Through the delivery of a knowledge rich curriculum, children in EYFS build a focused and sequenced body of knowledge which students are able to remember. In the EYFS Science comes under the title of ‘Understanding the World’ (UTW).

UTW involves guiding the children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains.

Books and stories are at the heart of our curriculum. Skills and knowledge are taught through the use of practical activities, and a mixture of fiction and nonfiction texts. Vocabulary is introduced to enable the children to talk about the things they observe in the natural world, to ask questions about it and make distinctions in their observations.

They explore the world around them during our outdoor learning time, trips to the school farm and trips out of school. The children are encouraged to show care and concern for living things and the environment. We will look closely at similarities and differences in terms of animal habitats, and how this links to how we are similar and different too. We will examine changes over time and changes that can be reversed such as melting ice. The children will be encouraged to speculate on the reason why things happen or how things work.

By the time children leave Reception they will be expected to:

● Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants;

● Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read to them in class;

● Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.