All things are possible for one who believes – Mark 9:23

At Waverley Abbey School, children are encouraged to be curious about the world around them and to ask questions in order to find out more. Through this, children will begin and continue to develop their critical and logical thinking skills, enabling them to make sense of our world – ‘seeing the bigger picture’. With our school ethos of a positive Growth Mindset, we want children to know that they are constantly learning more through science and that through wonder and intrigue, we can develop further as individuals who are understanding, compassionate and knowledgeable about the world we live in.

Our wish is for children to act as scientists themselves, building on their existing knowledge and having opportunities to share what they know and what they would like to find out. They will also be enabled to develop new skills to solve problems and learn more through practical activities and investigations. Teachers plan in experiments which will help them to make their own discoveries, observations and conclusions, and will even prompt them to ask further questions. The practical element of science is essential in helping children to realise that science is all around them – it is what makes up everything we see, explains how things work and it is still leaving us with further questions to be answered. As stated in the National Curriculum, we want Waverley Abbey students to ‘develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena’, whilst also being supported in understanding ‘how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave and analyse causes.’

Curriculum Intent:

At Waverley Abbey we wish our children to develop their natural curiosity about the world around us. To ask questions, to explore and discover, and to draw their own conclusions from their enquiries and observations. Children need to understand not only how things work, but also develop their knowledge of how to discover things for themselves; designing investigations to test theories and adapting their understanding in light of their findings.  

We encourage children to use scientific vocabulary in lessons, both in relation to knowledge and to working scientifically skills in order to demonstrate and explain their thinking and understanding of the topic being studied.  We aim to do this through practical learning, fostering excitement and wonder at this amazing world we live in. This practical element of science is essential in helping children to realise that science is all around them – it is what makes up everything we see, explains how things work and it is still leaving us with further questions to be answered.  

We want children to leave Waverley Abbey as scientists: continually questioning, enquiring, investigating and adapting their understanding of the world, having been encouraged and equipped to do so, during their time here.  

Curriculum Implementation:

At Waverley Abbey, pupils are given opportunities to develop their scientific knowledge and working scientifically skills through practical lessons which follow the National Curriculum for Science. In addition to these, we offer further learning opportunities such as trips, visiting speakers and STEM week workshops. In each year group, pupils study five science topics, showing a clear progression of skills throughout the school and building on prior knowledge.

Curriculum Impact:

Pupils at Waverley Abbey enjoy science and learning about the world around them through carefully planned lessons. The progression of skills that takes place over the four years ensures that they have a good understanding of what it means to be a scientist, and embedded retrieval activities ensure they have sound knowledge of the key learning points from each unit of work. The focus on practical learning and working scientifically skills ensure they are equipped to further develop as scientists in a secondary school environment.

If you would like to find out more about the curriculum please make an appointment to see your child's teacher who will be happy to discuss this with you, you can do this by contacting school through the office via - info@waverley-abbey.surrey.sch.uk