William Austin Infant School Achieves Gold!

We are very proud to inform you that our school has been awarded a Primary Science Quality Mark Gilt award! This is a fantastic achievement and celebrates our commitment to excellence in science leadership, teaching and learning. The feedback from the report states “Schools that achieve a Primary Science Quality Mark have demonstrated a significant commitment to science leader-ship, teaching and learning, and the profile and quality of science in the accredited school is very high. The Science subject leader, their colleagues, headteachers, children, parents and governors should be very proud”.

Working Scientifically Skills:

Throughout Key Stage 1 children develop their working scientifically skills. These are:

• asking questions
• making predictions
• setting up tests
• observing and measuring
• recording data
• interpreting and communicating results
• evaluating

Additionally, within Key Stage 1 children develop their scientific enquiry types. These are:

• fair testing
• research
• observation over time
• pattern seeking
• grouping and classifying

Year R

Children in Year R are supported to work towards the Early Learning Goals. Children explore their world and begin to ask how and why things happen. Children ask questions and are given opportunities to answer them while using scientific language. Throughout the year children will explore senses, seasons, materials, healthy eating, animals and plants.

Year 1

Autumn

Children begin the year thinking about themselves and naming the different body parts. Year 1 then begin thinking about their senses and engage in a range of practical activities exploring the use of their senses and understand their purposes.
Additionally, Year 1 look at Seasonal Change. It is here they begin to look at the seasons of Autumn and Winter and make comparisons. They begin to ask questions about different types of weather we can experience and make links to different seasons.

Spring

Materials are explored and their properties described using scientific language. An investigation takes place to find the best materials to make Teddy’s raincoat.

In the Weather project children learn to compare and name the different seasons. They also observe, collect, record and produce data about the weather over a period of time.

Summer

Growth is explored by looking at plants and how they grow. Children also identify and name common plants and trees and their structures. The local environment is also explored and children visit a local park to investigate the age of different trees.

Animals are identified and named and put into groups including mammals, reptiles and birds. Children will understand that we are part of the mammals group.

Throughout the year children are encouraged, with adult support, to ask questions and to find ways through research, observation, data collection and investigation to answer them.

Year 2

Autumn

Children begin the year by thinking about the materials and what properties make them useful for different purposes.  They observe and investigate how changes can be caused in materials by applying forces such as twisting, bending, stretching and squashing. Children think scientifically in a boat investigation, answering questions and predicting what could happen.

Spring

In Being Healthy, children explore what we need to survive, the importance of eating a balanced diet and what different foods give us. The themes of hygiene, exercise and medicine are also explored, investigated and researched.

Summer

In Plants, children sort and group seeds and bulbs. The process of growth is observed and recorded. Children plant their own bulbs and carry out investigations. The conditions under which plants grow is also investigated. Life-cycles are also researched and produced.

In living things and their habitats, children explore why animals are suited to certain habitats. They identify and name animals in certain habitats. Children get to research and make simple food chains.

Throughout the year children are encouraged to ask questions and to find ways through research, observation, data collection and investigation to answer them.

CREST Award

We have been lucky enough to secure some resources from the CREST Awards in order to run their Super Crest Award.

The CREST Award is a scheme that allows young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers and provides the opportunity to complete hands on investigations. We will be completing this award during our Science Club in the Summer term of 2024.