At Tidemill, we strive to equip our children with the skills they need to be 21^st century learners, so that they are able to recognise the power of rational explanation, ready to pursue careers in any field they desire. We aim to equip children with a range of skills such as questioning, observing, recording, predicting and evaluating, which will be important for their future life.  We aim to foster a passion and enjoyment of science that develops a curiosity of the world around them and a confidence to problem solve.

While at Tidemill, children are exposed to a variety of scientific experiences. In order to develop their scientific skills and knowledge, we provide a range of experiences in lessons, workshops and on school visits. Class activities are designed to promote practical exploration and investigative skills, providing rich first-hand experiences of scientific enquiry.  Children are taught the foundations of physics, biology and chemistry, underpinned by a focus on scientific vocabulary which enables children to articulate their scientific ideas, hypotheses and curiosity of the world. They learn how to conduct different types of scientific enquiry and understand how to apply these effectively to a variety of scientific questions. Tidemill also runs a ‘Science Week’ annually.  During the week, the whole school focuses on one scientific theme, adapted for every year group.  Pupils use and apply the skills that they have learnt, refine methods of research and make suitable conclusions from the results they have recorded.

Children are taught through weekly science lessons to develop scientific knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of topics and contexts.  Sessions in EYFS encourage scientific exploration, particularly through the 'Understanding the World' strand.  Children are encouraged, from an early age, to predict, observe, problem-solve and start to give simple explanations about what they have found.  All lessons in Key Stage 1 and 2 follow the national curriculum objectives for science. Throughout each topic, regular formative and summative assessment takes place to ensure all children make strong progress.