Science

At Pickhurst Infant Academy, we know how much our children love to learn and how curious they are about the world around them.

Our science curriculum makes the most of our children’s love of learning by encouraging them to ask questions and supporting them to work scientifically in their quest for the answers. We encourage children to think like scientists, including recognising that scientific questions can be answered in different ways and knowing that we all continue learning no matter how much experience we have. It is our intention to provide a broadly enriched, rounded and stimulating learning environment where children can work with adults and peers in a climate of mutual respect.

In Key Stage 1, our science curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and we draw on resources from PZAZ, STEM Learning and the Primary Science Teaching Trust. Science is taught as a discrete subject and sequenced throughout the year to ensure that children have opportunities to revisit learning across different contexts and make links with prior learning from their current or previous year group.

The children have regular opportunities to immerse themselves and learn from our extensive grounds, including using our woodland area for Forest School sessions, the pond habitat for pond dipping and the Reception and Year 1 outdoor learning environments to further develop children’s scientific knowledge and skills.

In Reception at Pickhurst Infants we aim to provide children with a well-structured, safe, active, inspiring learning environment both indoors and outdoors. This enables them to develop their curiosity, scientific knowledge and enquiry skills. 

Exciting, purposeful and contextual activities are planned to build on children’s natural curiosity. By building a boat for their favourite toy they can think like a ‘scientist’ and an ‘engineer’ as they explore a range of materials and test out their own ideas. Our enabling environment, coupled with skilful adult interactions, support the children as they begin to link learning to their play and exploration right from the start. We are mindful that our children enter Reception with varied life experiences and we aim to plan teaching and learning opportunities to build on existing start points.