Science

The Value of Science within our Curriculum

“It is important to view knowledge as a sort of a semantic tree – make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.”

Elon Musk

At Ashfield Valley we believe every child should have the chance to explore, investigate and develop a continually evolving knowledge and understanding of our world today and for the future.

Science makes an increasing contribution to all aspects of life. Children are naturally fascinated by everything in the world around them and Science makes a valuable contribution to their understanding. By talking together children can be encouraged to explore and observe so that they can group objects and events and look for similarities and differences. They will need to measure and record the things they have found out in ways that make sense to them so that later they can talk to other people about what they have discovered. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes.

The National Curriculum for Science aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop lively, enquiring minds and the ability to question.
• Learn scientific skills and knowledge.
• Build on their natural curiosity and enable them to understand and care for the world in which they live.
• Are provided with an environment where they can work in an investigative way and can communicate their findings in a variety of ways.
• Can use equipment safely and sensibly.
• Develop the potential scientific links with all other areas of the curriculum.
• Develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.
• Develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them.
• Are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.