Science at Stretton

Teaching and learning in science make a significant contribution to our curriculum vision for Stretton. The skills and habits of scientists are founded on observation, critical thinking, and evaluation. Scientists notice, reflect and revisit; they show perseverance in their pursuit of accuracy, and they apply their knowledge precisely and with care. They show imagination in going beyond what is currently known and understood to broaden human appreciation of the world, opening up opportunities in theoretical science as well as applied fields such as medicine, engineering, and technology that enable us to tackle and resolve the challenges of the modern world. Science offers an exciting field in which children can broaden their horizons and explore new ideas. It is also a field where future boundaries are unknown, so that children have the opportunity to contribute in the future in a way that may not yet be understood.

Our vision is that all children will develop:

• the skills of scientific enquiry (what it means to be ‘a scientist’): enquiring, exploring, predicting, observing precisely, measuring, and evaluating to be able to ask and respond confidently to questions about the natural and physical world;
• a secure understanding of foundational concepts and knowledge in Science, recognising the significance of rational explanation, evidence and causation in understanding the world and the challenges we face (and developing a justified capacity for identifying and rejecting ‘fake news’ relating to Science);
• a lively sense of curiosity, enabling them to appreciate and understand how scientists have changed our understanding of the world through the developing disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and to begin to consider where Scientific enquiry and its application might develop in the future.