‘Science is part of the reality of living; it is the what, the how and the why of everything in our experience.’

Rachel Carson

Our primary vision is to nurture children’s natural curiosity, foster a critical approach to questioning, and build a secure foundation of both substantive scientific knowledge and disciplinary enquiry skills. By contextualising science through the Science in Action strand, the curriculum demonstrates the real-world relevance of scientific enquiry, inspiring pupils to see themselves as future innovators, researchers, and informed global citizens.

Curriculum Intent

Core Principles

The intent of our science curriculum is to ensure every pupil develops a rich, interconnected understanding of the world through the lenses of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The teaching of science at St Patrick's is taught using the Kapow scheme of work to support teachers to deliver six core principles:

1. Dual-Knowledge Architecture: Explicitly balancing substantive knowledge (facts, concepts, laws, and theories) with disciplinary knowledge (how scientific knowledge is generated, tested, and refined through "Working Scientifically").

2. Spiral Progression Model: Systematically revisiting foundational concepts across year groups with increasing cognitive load and complexity, enabling long-term memory retention and schema building.

3. Integrated enquiry: Ensuring scientific skills are never taught in isolation, but are deeply embedded within substantive contexts as advocated by the Ofsted Science Research Review.

4. Vocabulary & Scientific Literacy: Systematically expanding tier 2 and tier 3 technical vocabulary to ensure all pupils can articulate scientific reasoning with precision.

5. Misconception Management: Directly identifying, testing, and demystifying common conceptual errors before they solidify.

6. Real-World Context & Diversity: Exposing pupils to diverse historic and contemporary scientific role models across cultures, highlighting how science solves global challenges.

Implementation

Curriculum Structure & Content Mapping

The Kapow Science scheme organises learning into coherent strands across the three scientific disciplines, fully meeting the Key Stage 1 and 2 National Curriculum attainment targets.

Scientific Discipline	Focus Strands / Conceptual Areas	Key Substantive Units Covered
Biology	Living organisms, lifecycle processes, and ecosystems.	• Plants • Animals, including humans • Living things and their habitats • Evolution and inheritance
Chemistry	Properties, states, and changes of matter.	• Everyday materials & their properties • States of matter • Properties and changes of materials
Physics	Physical forces, energy, and Earth dynamics.	• Forces and magnets • Light • Sound • Electricity • Earth and Space
Working Scientifically	Disciplinary methods, investigation, and analysis.	• Comparative & fair testing • Pattern seeking • Identifying, grouping & classifying • Observation over time • Research using secondary sources
Science in Action	Applications, ethics, careers, and societal impact.	• Interwoven across all units to showcase contemporary scientists, STEM careers, and environmental stewardship

Pedagogical Delivery & Lesson Structure

To maximise cognitive retention and practical mastery, every Kapow science lesson follows a consistent pedagogical structure:

1. Recap & Recall: Every lesson begins with short retrieval exercises designed to reactivate prior knowledge from earlier year groups or previous lessons in the unit. This reduces cognitive load when introducing new concepts.

2. Explicit Vocabulary Teaching: Scientific terms (e.g., evaporation, photosynthesis, variable, organism) are explicitly taught, defined, and contextualised. Dual coding, visual representations, and stem sentences support language acquisition.

3. Integrated Hands-on Enquiry: Practical activities allow children to experience phenomena firsthand. Enquiry types are varied systematically across each unit, so pupils gain equal competence in comparative testing, classification, pattern seeking, and secondary research.

4. Addressing Misconceptions: Lessons incorporate teacher-led tasks specifically engineered to challenge common misconceptions (e.g., that plant food comes from soil, or that heavy objects always sink).

Teacher Subject Knowledge & CPD Integration

Primary teachers are often non-specialist science educators. Kapow Primary addresses this structural challenge by embedding continuous professional development directly into the scheme:

• CPD Video Modules: Teachers have access to bite-sized subject knowledge videos for every unit, explaining complex concepts, common misconceptions, and recommended practical setups prior to delivery.

• Detailed Resource Sheets: Comprehensive guidance on equipment setup, health and safety, and precise scientific explanations ensures consistent high quality across all classes.

Inclusion, SEND, and Adaptation

Adaptation is built into the curriculum design:

• Scaffolding: Visual organisers, sentence stems, pre-taught vocabulary, and structured investigation recording templates support pupils with SEND or EAL.

• High-Level Challenge: Scaffolding is stripped back for higher-attaining pupils, who are challenged to justify conclusions, evaluate methodology, and apply abstract models to unfamiliar contexts.

• Multi-Sensory Learning: Interactive simulations, physical models, and outdoor environmental learning support diverse learning preferences.

Impact

Impact is evaluated through a balanced approach of ongoing formative assessment and summative evaluation, measuring both substantive knowledge retention and disciplinary competence:

• Formative Assessment (Assessment for Learning):

  • In-lesson questioning and rapid diagnostic check-ins during the Recap & Recall phase.

  • Teacher observation of practical skills during enquiry tasks using targeted criteria.

  • Evaluation of pupils' scientific talk, classification tasks, and written conclusions.

• Summative Assessment (Assessment of Learning):

  • End-of-unit assessments measuring conceptual grasp, vocabulary acquisition, and data analysis abilities.

  • Assessment spreadsheets tracking individual and cohort progress against National Curriculum attainment targets.

Target Learner Outcomes

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will demonstrate:

1. Substantive Mastery: A coherent, well-connected body of scientific knowledge across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, ready for the rigours of Key Stage 3 science.

2. Disciplinary Expertise: The ability to independently formulate testable questions, design fair tests, control variables, select appropriate measuring equipment, gather data accurately, and draw evidence-based conclusions.

3. Scientific Literacy: The confidence to read, write, and converse using technical scientific vocabulary accurately.

4. Analytical Thinking: A healthy scepticism and curiosity that prompts them to ask how and why, evaluate sources of evidence, and recognise the limitations of scientific testing.

5. Informed Perspective: An understanding of the contribution of science to environmental sustainability, technology, medicine, and everyday life.