National Curriculum Science

What is the Science National Curriculum?

The National Curriculum is a set of subjects and standards used by primary and secondary schools so children learn the same things. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should reach in each subject.

Science is a core subject of the National Curriculum.

Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. (National Curriculum 2014)

Aims of the Science National Curriculum

There are three main aims of the Science National Curriculum:

1. To help children develop scientific knowledge and understanding through the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics.

2. To help children develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of Science through different types of scientific enquiries that help them answer scientific questions about the world around them.

3. To equip pupils with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of Science today and for the future.  

Progression in the Science National Curriculum

The Science National Curriculum is designed to ensure children make progress in their scientific knowledge and understanding as they move through primary school. Below, you can see how the main focus of the Science National Curriculum progresses from KS1 (Years 1 and 2) to LKS2 (Years 3 and 4) to UKS2 (Years 5 and 6).

There is also progression in terms of the types of scientific enquiry children will be using:

There is also progression in terms of how they feedback what they have found out as a result of scientific enquiry:

National Curriculum Science KS1

Here are the topics to be covered in the Science National Curriculum for years 1 and 2:

National Curriculum Science Year 1:

- Plants

- Animals, including humans

- Everyday materials

- Seasonal changes

National Curriculum Science Year 2:

- Living things and their habitats

- Plants

- Animals, including humans

- Uses of everyday materials  

National Curriculum Science KS2

Here are the topics to be covered in the Science National Curriculum for years 3, 4, 5 and 6:

National Curriculum Science Year 3:

- Plants

- Animals, including humans

- Rocks

- Light

- Forces and magnets

National Curriculum Science Year 4:

- Living things and their habitats

- Animals, including humans

- States of matter

- Sound

- Electricity

National Curriculum Science Year 5:

- Living things and their habitats

- Animals, including humans

- Properties and changes of materials

- Earth and space

- Forces

National Curriculum Science Year 6:

- Living things and their habitats

- Animals, including humans

- Evolution and inheritance

- Light

- Electricity

National Curriculum Science and famous scientists

Throughout the Science National Curriculum there are 'notes and guidance' which are non-statutory. In these sections, many talk about pupils studying scientists who have made an impact on our understanding of Science. For example, in the Year 5 programme of study the Science National Curriculum states:

Pupils should find out about the way that ideas about the solar system have developed, understanding how the geocentric model of the solar system gave way to the heliocentric model by considering the work of scientists such as Ptolemy, Alhazen and Copernicus.

Why not check out our blog on Famous Female Scientists to support your teaching of Science!

Subject Membership Science

Complete access to our enormous bank of Science resources - all aligned to the Science National Curriculum

Curriculum Pack Science KS1

A complete KS1 science curriculum from Year 1 to Year 2, covering all the National Curriculum objectives for KS1

Curriculum Pack Science KS2

A complete KS2 science curriculum from Year 3 to Year 6, covering all the National Curriculum objectives for KS2

Curriculum Pack Whole School

A complete KS1 and KS2 science curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6, covering all the National Curriculum objectives for KS1 and KS2

BLOG Free Science Lessons

A selection of easy free science lessons and activity ideas. Each of these stand alone lessons can meet primary objectives from the Science curriculum.

BLOG 10 Women Trailblazers in Science