Science

Science has a high profile at Sawtry Junior Academy and have achieved the PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark). Science is fun and inspires awe and wonder in our world.

Our Science principles

We believe that children are natural scientists, have inquisitive minds and an in-built desire to understand the ‘why’ behind everything. Therefore, it is essential that our Science curriculum facilitates opportunities to inspires children’s curiosity further and provide them with the tools to lead the way in exploring their own scientific learning journey.

Our Science curriculum is planned to build increasingly sophisticated knowledge of the products (substantive knowledge) and practices (disciplinary knowledge) of science. Substantive knowledge is derived from the ‘scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding’ components laid out in the National Curriculum (NC), whilst disciplinary knowledge is specified from the NC ‘working scientifically’ statements. The interplay between these two areas of knowledge is central to our curriculum with disciplinary knowledge embedded into the substantive units of work.

Practical work forms an important part of our science education, where tasks and investigations are set up to develop children’s disciplinary and/or substantive knowledge. Our curriculum is sequenced so that children carry out the full range of enquiry types across our two-year curriculum cycle.

Children at Sawtry Junior Academy will develop high science capital through our practical approach to science learning, ensuring children are prepared for the future.

• Children are able to explain the science being taught with purpose.
• Children are given the chance to lead their own learning, creating questions and using up to date, practical resources.
• Investigations and experiments are used often to deepen children’s understanding and knowledge of science.
• Children recognise the importance of predicting, making connections and evaluating their own findings.
• Teachers make the most of wider opportunities within our community.

We aim to encourage the children to develop independence in their scientific thinking through our lessons and through their learning they will gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the natural and man-made worlds.

Details of curriculum content, topics and the skills progression can be found within the curriculum overviews.