How DE Incorporates Working Scientifically Skills in Primary Science

How DE Incorporates Working Scientifically Skills in Primary Science

Within the KS1 and KS2 science curricula, the ‘working scientifically’ section emphasises developing practical scientific skills and understanding the processes of scientific inquiry. So, how do these skills differ from other types of knowledge?  

The ‘working scientifically’ skills are another way of referring to the disciplinary knowledge that pupils learn in science. It is important to focus on these skills; a key finding of the Ofsted report from February 2023 found that leaders’ plans to develop disciplinary knowledge were ‘usually much less developed’ than their plans to work on substantive - or subject - knowledge. 

Here's a detailed overview of these skills for both key stages:

KS1: here; ‘working scientifically’ involves children developing basic practical scientific methods, processes and skills. This means that they develop an understanding of how to plan, inquire, observe and measure - all skills important in science. The curriculum emphasises the following key areas:

• Asking questions
• Observing closely
• Performing simple tests
• Identifying and classifying
• Using observations and ideas to suggest answers to qquestions
• Gathering and recording data

KS2: here; ‘working scientifically’ skills become more advanced, focusing on developing a deeper understanding of scientific processes and methods. The curriculum emphasises:

• Asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries
• Setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests
• Making systematic and careful observations and taking accurate measurements
• Gathering, recording, classifying, and presenting data
• Drawing conclusions, making predictions, suggesting improvements and raising further questions
• Using scientific evidence to answer questions or support findings

Integration and Progression

The curriculum is designed to focus on progression, meaning that pupils can build upon these skills over time. In KS1, the focus is on developing foundational skills and a basic understanding of scientific questions. By KS2, pupils are expected to demonstrate more sophisticated skills in planning, performing and analysing scientific investigations. Throughout both KS1 and KS2, the aim is to create a thorough understanding of scientific methods, critical thinking skills and the ability to apply scientific principles in everyday life. 

DE achieves this aim in a variety of ways. We use a variety of interactive, engaging and personalised approaches to promote scientific inquiry skills. These include the following: 

• Question prompts - including rocket thinking questions - that prompt pupils to think about scientific scenarios and form hypotheses
• Real-world scenarios within our activities help pupils solve problems affecting the scientific community today
• Using relevant tools such as thermometers, data loggers and measuring instruments in our practical activities 
• Including lots of data-driven activities in our lessons, allowing pupils to practice creating graphs, tables and charts 
• Implementing lots of peer-review opportunities within our lessons - allowing students to appreciate the robust and thorough nature of science 
• Progression documents that are downloadable from your curriculum documents tab and give an overview of how science progresses throughout each year group. 

These features allow us to effectively promote the working scientifically skills within our lessons, making science engaging yet impactful for students at both KS1 and KS2 levels. If you have any more questions about DE’s approach to disciplinary knowledge, please feel free to email us at [email protected]!