Purpose of Study
A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.
Aims
The national curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Equip children to use themselves as starting points for learning about science, and to build on their enthusiasm and natural sense of wonder about the world.
- Develop, through practical work, the skills of observation, prediction, investigation, interpretation, communication, questioning and hypothesising, and increased use of precise measurement skills and ICT.
- Encourage and enable pupils to offer their own suggestions, and to be creative in their approach to science, and to gain enjoyment from their scientific work.
- Enable children to develop their skills of co-operation through working with others, and to encourage where possible, ways for children to explore science in forms which are relevant and meaningful to them.
- Encourage children to collect relevant evidence and to question outcome and to persevere.
- Stress the need for personal and group safety by the correct usage and storage of resources.
