Curriculum Statement

At Ivybridge Primary School, we pride ourselves on the breadth of our curriculum. We strive to provide a broad, balanced, creative and highly enjoyable curriculum which not only incorporates the National Curriculum but celebrates the ideas and experiences of every learner in our school.  The National Curriculum comprises of: English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Design and Technology, Art, Music, Physical Education (PE), Computing and Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), plus Religious Education and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education). Further details about the National Curriculum can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum/key-stage-1-and-2. The aim of our curriculum is to ensure that all pupils are motivated, engaged and enthused about their learning experiences, inspiring them to become lifelong learners.

At Ivybridge, the curriculum we have developed is based on an annual cycle where each curriculum year is divided into three termly topics. Our teaching and learning takes place within a topic-based curriculum approach, meaning that wherever possible we group the knowledge, skills and understanding the children are required to learn around a topic or theme.  This topic-based approach is effective in engaging staff and pupils due to the many creative, and meaningful, opportunities for links across subject areas.

At Ivybridge, we recognise the importance of English and Maths teaching in order to open up other areas of the curriculum and therefore a large emphasis is placed on these areas. In addition to regular maths and English sessions, teachers try to make as many cross curricular links as possible in order to utilise these skills in a range of contexts. Whilst the core subjects are taught on a regular basis, the foundation subjects may sometimes be taught as blocks of work over a matter of weeks.

At Ivybridge, we seek to create opportunities for children to experience and excel in a range of activities that enhance and extend the National Curriculum. Children have opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, through themed weeks, whole school activities, and opportunities within and outside school which enrich and develop the children’s learning. After school clubs and events extend these opportunities further. The outdoor environment and the local community are considered an opportunity for active learning for all our pupils. The school grounds have been developed so they can enrich different curriculum areas. Pupils have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and carers and other learners through school-based and external exhibitions, performances, competitions and events involving other schools.

Developing their independence and motivation as learners and their sense of responsibility as future citizens is at the heart of all our teaching and learning. 

Early Years Foundation Stage

At Ivybridge Primary School we view the foundation years (3-5 year olds) as a basis for all future learning. We seek to develop each child’s potential through a broad and balanced curriculum in a secure, caring and creative environment. In Nursery and Reception classes, our Early Years Curriculum is based on the revised Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and is planned to lead smoothly into the National Curriculum at KS1 in a way in which is relevant and meaningful to all children. All children learn through play with a combination of child-initiated and teacher-led learning opportunities both indoors and in our outdoor area. There are seven areas of learning:

3 Prime areas of learning:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Communication and Language
• Physical Development

4 Specific areas of learning:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Art and Design

For each area of learning there is a set of developmental stages and early learning outcomes which describe what each child is expected to be learning at each stage. Children are observed during play in order to assess their stage of development and in order to plan for the next steps in their learning.

More information about the Early Years Curriculum can be found by clicking here

Ivybridge Curriculum Documents

Art

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

 

Click here for the Art Teaching Sequence

Art Curriculum at Ivybridge

 Pupils will become ‘free thinking creators’ through well planned out creative opportunities. Pupils will be equipped with key knowledge and skills through a rich and meaningful curriculum and will have confidence to make their own decisions, take risks and have the freedom to explore their creative potential. Pupils will become ‘young artists’ by being immersed in the artistic process from initial research and skills based learning to creating the work and evaluating their success. Pupils will experience art and creativity up close in their locality and in the wider community. The variety of artists and art movements studied will provide pupils with the essential knowledge of art history and culture, preparing them for wherever their educational journey takes them. It is intended that when children leave Ivybridge Primary, they will be eager to share and develop their skills, discuss their knowledge and be confident to continue exploring their creativity further.

The National Curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Subject content

Key stage 1

Pupils should be taught:

• to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
• to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work 

Key stage 2

Pupils should be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.

