STEM
Although we are a creative school we think Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) are equally important areas of the curriculum and are very motivating for many children. Children get to carry out hands-on activities such as building a bridge or a marble run. We want to inspire the next generation of engineers and show our children that anyone can be a scientist, an engineer or a mathematician.
Our approach to teaching these subjects is practical, hands on and involves problem solving. These skills are introduced from Nursery as they are a core part of the Early Years curriculum - to encourage thinking, having their own ideas, making links and choosing ways to do things. As a school with an Early Years’ ethos we are committed to ensuring that the characteristics of effective learning are carried through EYFS into KS1.
Our philosophy is for children to be immersed in their learning. We achieve this by planning science, design technology (DT) or computing units over a half term, a week or a day, rather than children visiting the subject once a week.
We find that children are very engaged with their learning with this approach and often exceed expectations with the quality of their final product.
See: Science at Belmont Infants 2022