In September 2023 we were awarded the PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark). Use the link to the left if you would like to find out more.

Our vision for science at Waterbeach

“Our school community will have confidence and opportunities to explore

the whys and what ifs of our world.”

At Waterbeach, children are encouraged at every age to explore, question and investigate the world around them. As children progress through the school they are provided with opportunities to broaden their understanding of the world through our engaging curriculum.

In EYFS children can experience and observe hatching eggs in an incubator and the wonderful process of watching caterpillars become butterflies in their classrooms as well as planting and caring for plants. Children are encouraged to bring with them their experiences and to share, build on and grow their scientific thinking and understanding of the world around them.

Children in KS1 observe the four seasons throughout the year and experience the changes in the seasons through the outdoors, working in the forest and outdoor areas of school. Children are able to gather data over time by observing the changing weather and noticing the changes in the number of hours of daylight throughout the year. We build on our scientific language, identifying and comparing the properties of materials as well as classifying animals.

As children progress through the school into KS2 their understanding of the science enquiry types is embedded in their learning. Children are able to explore scientific questions through enquiry and have the opportunity to design and action experiments to answer those questions.

Throughout KS2 children have the opportunity to continue to develop and explore familiar topics such as states of matter and animals and by revisiting and expanding on their prior knowledge the children build confidence in their scientific understanding. This is balanced with the introduction of new topics such as light, sound, electricity, forces, earth and space, and evolution and inheritance.

If you would like to find out more, please see the link below to our science curriculum progression document which maps out the science journey children take through our school and how each year builds and expands on the learning in the previous year.