Pupils should be taught:

• to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas
• to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
• about great artists, architects and designers in history

Computing

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the Computing Teaching Sequence

Computing at Ivybridge 

Computing in the Early Years Foundation Stage

In Reception, children are given the opportunity to explore a range of technology through child initiated play and direct teaching time. They use computing apps that are child friendly, engaging and support cross curricula learning such as Busy Things, Mini mash and RM maths (a maths program to develop their word processing and maths skills.)

Computing Scheme of Work

In Years 1 to 6 we use the Purple Mash Scheme of Work to ensure good coverage of the computing curriculum.

8 units of work time tabled over 31 weeks from Year 1 – Year 6. The scheme has step by step lesson plans, knowledge organisers, MTP plans and assessment criteria for each unit.

At Ivybridge, we want our children leave school understanding the importance of being computer literate. We understand clearly our responsibility in preparing children for their next stage of education and for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life, laying the foundations so that they can take their place successfully in modern British society and the wider world.

As opportunities in technology based companies increase, it becomes ever more important that the children are fully computer literate when they leave school.

Our pupils will get a sense that is a really exciting time to be a pupil at Ivybridge primary school. The opportunities that advances in technology will bring to our pupils as they grow up are hard to imagine. The curiosity, creativity and courage that we nurture in them now should endure as they move on through education and into adult life. To exploit fully the opportunities that current and future technology offers them, our pupils will draw on the understanding of computing we provide them with, as well as confidence gained through working on a range of meaningful projects throughout their primary education.

 “As a young “computerist” at Ivybridge I’m confident at learning new skills and applying them in different ways”.

  

Design and Technology

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the Design and Technology Teaching Sequence 

DT Curriculum

At Ivybridge, children are given an interesting and realistic experience of designing, making and evaluating a wide range of products clearly linked to their Learning Journey.

Through our DT curriculum, children develop their knowledge and understanding in mechanisms, structures, textiles and cooking & nutrition. The teaching of these aspects doesn’t only foster enjoyment and satisfaction but in addition it develops children’s understanding of technical processes, products, their manufacture alongside their contribution to our society.

English

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the English Teaching Sequence 

English Curriculum

In our language rich school, as a National Curriculum Core subject, Literacy has a key position in the school curriculum. The ability to develop the use of the English language is crucial for each child’s education.  It is the main medium through which the rest of the curriculum is learned and taught and the major means by which children interpret the world around them and communicate with other people.  Literacy is taught as a discrete subject but cross-curricular links are developed and encouraged, often through the rich text which is leading the Creative Learning Journey for that term. 

Intention

To develop:

• articulate children who are able to express their thoughts and feelings both orally and in the written form
• fluent readers with a love of literature and an ability to use books well
• children who write accurately with a sound knowledge of phonics, spelling rules and correct grammar

Geography

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the Geography Teaching Sequence  

Geography – Curriculum

The intent of our Geography curriculum is to provoke and provide answers to questions about the natural and human aspects of the world, the teaching of geography will enable children to develop knowledge and skills that are transferable to other curriculum areas.  Geography is an investigative subject, which develops children’s understanding of concepts, knowledge and skills. We will inspire children, letting their curiosity and fascination about the world grow. Deepening their understanding of the Earths key physical and human processes. Children will be given opportunities to undertake geographical skills and complete field work. 

The national curriculum for Geography aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. develop contextual knowledge of the location of globally significant places – both terrestrial and marine – including their defining physical and human characteristics and how these provide a geographical context for understanding the actions of processes
2. understand the processes that give rise to key physical and human geographical features of the world, how these are interdependent and how they bring about spatial variation and change over time.
3. are competent in the geographical skills needed to:
4. collect, analyse and communicate with a range of data gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of geographical processes.
5. interpret a range of sources of geographical information, including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
6. communicate geographical information in a variety of ways, including through maps, numerical and quantitative skills and writing at length. 

