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Richard Feynman

Curriculum Rationale: Science

Powerful knowledge in Science – Why do we teach these concepts?

Our students study Science so they can better understand the physical, material and biological world around them. Understanding Science is about knowing...

  • How all living things work, including our own bodies. How all living things on this planet work in the same basic way and how all life on Earth depends on other living things. Why you must finish a course of antibiotics, how we can stay healthy and why, if the Sun goes out, life will continue to exist for millions of years, deep in the oceans.
  • How the materials around us are like they are. How humans have changed the world for the better and discover how science can solve the problems faced by humanity.
  • How the physical world works, from things that can’t be seen like the tiniest atoms to the entire Universe itself. Everything from cars and planes to computers and mobile phones started from understanding how the world can be made to work for us.
  • How by knowing how to take measurements from meters and experiments we can find out about the world around us.
  • How understanding and balancing risk and benefit means that students are prepared for any job, and can take their place as 21st century citizens of the United Kingdom.

Curriculum Features - How do we embed the learning?

Our students develop understanding of science by….

  • Focusing on the key scientific principles that underpin understanding of the natural world.
  • Using assessment to check and correct the misconceptions that students develop about scientific ideas.
  • Learning key facts about science, and applying them to familiar and unfamiliar situations.
  • Understanding that scientists use evidence to make judgements and assess reliability of theories.
  • Using experiments to ..
  • Develop understanding of the scientific approach to enquiry.
  • Develop knowledge and understanding of the natural world.
  • Learn how to use laboratory equipment and carry out standard procedures.


The Science Curriculum has strong links to other subjects.

  • English – through the use of subject specific vocabulary to explain and express complex ideas.
  • Mathematics- the use of maths skills to explain and predict events in the natural world.
  • Technology- through measuring the properties of materials and explaining how these properties arise.
  • Geography – by shared study of the science of the Earth.
  • History – by understanding and explaining the development of scientific theories over time.