---
title: Our science curriculum
description: Find out more about our science curriculum and read our FAQs
---
[Skip to content](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#main-content)
[Report an issue](https://support.thenational.academy/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en)
![flogo.png\]](https://support.thenational.academy/hs-fs/hubfs/Email/oak-template-august22/flogo.png?height=44&name=flogo.png)
Open main navigation
Close main navigation
- [Report an issue](https://support.thenational.academy/kb-tickets/new)
- [Back to Oak](https://www.thenational.academy/)
[Back to Oak](https://www.thenational.academy/)
How can we help?
- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.
1. [Help Centre](https://support.thenational.academy/?hsLang=en)
2. [Our curriculum plans](https://support.thenational.academy/our-curriculum-plans?hsLang=en)
3. [Our subject curriculum plans](https://support.thenational.academy/our-curriculum-plans?hsLang=en#our-subject-curriculum-plans)
September 29, 2026
# Our science curriculum
## Find out more about our science curriculum and read our FAQs
### Contents
- [Introduction](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#intro)
- [Which science curriculum plans are available?](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#science-available)
- [Unit sequences](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#unit-seq)
- [Curriculum explainer](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#curric-exp)
- [Downloading plans and the national curriculum alignment document](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#download)
- [More about our science curriculum](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#more)
- [FAQs](https://support.thenational.academy/our-science-curriculum#faqs)
**✅Preparing for the revised national curriculum**
We're updating our teaching resources and curriculum plans and sharing guidance to help schools prepare confidently and reduce workload ahead of the revised curriculum in September 2028, and the updated GCSEs beyond.
[Sign up now](https://www.thenational.academy/campaigns/curriculum-and-assessment-review?utm_campaign=CAR&utm_source=hs_knowledgebase&utm_medium=article_-#sign-up) to receive: 
- the latest updates
- expert guidance
- invitations to webinars
- free resources and helpful content.
### Introduction
We’ve worked closely with curriculum partners, subject experts and teachers on our [interactive science curriculum plan](https://www.thenational.academy/about-us/oaks-curricula). You can also download the plan to use offline to help with your planning.
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](https://www.thenational.academy/blog/science-curriculum-partner-and-subject-experts)
You can read more about how our expert groups helped shape our curriculum thinking in our [Blog: Collaborating with our science expert group](https://www.thenational.academy/blog/science-expert-group).
Meet our science subject lead, Liz Pugh, where she explains why she loves teaching science and what the Oak science curriculum covers including 'big questions' and how they thread through KS1-4.
### Which science curriculum plans are available?
We have the following science curriculum plans to browse and download.
- [Science KS1 and 2 unit sequences](https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/science-primary/units)
- Science KS3 and 4 unit sequences for:
- [AQA](https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/science-secondary-aqa/units)
- [Edexcel](https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/science-secondary-edexcel/units)
- [OCR](https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/science-secondary-ocr/units)
You also have the option of the Foundation or Higher tier at KS4.
### Unit sequences
You can view our curriculum sequence using the unit sequence tab. It will display the units available for each year group, how many lessons are available in a unit and a recommended order.
Click into a unit to see a description of 'why this, why now' and 'prior knowledge requirements' to help you consider the sequence of your current planning. You can move easily from units into lessons to understand **lesson outcomes**, helping you connect curriculum intent with classroom delivery.
You can also see how threads show common themes develop across an entire phase or filter the view to see a single year group.
### Curriculum explainer
We've added a curriculum explainer to our science curriculum to help you understand our thinking when we were making them with our curriculum partner.
For science this will help you understand:
- our overarching curriculum approach and the subject principles we used
- how our curriculum reflects the aims and purpose of the national curriculum
- information on delivering it in your school
- how we use threads to provide curriculum coherence.
### Download
Download the curriculum plan to help you see all the content in one place, including the explainer, the units and the lessons.
**🛠️ Curriculum implementation toolkit **
When you download a curriculum plan, you'll also get our **new curriculum implementation documents**. Our implementation toolkit helps subject and phase leads put our curriculum into practice.
Get **Common questions** and **Checking pupils' understanding in our lessons** now with more guides for every subject and phase to follow.
The National curriculum document explains how the Oak science curriculum aligns to the national curriculum.
Find out more about how to use our interactive curriculum plans and **adapt them for your school** in our [help article: A guide to our curriculum plans](https://support.thenational.academy/a-guide-to-our-new-curricula?hsLang=en).
### More about our science curriculum
In our [secondary science curriculum video guide](https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/curriculum/science-secondary-aqa/overview#header-video-guide), our science subject lead, Elisabeth Pugh takes a look at some of the key thinking that shaped the curriculum. She is joined by Peter Fairhurst and Alistair Moore, from our secondary science curriculum partner; the University of York Science Education Group.
Find out how to deepen pupils' scientific understanding and enquiry skills in our [blog: Support pupils to work scientifically and build their understanding with Oak's research-led curriculum](https://www.thenational.academy/blog/support-pupils-to-work-scientifically-and-build-their-understanding-with-oak-s-research-led).
### 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](https://www.thenational.academy/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.
- [Our curriculum plans](https://support.thenational.academy/our-curriculum-plans?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [Our subject curriculum plans](https://support.thenational.academy/our-curriculum-plans?hsLang=en#our-subject-curriculum-plans)
- [Our teaching resources](https://support.thenational.academy/our-teaching-resources?hsLang=en)
- [Our AI tools](https://support.thenational.academy/our-ai-tools?hsLang=en)
- [Our pupil area](https://support.thenational.academy/our-pupil-area?hsLang=en)
- [Technical support](https://support.thenational.academy/technical-support?hsLang=en)
- [More about us](https://support.thenational.academy/more-about-us?hsLang=en)
- Oak
- [Report an issue](https://support.thenational.academy/kb-tickets/new)
- [Back to homepage](https://www.thenational.academy/)
- [About us](https://www.thenational.academy/about-us/who-we-are)
- [Careers](https://jobs.thenational.academy/)
- [Contact us](https://www.thenational.academy/contact-us)
- [Blog](https://www.thenational.academy/blog)
- [Webinars](https://www.thenational.academy/webinars)
- [Status](https://status.thenational.academy/)
- Legal
- [Terms & conditions](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/terms-and-conditions)
- [Privacy policy](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/privacy-policy)
- [Copyright notice](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/copyright-notice)
- [Accessibility statement](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/accessibility-statement)
- [Safeguarding statement](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/safeguarding-statement)
- [Physical activity disclaimer](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/physical-activity-disclaimer)
- [Complaints](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/complaints)
- [Freedom of information requests](https://www.thenational.academy/legal/freedom-of-information-requests)
[](https://www.thenational.academy/)
© Oak National Academy Limited, No 14174888
Oak National Academy
1 Scott Place, 2 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AA
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "VideoObject",
"caption" : {
"@type" : "MediaObject",
"contentUrl" : "https://support.thenational.academy/media-transcripts/209389218725/en.vtt",
"inLanguage" : "en",
"name" : "en Captions"
},
"contentUrl" : "https://19961797.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/19961797/video_assets/209389218725/inherited/web_optimized.mp4",
"dateModified" : "2026-03-17T11:09:58.867Z",
"duration" : "PT2M1S",
"height" : 2160,
"name" : "science-sl-video-2026",
"thumbnailUrl" : "https://support.thenational.academy/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base/Article%20videos/science-sl-video-2026.mp4/medium.jpg",
"uploadDate" : "2026-03-16T16:13:04.222Z",
"width" : 3840
}
```