At Ivybridge Primary School: 

Children will learn about location, place, human and physical features in Geography through ‘creative learning journeys’ which have been designed with our pupils in mind taking into account their life experiences. Geography teaching will ensure the skills taught are transferable to other curriculum areas, for example, Year 3 do an in depth study of Great Missenden because their class text is by author Roald Dahl. Teaching children about diverse places, people, resources, natural and human processes will deepen and secure their knowledge.

Children will investigate and take part in practical experiences. Location, place, human and physical Geography teaching will include: weather, comparison studies (Mogadishu/Nairobi/Great Missenden), the United Kingdom, coastal study, continents and oceans, Egypt, Athens, sustainability, Roman settlements, earthquakes, time zones, fair trade, water, WW1, WW2, and navigation.

All children will develop Geographical skills: collecting and analysing data, using maps, globes, aerial photographs and digital mapping to name and identify countries, continents and oceans, and communicating information in a variety of ways.

By the end of key stage 2, children will have been given the opportunity to attend trips, complete fieldwork and learn from visitors to the school, which will have further developed their Geographical knowledge.

When children leave Ivybridge Primary school, they will have a natural curiosity and confidence to explore location and natural processes of the Earth. They will demonstrate knowledge and skills when researching. Children will be engaged and prepared to continue Geographical learning at secondary school.

History

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the History Teaching Sequence

History Curriculum

At Ivybridge all children have the opportunity to develop their understanding of their place in the world and as a school, we promote their curiosity and fascination to become active learners with a passion for history. At Ivybridge, staff help children develop to a sense of who they are locally, nationally and globally in the world. Our children become well-rounded and successful historians, informed by the national curriculum and exposed to planned and differentiated lessons, taught with a clear history objective. Our children develop a knowledge of chronology within which they can organise their understanding of the past, ask perceptive questions, think critically and develop perspective and judgement.

The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils: 

1. Show progression across key stages, recognising History as an enquiry with a focus on skills and deepening knowledge and understanding, supported by robust assessment
2. Use enquiry, inference, have the ability to use high-order vocabulary, questioning, curiosity and communication
3. Have a secure knowledge of people, events and periods throughout history and be able to place these chronologically.

At Ivybridge Primary School:

Children learn about events and people from history through ‘creative learning journeys’ and make cross-curricular links. Periods, people and events taught include; comparison studies, kings and queens, The Great Fire of London, The Moon Landing, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Ancient Egypt, The Stone Age, Ancient Greece, Romans,  Ancient Baghdad, Vikings, WW1, WW2 and Charles Darwin.

By the end of key stage 2, children will have been given the opportunity to attend trips and learn from visitors to the school, which will have further developed their Historical Knowledge.

It is intended that when children leave Ivybridge Primary school, they will have a natural curiosity and confidence to explore periods of time. They will demonstrate knowledge and skills when researching events, people and dates of historical significance. Children will be engaged and prepared to continue historical learning at secondary school.

  

Mathematics

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Maths Curriculum at Ivybridge.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Maths at Ivybridge

(no links to curriculum currently on this page)

At Ivybridge Primary School:

Children have a minimum of 5 maths lessons per week. Ivybridge Primary School uses the Big Maths program to guide children’s progress, particularly with a focus on calculation. This is complimented with at least four 20 minute CLIC sessions a week which provide children with an opportunity to practise and embed a range of core number skills and mental maths including, but not limited to, multiplication tables, counting forwards and backwards in different increments, recognising and using multiplication and division facts, mental and written calculation and understanding number/place value facts. The fast-moving and repetitive nature of the program allows multiple revisits of a skill. A 5^th session of CLIC takes place each week (usually on a Friday) in the form of ‘Big Maths Beat That’ where children undertake a short timed assessment based on their termly CLIC topics and are encouraged to improve upon or ‘beat’ their score.

