Science

At Hampden Gurney, we recognise that science is important because as a body of knowledge, it helps us to understand the world that we live in. The skills and knowledge of science have wide applicability in everyday life and crucially, science methodology forms the basis of sound intellectual enquiry.

Our aims in teaching science at Hampden Gurney are that all children will:

• retain and develop their natural sense of curiosity about the world around them;
• develop a set of attitudes which will promote scientific ways of thinking, including open-endedness, perseverance, objectivity and a recognition of the importance of teamwork;
• be able to ask and answer scientific questions;
• know appropriate scientific vocabulary;
• be able to communicate and relate science to everyday life, developing these experiences through scientific investigations;
• understand Health and Safety issues relating to science areas (e.g. electricity, cigarettes, sugar and tooth decay, the consumption of fatty foods).

Approximately two hours a week is spent on science as a discrete subject in Year 1 through to Year 6. In addition to this, science topics may be incorporated by the class teacher into other areas of the curriculum, for example during Literacy and Numeracy.

Science offers teachers at Hampden Gurney an opportunity to approach learning in a number of ways, including teacher demonstration, the use of ICT and problem solving.  Pupils are given the opportunity to work independently and in small groups to complete tasks with a focus in each unit of work on hands-on experience and experiment. We have a data laboratory on the roof, along with a small roof garden complete with pond and greenhouse that is available for teachers to use and give further opportunities for first-hand experience.

In terms of our location, we are spoilt for choice in terms of the access and availability of museums and places of interest that we can link to the science curriculum. Each class will make at least one excursion each year to a place of interest to study science outside the classroom. In addition, much of the focus during the Year 4 and 5 field trip to Sayers Croft is on science, as there is the opportunity to make use of the outdoor areas in the Surrey countryside that we cannot match in urban London.