The
Phoenix Primary School & Nursery 
Mrs Allen and Mr Snook are our Science Leaders at The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery.
Science is at the heart of understanding our world, and we are committed to ensuring every child develops curiosity, confidence and a love of discovery. Through a carefully planned curriculum with clear progression, we build essential knowledge and enquiry skills year on year. From hands-on investigations to thoughtful questioning, our pupils learn to think critically and work scientifically. It is incredibly rewarding to see children’s excitement as they explore, investigate and begin to see themselves as young scientists.
Science
What is the vision for Science at The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery?
Our vision for Science is to develop critical thinkers who observe the world objectively and with a sense of wonder. We aim to inspire children’s curiosity of the world around them while building on their scientific knowledge and developing their scientific language.
- Develop practical enquiry skills, including careful observation, accurate measurement, hypothesis testing, fair investigations, critical reasoning and evidence evaluation.
- Communicate scientific ideas, facts and data effectively.
- Secure core concepts and techniques as a foundation for future learning.
- Foster scientific attitudes such as open-mindedness, perseverance, objectivity and teamwork.
- Build environmental awareness and respect for our planet.
- Understand how science can help sustain and improve life on earth.
How is this vision for Science to be achieved?
Children who take part in Science lessons at the school will:
- Develop key scientific skills: observation, measurement, research, testing, recording and data analysis.
- Use scientific language to explain methods and reasoning clearly.
- Apply scientific knowledge confidently across different contexts and subjects.
- Explore how humans affect the environment and how Science can provide solutions.
- Understand the impact of Science on society.
- Learn about the work and achievements of scientists from around the world.
- Celebrate scientific achievement within school and the wider community.
- Visit places that inspire scientific questioning, exploration and experimentation.
Impact - how does the school know if the Science curriculum has been effective?
Children who follow our Science curriculum will leave primary school equipped with the key skills, knowledge and vocabulary needed for secondary science. They will be able to think objectively, evaluate information critically and challenge misleading claims. Through scientific discussion, they will learn to listen to and respect others’ views. Our curriculum also encourages children to think creatively about how they can help build a more sustainable future. By showing that Science is for everyone, we hope to inspire many pupils to pursue science-related careers.
Assessment
At the beginning of a new science topic children will illicit their current understanding through a mind map. Learning objectives for each lesson will then be stamped as ‘achieved’ or ‘working towards’. At the end of a topic children complete a double paged spread to showcase their progress in knowledge, skills and vocabulary within that topic.
Connect Starters are used at the beginning of every lesson to recap over previous learning- linked to our progression of knowledge.
The skills of ‘Working Scientifically’ will be assessed during investigations. Assessment is updated half-termly.