At Riverside Academy, Science is taught through our integrated curriculum, and covers all of the objectives laid out in the National Curriculum. As children progress through the school, they are given the opportunity to develop and deepen their knowledge of Life Processes and Living Things, Materials and their Properties and Physical Processes, through science work that is both relevant to them and linked to their learning in other subject areas.

Our integrated science programme emphasises practical work, which promotes active engagement and enables all children to develop their skills of scientific enquiry. Practical activities help children to understand scientific concepts (such as gravity and magnetism) and help the children to devise questions that can then be investigated. Children are taught how to plan an investigation, use equipment safely and accurately gather data, analyse data, draw conclusions and present their findings in a variety of interesting ways.

Class teachers work together with the science coordinator to track the progress of pupils throughout the school. Our science units build on prior learning, and children are assessed regularly to ensure that progress is made by all pupils at every stage, and that misconceptions are addressed as they arise.

Through our science curriculum we aim to develop children’s natural curiosity of the world around them and promote lifelong learning in science.