Learning to be a scientist at Stoke Park Infants School
At Stoke Park infants' school we know that the learners of today will be the scientists of tomorrow and that scientific knowledge and skills will be key to help our children ignite life-long characteristics (resilience, adaptability, curiosity, enjoyment, resourcefulness enthusiasm) needed to pursue a scientific career or understand the world around them in their daily lives. So we provide a high-quality science education throughout our children’s time at our school to allow them to be the best scientists that they can be. We strongly believe that all children are naturally curious about the world around them and we aim to provide a curriculum where the children continue to feel inspired, challenged and engaged both inside and outside the classroom.  We are lucky to have fantastic grounds, which allow us to take our first-hand learning outside as much as possible. Our children are taught to use their RANGER skills to help them learn by being a scientist. In our school we empower children with the scientific knowledge (substantive knowledge) and working scientifically skills (disciplinary skills) they need to solve problem-based investigations because we know they learn science best by being scientists. As an infant’s school we know meaningful and fun first-hand experiences help our children embed big scientific ideas into their long-term memory and inspire a life lifelong enjoyment of science.  We encourage children to make links across their curriculum; to deepen their inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. Learning experience are adapted based on the children’s needs because every child can learn to be a scientist.

The Science learning Journey at our school 
In the Early Years foundation stage at our school, science is delivered as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. This follows the Statutory Framework for the Early Years 2021. The main strand of learning in the early years comes under Understanding the World (the natural world). This is supported by the non-statutory guidance within Development Matters which provides guidance about how children develop from birth to reception age.

In KS1, at our school, children begin learning the KS1 science National Curriculum. Hampshire Learning journeys are used across the KS1 produced by the Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Team (HIAS). These journeys are mapped across the school year. The curriculum is split into different areas: Plants, Animals including humans, Living things and their habitats, Materials and Seasonal Changes. These areas are taught as a spiral curriculum over the course of Year 1 and Year 2. In our weekly science lesson substantive and disciplinary knowledge is identified to be explicitly taught and each lesson is focussed around a key investigative and scientific question so children can show they understand the knowledge they are being taught and encourage children to think more deeply.

By the time the children leave our school develop a secure foundation of how to plan science investigations, so they are ready to build on this understanding in KS2. They are able to use the planning variables to decide what they want to change, keep the same and measure. Many of our science lessons are taught outside in our wonderful school grounds. Through forest school, each KS1 class takes part in longitudinal studies throughout the school the year to embed what is taught and to help children see changes through the seasons.