At Butts Primary school, we value science as one of our core curriculum subjects and recognise the importance of science in everyday life.
Science helps us to answer our biggest questions and to meet our most basic needs: from explaining the deepest mysteries of the universe to the structure of elementary particles that form atoms. The findings of science have fundamentally shaped every aspect of our world. Science drives innovation, creating new knowledge to help us solve current and future problems. All young people are entitled to a high-quality science education, to the curiosity it engenders and the understanding and the opportunity it brings.
In our science education, our primary focus is expanding the children's knowledge of the world around them. We achieve this by nurturing their scientific skills and understanding through inquiry and observation. We aim to promote a natural curiosity within our children and scaffold their ability to question processes and outcomes of scientific findings. Our curriculum allows all children to critically assess the evidence presented to them, s well as the data they gather through their own inquiries.
Science is delivered through the Switch On Science scheme. This allows key concepts from the the National Curriculum to be taught effectively through a range of engaging lessons. In addition, science links are made with other subjects and immersive STEM days are planned every half term.
STEM
The term STEM is used to describe the four subjects; science, technology, engineering and mathematics. At Butts, we recognise the importance of exposing our students to STEM and aim to provide them with opportunities to explore STEM related concepts. We have achieved this by introducing half termly 'STEM days' which allows pupils to be immersed into activities linked to the four subjects. We aim to ensure that the children are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the future.
Forest School
Our outdoor curriculum provides opportunities for all children to experience nature and the outdoor environment in a safe, secure and hands on way. Our experiences outside the classroom give our children the time to develop the tools and skills to become resilient, independent and inquisitive learners. Our core aim is to engage children in the natural environment, making links to the curriculum.
Please find below the progression map for Science. This shows all the objectives taught from Year 1 progressing to Year 6.