the seasons and weather
• The Scented Garden which explores plants and their needs in Year 2
• Mighty Metals in Year 3 which looks at materials and magnetism
• Burps, Bottoms and Bile, a favourite in KS2 which explores the human body and digestive system
• Stargazers in Year 5 where children learn about the Earth, Sun and Moon
• Darwin's Delights in Year 6 where children learn about evolution and inheritance 

There are many other science based ILPs too. In addition to these, we further enrich our science curriculum with Love to Investigate projects. These link to the current project and allow children to further develop scientific enquiry skills and knowledge. There are many exciting investigations such as Whose poo? (Y1), Which stuff is stickier? (Y2), Do plants have legs? (Y3), Is custard a liquid? (Y4), Why are zip-wires so fast? (Y5) and What colour is a shadow? (Y6).

You can find out more about what science units are covered in each year group on the year group curriculum overview pages which can be found here: