Science

 

“Science opens the future.” — Brian Cox

 

At WHPS we use the Developing Experts Program to support our teaching of Science.

At WHPS our science curriculum from aims to inspire pupils to become analytical and reflective thinkers who question the world around them. Curiosity and deeper thinking are at the heart of our approach, and we aim to equip pupils with the disciplinary skills and substantive knowledge to think like scientists. Our curriculum purposefully embeds careers into lessons, helping pupils see how their learning connects to real-world contexts. From the earliest years, pupils encounter a wide range of science professionals and learn how scientific understanding contributes to solving global challenges.

Our curriculum is coherently sequenced and progressively designed to reflect the requirements of the National Curriculum for each key stage. Knowledge and skills build cumulatively through a spiral and cyclical structure, enabling pupils to revisit key topics at increasing levels of depth and complexity.

Pupils develop a foundation of scientific understanding through practical, enquiry-based learning. They build working scientifically skills, including observing, classifying, testing, predicting, measuring and evaluating. Lessons balance substantive content with opportunities for hands-on investigation, open-ended questioning and application to everyday scenarios. Lessons are coherently sequenced to ensure progression across year groups, enabling pupils to build and retain knowledge over time. Recap prompts, AfL questions and topic threads are embedded throughout, ensuring continuity and reinforcement. Cross-curricular links to literacy, maths, art, design and technology and other subjects are included where appropriate and helpful.

Assessment is embedded through class discussions, formative assessments and recap tasks which help teachers track progress and address misconceptions.Our approach ensures that pupils not only achieve academic success but also appreciate the real-world value of science and the breadth of careers it offers.

 Progression of Knowledge

 Progression of Skills

  Progression of Vocabulary