Science

At St. Peter’s C.E. Primary School, we want our children to be curious, inquisitive, creative and determined. We want to them to be curious enough to look at their own bodies and the world that surrounds them and begin to question, ‘what, how and why?’, inquisitive enough to become habitual in asking searching questions that lead to a deeper understanding, creative enough to conceive methods and measures that will lead to answers, and determined enough to meet and overcome the many pitfalls and misconceptions they will face along the way- not as individuals, but as a strong team of resourceful and resilient scientists.

Be Curious. Be Creative. Be Determined. Be St. Peter’s.

Our aims echo those found in the National Curriculum Framework Document. We aim to ensure that our children:

• develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics,

• develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science through different types of science enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the world around them,

• are equipped with the scientific knowledge required to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

In September 2024, our Primary Science Quality Mark was upgraded to the Primary Science Quality Mark Gilt Award in recognition of our continued striving for outstanding science provision.

"It is wonderful to read about a school that understands that increasing children's science capital is not simply exposing them to wow days and science careers!"

"The school community should be proud of all that they have accomplished...-well done!"

"Science is clearly going from strength to strength."

Meet our lab technicians

Niall, Sophie and Eleanor help Mr Badley keep the science resources orderly and accounted for. Each Monday, they take 'orders' from the class teachers and deliver the required resources at the right times, as well as offering any other assistance the teachers might need. They also take measurements from our weather station each day so that classes studying the weather and changing seasons have data readily available. They are a huge help!

Collaborations

In order to maximise the science captial of our learners, we look to augment their learning both inside and outside of the classroom with as many opportunites as possible. That might be class trips to science insitituations (including Edge Hill Univeristy, The Catalyst Museum and Jodrell Bank), loaning equipment from or taking advantage of collabotative professional training opportunities with Hope Academy (our local secondary school), or inviting STEM professionals in to lessons to put learning in context. We are also an Ogden Trust Partnership school, working closely with the Ogden Trust, other affiliated St Helens Schools, and Phizzi. 

Clubs and Awards

CREST is the British Science Association's scheme for STEM project work that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. Our CREST Club had fantastic fun exploring their surroundings, and solving problems and challenges collabortively. We considered what adaptions we could make in school for those with sight or hearing loss, considered the habitat destruction of felling trees, explored how shape can aid construction when building paper bridges, and created birds nests. We also evaluated different toothpastes, created memory sticks and much more. Each member of the club achieved the CREST SuperStar award at the end of the process. 

Elsewhere in school, children have enjoyed weekly Mad Science sessions and STEM Club run by our own Miss Harrison. 

Competitions

We love competitions, and love to inspire our children to access, experience and experiment with STEM fields through competition. At the top of this page you can see the finalists to the 2023 Ogden Trust Partnership compeititon entitlied What does space mean to you? Above, are some pictures, and the winners of the 2024 competition entitled Who inspires you?

Keeping the parameters of the competitions really lose allows such creativity and artistic flair to complement the fantastic science work out children produce. 

Outdoor Education Hub

We are so lucky to have an Outdoor Learning Hub on our school field. Classes are able to take full advantage of being outside in our natural environment, whatever the weather, and so augment learning in a contextual and meaningful manner.