Intent

At Amesbury Archer Primary School we are part of a strong scientific community with world renowned scientific institutions, such as Boscombe Down and Porton Down, in close proximity to the school.  Our vision is to give children a science curriculum which enables them to explore and discover the world around them, confidently, so that they have a deeper understanding of the world we live in.

We realise that young children are naturally curious and passionate about learning; we provide a stimulating science curriculum that nurtures children’s natural curiosity and their on-going intellectual development.

Through a curriculum that focuses on both the development of children’s scientific knowledge and their ability to work scientifically to apply these skills, children will experience the joy of having wonderful ideas, exploration and investigation.  Our aim is that these stimulating and challenging experiences help children secure and extend their scientific knowledge and vocabulary.

At Amesbury Archer Primary we intend for children to develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.  Alongside the development of a strong understanding of concepts and phenomena our children will also be equipped with the scientific skills required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

Science lessons through the school build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years.  As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, and they become more proficient in selecting, using scientific equipment, collating and interpreting results, they become increasingly confident in their growing ability to come to conclusions based on real evidence.

Working Scientifically skills are embedded into all science lessons to ensure these skills are being developed throughout the children’s school career and new vocabulary and challenging concepts are introduced through direct teaching.  This is developed through the years, in keeping with the topics.

Alongside the classroom based development of knowledge and skills the children of Amesbury Archer Primary school are given the opportunity to experience science in a ‘real world’ context.  Children will take part in science based school trips, will have discussions with experts in different scientific fields through the utilisation of the STEM ambassadors program and will have the opportunity of extra-curricular STEM experiences.  Science at Amesbury Archer also recognise that our science units inspire cross- curricular links.  Class novels and non fiction texts are available for each topic, further enhancing the children's understanding of the topics but also allowing children to gain a greater understanding of the real-world applications of science.