Find out more about our science curriculum and read our FAQs
Introduction
We’ve been working closely with curriculum partners, subject experts and teachers and have now released our new interactive science curriculum plan.
Our curriculum partner for science is:
- Science primary and secondary: The University of York Science Education Group and The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), University of York
You can read more about how our expert groups helped shape our curriculum thinking in our Blog: Collaborating with our science expert group.
Find out more about how to use our interactive curriculum plans and adapt them for your school in our Guide to our new curricula.
When will all the resources be available?
We have started to release our new lesson planning and resources on a rolling basis across this year.
Our new units and lessons all have a ‘New’ label beside them.
You’ll be able to see what lessons we will be covering in each unit by clicking into the unit information on the unit sequence page.
Science KS1 and 2 unit sequences
You also have the option of the Foundation or Higher tier at KS4.
We’ll be releasing the rest of the lesson planning and teaching resources for these science units on a rolling basis across the year.
Sign up now so we can update you when more new resources are released and share other helpful content by email.
By autumn 2024, you’ll have access to everything we’re releasing for science.
What's happening with our existing science resources?
All of our existing science resources, that were released before September 2022, will remain available for the whole of 2023/24. Please do keep using them alongside our new teaching resources that are rolled out this year.
Once we've released all the teaching resources for our new curriculum, by autumn 2024, we will then retire the previous science resources.
FAQs
Why are you using ‘big questions’?
Our Subject Lead Elisabeth Pugh discusses why the Oak science curriculum explores ‘big ideas’ in her Blog: Exploring ‘big ideas’ through ‘big questions’ in science.
How can you use the same ‘big question’ focus for a child in KS1 as KS4?
The content of each science unit determines the type and depth of answers to each question at each stage of learning, and each lesson guides the teacher and pupils accordingly.
The answers to the overall big questions are ambitious, but each unit adds more detail in an age-appropriate way enabling increasingly more complex answers to the big questions by the end of the secondary phase.
Are practicals included in all year groups?
Practical lessons are included in all year groups. These are tagged so you can recognise them easily.
Why are there optional units in Year 6?
We used the non-statutory guidelines when producing our optional units and lessons. Whilst they aren't compulsory elements of the national curriculum they offer more breadth to the curriculum. In choosing to deliver these optional units and lessons you will help children to develop a more comprehensive range of science knowledge during their time in primary, which will support in an effective transition to secondary. Many of the units at both KS1 and KS2 have optional lessons with the only optional whole units in year 6.
Sign up now so we can update you when more new resources are released and share other helpful content by email.