SCIENCE
The Science Curriculum is designed to develop confident, curious, and scientifically literate learners. Its purpose is to build secure scientific knowledge and develop enquiry skills, enabling pupils to think, talk, and work like scientists. It emphasises depth and progression over time. It is designed to offer a broad and balanced curriculum and prepare pupils for the next stage and feed into accreditation. It aims to embed ‘sticky knowledge’, through revisiting topics, building on prior knowledge and regular assessment. At GSSC it is about developing ideas and ways of working that enable them to make sense of the world in which they live. Teachers have flexibility to teach in a way that works for their individual students.
It covers the national curriculum at stages 1-6 and incorporates development Matters and Birth to 5 matters for our early stage learners.
It is Organised into half-term units across biology, chemistry, and physics. sequencing content across each stage to build a deeper understanding. Each unit includes knowledge organisers, key vocabulary, prior/future learning links, and embedded 'Working Scientifically' skills. Scientific vocabulary is introduced, revisited, and applied in context and enquiry tasks link knowledge and skills meaningfully. Threads weave through each stage and topic, such as living things, materials, energy and forces and environmental awareness.
Concepts are introduced in simple forms and revisited with increasing progression. Scientific vocabulary is layered progressively across each stage and skills in enquiry developed from observation and description to investigation and evaluation.
Learning progresses from concrete to abstract, growing in complexity.
Concepts are introduced through practical experiences and deepened through discussion and application.
There are clear links between topics and across stages. The CPA approach: Concrete experiences → Pictorial representations → Abstract understanding. Helps pupils build a deeper understanding of abstract concepts by starting with tangible experiences and progressing to visual and symbolic representations.
Vocabulary rich lessons support literacy and understanding and are designed to support inclusive teaching and curriculum coherence.
Scientific enquiry types (e.g. fair testing, observation, classification) are progressively developed and an important part of the science curriculum. Pupils explore, discuss, record, and reflect throughout lessons.
Monitoring includes looking at work and planning, learning walks, and pupil voice to ensure consistent implementation and shared expectations across staff.