Where applicable, the skills taught in CLIC sessions (which take place directly prior to the main maths session) link with the learning of the lesson/week/previous week’s learning. The main session maths session following CLIC may either be a calculation lesson (which closely follows the Big Maths scheme of progress) or a wider maths topic. In addition to Big Maths/CLIC, the Ivybridge maths curriculum follows the National Curriculum. Our maths Assessment Criteria sheets are situated at the front of each child’s maths book for Years 1-6 and these contain the National Curriculum objectives for each year group which must be taught.

Children are given exposure to problems in a variety of different formats from single-method to multi-step and those that require more complex reasoning. The language associated with word problems is used consistently from early on in their school career so as to familiarise children with it and enable them to dissect problems effectively in order to know how to solve them, both in theory and real life.

It is intended that when children leave Ivybridge Primary for secondary, they do so with a solid foundation of skills across all aspects of mathematics which will enable them not just in their future education at secondary but in preparing them for daily life, and that they are keen problem-solvers who enjoy discussing and dissecting a range of maths problems.

Our shared vision for our pupils is that they can say, ‘As an Ivybridge mathematician I am able to confidently apply my skills and knowledge to my everyday life.’

Wednesday 5th May – World Maths Day 

Modern Foreign Language

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the Modern Foreign Language Teaching Sequence

MFL Curriculum

Learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping children to study and work in other countries.

The National Curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
2. speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
3. can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
4. discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

It is intended that when children leave Ivybridge Primary, they will have a natural curiosity and confidence to explore, other countries, cultures and languages, accepting that, in a multi-lingual society it is a valuable skill to be able to communicate effectively with others in another language.  In addition, they will be engaged and prepared to continue language learning at Secondary School.

As a young linguist at Ivybridge, I am confident to learn a new language and as a result will know more and remember more about French and be interested to find out about life in another country.

Music

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the Music Teaching Sequence 

Music Curriculum

Music is an integral and well-resourced part of life at Ivybridge. We want the music lessons to be fun and inspiring, engaging the children with songs, lyrics and movement. Children will develop the skills to be reflective and expressive, developing their own appreciation of music with the opportunities we provide as a school. All children are actively encouraged and given the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument within whole class music lessons, currently this is recorder and Ukele.

Music is planned in-line with the statements laid out in the national curriculum. Music is planned where possible with cross-curricular links using Charanga scheme of work.

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
• Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence
• Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Subject Content

 Key stage 1

Pupils should be taught to:

• use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
• play tuned and untuned instruments musically
• listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
• experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music.

 Key stage 2

Pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory.

 Pupils should be taught to:

• play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression
• improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music
• listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory
• use and understand staff and other musical notations
• appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians
• develop an understanding of the history of music.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Teaching Sequence

PSHE Curriculum

At Ivybridge we teach a Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE) curriculum that focuses on developing the knowledge, skills and attributes to keep children healthy, safe and to prepare them for life and work.

The quality PSHE that not only is taught but embedded in our ethos at Ivybridge, ensures children are given wide perspectives to the diverse society that we live in today.

Pupils develop fully as:

• individuals as they focus on their own personal development; believing in themselves, building resilience, developing habits to lead a healthy life.
• members of families and social communities; understanding how to relate to others and adopt teamwork skills.
• Members of economic communities; developing their awareness of the part that they play and how to live responsibly.

Links will be made  between pupils’ health and wellbeing, and their academic progress. We know the value of focusing on promoting positive behaviour, mental health, wellbeing, resilience and achievement will impact their whole education.

At Ivybridge we believe that PSHE plays a vital part of primary education and needs to be taught at least weekly. This enables staff to ensure full coverage of PSHE) is taught in their year group. There are always occasions where teachers may feel it necessary to teach PSHE as a result of an issue arisen in their own class. PSHE is integral to the development of children values in order for them to become a positive citizen in a forever changing community.

  

Physical Education

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request. 

