Reception Working Scientifically Progression

The Reception Termly Working Scientifically Progress Matrix outlines a structured approach to developing young students' scientific inquiry skills over a ten-week period. In the first two weeks, the emphasis is on encouraging children to ask simple questions, fostering their natural curiosity about the world around them. As they progress to weeks three and four, the focus shifts to making and recording simple observations, which is a fundamental aspect of scientific methodology. This helps students begin to notice details and document their findings in a way that they can understand and share with others.

Weeks five and six introduce the concept of studying patterns, allowing children to start recognising and predicting regularities in the natural and man-made environment. This is followed by exploring similarities and differences in weeks seven and eight, where students learn to compare and contrast objects, living things, and phenomena. The final two weeks of the term are dedicated to identifying and classifying, which involves sorting and organising items based on their characteristics. This systematic progression is repeated each term, meaning that students will engage with each scientific skill three times over the course of the school year, allowing for reinforcement and deeper understanding of these foundational scientific concepts.