Science
Intent
At Mount Pleasant Primary, we believe that every child is entitled to a high-quality science education that develops curiosity, deepens understanding of the natural world and prepares them to engage thoughtfully with an increasingly scientific and technological society. Through the CUSP Science curriculum, pupils develop a coherent understanding of biology, chemistry and physics whilst recognising the importance of science in explaining the world around them. Our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and carefully sequenced to ensure that all pupils acquire the knowledge and understanding needed for future learning and life beyond primary school.
Our Science curriculum is built upon the principles of cumulative knowledge, where carefully selected content is deliberately sequenced to enable pupils to build secure schemas over time. Each unit has been designed to strengthen substantive knowledge—the scientific facts, concepts and principles that pupils need to know—alongside disciplinary knowledge, enabling children to understand how scientific knowledge is established, refined and communicated. The explicit teaching of the CUSP "Big Ideas" in science, alongside carefully planned retrieval practice and high-quality scientific vocabulary, ensures that pupils revisit and strengthen prior learning, make meaningful connections across units and retain knowledge in their long-term memory.
Implementation
Working Scientifically is woven throughout the curriculum rather than taught in isolation. Pupils progressively develop the disciplinary knowledge needed to think and work as scientists by asking questions, making observations, identifying patterns, planning and carrying out enquiries, using evidence to draw conclusions and communicating their findings with increasing precision. Scientific enquiry is purposeful and carefully matched to the substantive knowledge being taught, ensuring that practical work deepens conceptual understanding rather than becoming an end in itself.
Every lesson follows a consistent structure that reduces cognitive load and enables all pupils to access ambitious scientific learning. Prior knowledge is routinely revisited, misconceptions are identified and addressed through responsive teaching, and opportunities for discussion encourage pupils to articulate their thinking using accurate scientific language. Assessment is used formatively throughout the learning process to inform teaching and secure pupils' understanding before new knowledge is introduced.
Throughout the year, children take part in a range of enrichment opportunities to further enhance their science provision. This includes visits such as local parks to investigate minibeasts and local habitats, to Yorkshire Wildlife Park to further study animals, through first-hand experiences. The annual science day is a fun-filled day of science investigation as the whole school takes on a theme to study in depth, such as innovation.
Impact
By the end of Year 6, pupils leave Mount Pleasant Primary with a secure and connected body of scientific knowledge, an understanding of the nature of science and how scientific knowledge is developed, and the confidence to question, investigate and reason scientifically. They are well prepared for the demands of secondary science and equipped with the curiosity and critical thinking skills needed to understand and contribute to the world around them.