Science

Our aim is to make science inspirational and accessible to pupils of all ages and abilities through a very strong emphasis on practical teaching.

We hope to develop and promote scientific thinking, a love of asking questions and seeking the answer.

Select an option below

Nursery

Pre-Prep

Prep

Science in the nursery is all exploring and discovering the world around us.

Children enjoying getting their hands dirty digging up wiggly worms, growing vegetables, observing visitors to the bird table, observing chickens hatch, and pond dipping to see if the tadpoles have grown legs yet, to name but a few.

We continue to explore and discover the world around us. The emphasis, as it is throughout the school, is on practical science, with many opportunities for hands-on challenges and scientific experiences.

In Year 1, your child will study sea creatures, question why some animals are endangered and look at floating and sinking. We look at why dinosaurs became extinct and how to identify features. We experiment with growing plants, study minibeasts, lifecycles and habitats.

In Year 2, we look at the sources of light and electricity, the changing shape properties of water, and discover living things in the jungle.

By the time pupils move on to more challenging science in Year 3, the children are enthused and excited to discover more.

Our class teachers initially teach science in Years 3 and 4. They focus on introducing important concepts in child-friendly, hands-on experiments.

Specialist science teachers teach pupils from Year 5 upwards in three fully equipped, purpose-built laboratories. Biology, chemistry and physics are taught as discrete disciplines.

Lessons are based on an interactive approach in which pupils solve problems through scientific investigations. With the support of an experienced lab technician, we are able to incorporate a wide range of practical experiments, carefully designed to illustrate concepts included in 11+ and 13+ examinations.

Our aims:

All pupils to fulfil their potential in science
For pupils to be enthusiastic, independent learners with an enquiring mind
Pupils to discover scientific facts to then relate to a wider cultural context.

The laboratories have their own laptops to support pupils’ interests and understanding through research-based tasks.

Our pupils produce impressive results every year in Common Entrance and scholarship examinations, and when they move on to their senior schools they not only have an excellent knowledge of the subject but they also have high-level practical skills.

Science

Outside the classroom

The classroom and lab-based teaching is supplemented by STEM days, outings to the beach, our local Chichester-based planetarium, Marwell Zoo and Winchester Science Centre.

We have a garden, pond and wildlife area and our extensive grounds are used for fieldwork.

We are part of a European Pollination Project, and celebrate British Science Week with activities, science experiments and demonstrations across the whole school.

As children progress up the school we take pupils to science challenges at other prep schools.

We have a visiting speaker at the end of each term to give presentations; recent topics include Mars 100, the Titanic and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.