At Portway Infant School, we believe that all children have the right to an exciting and engaging science curriculum, which enables children to build on their natural curiosity and to shape it into scientific enquiry. We nurture inquisitive minds to go from wondering ‘what if?’ to ‘let’s find out’.

Science is a hands-on subject where each lesson provides new avenues for children to explore. Our children observe and ask questions with intrigue and excitement. We scaffold learning and skills so that children develop their understanding of the world around them with a critical eye, as well as building the confidence needed to carry out their own experiments. Science includes observing changes over a period of time, noticing patterns, making links as well as grouping and classifying things. Children explore, collect evidence and test their own hypotheses. Science is about asking good questions, suggesting possible explanations, and then testing them to see if they make sense, and there is no one more naturally equipped to do this than children.

At Portway, we ensure that skills and vocabulary are built upon and developed from EYFS to the end of Key Stage 1. We aim to develop these skills to a suitable level both in preparation for Key Stage 2 and beyond that, to understand the uses of Science in the future.

By the end of their Portway journey, our aim is to develop children who are independent, confident, enthusiastic young Scientists who enjoy scientific learning and discovery.

We are very lucky at Portway Infant School to have fantastic outdoor learning opportunities. Both our Forest School area and our lovely grounds allows children to investigate different aspects of nature and witness the effect of seasonal changes first hand. The Forest School supports our curriculum, particularly when it comes to learning about habitats, plants and seasons.