Click here for the Physical Education Teaching Sequence

PE at Ivybridge

Our vision is that every child has the opportunity to take part in physical activity on a regular basis and become more physically confident and competent. We hope that, through all the physical activities we offer, the children will develop a love and passion for physical activity and continue this into their later lives. Children at Ivybridge will know how to cooperate and collaborate with others, work as part of a team and understand fairness and equity of play. 

As a school we use ‘GetSet4Pe’ to ensure consistency and progression across the school. Children take part in twice weekly lessons (2 hours of PE a week) ensuring requirements are met and consistent with the aims of the National Curriculum. Children develop their key skills across a range of sports and activities in physical education as they move up through the school.

Religious Education

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request.

Click here for the Religious Education Teaching Sequence

Religious Education – Curriculum

The intent of our RE curriculum is to deliver a syllabus which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child.  A broad education in RE should develop the children’s knowledge of the religions of the world, whilst equipping them with the language, skills and understanding to respond appropriately and thoughtfully to the questions and discussions which arise from its study.  Children will become independent, respectful and responsible members of a society who understand and explore big questions about life, to find out what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that they can make sense of religion, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.  Children should be provided with opportunities to learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, in order to discover, investigate and develop their ideas, values and identities.  Through studying RE, children will develop an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively within their local community and wider society, with its diverse religions and worldviews. RE provides a positive context within which the diversity of cultures, beliefs and values can be celebrated and explored. 

The curriculum for RE aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. Know about and describe a range of religions and worldviews.
2. Understand why different religions and worldviews exist and their significance to those who follow them.
3. Have the skills to engage with and develop their own responses to religions and worldviews.

At Ivybridge Primary School:

Children are taught a thematic programme of RE study in termly units with learning focussed around a Big Question. These big questions can be taught on a weekly basis or within a block, at the discretion of the teacher.  The intention is for children to explore the question in relation to one or more religions or beliefs, and to develop the knowledge and skills to form informed, personal responses to the question.

We follow the Widening Horizons Agreed Syllabus for the London Borough of Hounslow. Areas covered include: Core Areas (six main religions), Areas of Exploration (applicable to most religions and beliefs systems) and Skills and Attitudes in Religious Education.

In addition to the big questions, each year group throughout Key Stage 1 and 2 is assigned a focus religion from the core six. Children will carry out an in-depth study of a key festival of their focus religion and will have the opportunity to visit their place of worship.

It is intended that when children leave Ivybridge Primary, they will have a broad, deep and secure knowledge of the six main world religions along with knowledge of other religions and worldviews. Children will have the understanding and confidence to explore and ask questions, to make comparisons between and across religious beliefs, teachings and practices, and to show respect for the views of all faiths and cultures within our school and local community, as well as across the wider world.

Science

This page provides prospective parents and visitors with a glimpse into our Ivybridge Curriculum.

Ivybridge parents are also given termly planners outlining the learning opportunities provided in each year group every term.

Detailed knowledge organisers are also available on request. 

Click here for the Science Teaching Sequence

Science Curriculum

Science teaching at Ivybridge Primary School aims to give all children a strong understanding of the world around them whilst acquiring specific skills and knowledge to help them to think scientifically, to gain an understanding of scientific processes and also an understanding of the uses and implications of Science, today and for the future.

At Ivybridge Primary School, scientific enquiry skills are embedded in each topic the children study and these topics are revisited and developed throughout their time at school. Topics, such as Plants, are taught in Key Stage One and studied again in further detail throughout Key Stage Two. This model allows children to build upon their prior knowledge and increases their enthusiasm for the topics whilst embedding this procedural knowledge into the long-term memory. All children are encouraged to develop and use a range of skills including observations, planning and investigations, as well as being encouraged to question the world around them and become independent learners in exploring possible answers for their scientific based questions. Specialist vocabulary for topics is taught and built up, and effective questioning to communicate ideas is encouraged. Concepts taught should be reinforced by focusing on the key features of scientific enquiry, so that pupils learn to use a variety of approaches to answer relevant scientific questions.