Belvedere Junior School

At Belvedere Junior School we believe that it is vital that children are given the opportunity to explore and understand the world they live in. We encourage our young scientists to understand, through investigations and knowledge, how science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity.

As a school we believe that it is vital that children are given the opportunity to explore and understand the world they live in through developing a sense of excitement and curiosity to ask questions and explore answers. Children are given the opportunity to regularly take part in exciting practical experiments using the school’s rich environment, online resources, the local area and educational visits linked with the Pioneer Passport. This will assist them in developing their teamwork, perseverance and scientific skills. We strive to develop independent scientists with a knowledge and understanding of important scientific ideas, processes and skills, and encourage them to relate these to their everyday experiences.

Each year group completes five topics every year, covering content across the scientific world, from animals and plants, to space, human biology and evolution. Knowledge is built on as the children progress through each year group, giving children a deep understanding of each topic.  Furthermore, cross-curricular links are made with other subjects: for example, the ‘Earth and Space’ science topic and ‘Space Explorers’ in geography and history complement each other, providing children with a strong understanding across the curriculum.

Science is also celebrated through the annual Science Week events, which allow children to become immersed in areas across science, technology, engineering and maths. During this week, children complete various exciting investigations based around a theme. This year, the theme will be ‘Growth’ – relating to anything from construction and engineering to plants and the human life cycle.