All topics

Science // Forces & Motion

Recognise that some mechanisms including levers, pulleys, and gears allow a smaller force to have a greater effect

Science // Forces & Motion

Use technical vocabulary for force and motion — balanced forces, unbalanced forces, resultant force, acceleration, deceleration, speed, moment, lever, fulcrum…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

The insect body plan: all insects share three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), six legs attached to the thorax, and antennae on the head. Most have wings…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Not all minibeasts are insects: distinguishing insects from other minibeasts. Spiders have 8 legs and 2 body parts (arachnids), woodlice have 14 legs…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Using classification keys to identify minibeasts. Branching yes/no questions: 'Does it have legs?' → 'How many legs?' → 'Does it have wings?' Dichotomous keys…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Social insects: how ants and bees live and work together in colonies. Queens, workers, and drones. Division of labour — some gather food, some build, some…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Bees and pollination: how flowers and insects depend on each other. Bees visit flowers for nectar, pollen sticks to their bodies and transfers to the next…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Camouflage, warning colours, and mimicry: how insects survive by hiding or sending visual signals. Stick insects look like twigs, leaf insects look like leaves…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Insect life cycles — complete metamorphosis in detail. Egg → larva → pupa → adult. The larva (caterpillar, grub, maggot) looks completely different from the…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Incredible insects — record-breakers and superpowers. Dung beetles are the strongest animals relative to body weight. Dragonflies are among the fastest flying…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Insects in ecosystems: the many roles insects play. Pollinators (bees, butterflies, hoverflies), decomposers (dung beetles, fly larvae), food source for birds…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

The most successful animals on Earth: there are roughly one million described insect species, and scientists estimate 5–10 million may exist. More insect…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Threats to insects and conservation: insect populations are declining worldwide. Causes include habitat loss, pesticide use, light pollution disrupting…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Adaptation and evolution in insects: peppered moths as a famous example of natural selection (dark moths survived better on soot-covered trees during the…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Insect communication and behaviour: bees perform a waggle dance to tell hive-mates where flowers are. Ants lay pheromone trails for others to follow. Fireflies…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Complete vs incomplete metamorphosis. Complete: egg → larva → pupa → adult (butterflies, beetles, flies). Incomplete: egg → nymph → adult — the nymph looks like…

Science // Insects & Minibeasts

Insect anatomy in depth: compound eyes made of thousands of tiny lenses, spiracles (breathing holes along the body), diverse mouthparts (chewing mandibles in…

Science // Matter & Materials

Identify and compare the suitability of everyday materials for particular uses, explaining why specific materials are chosen for specific purposes

Science // Matter & Materials

Observe and describe that some materials change state when heated or cooled, and measure the temperature at which changes occur in degrees Celsius

Science // Matter & Materials

Draw and interpret particle diagrams — dot representations showing the arrangement, spacing, and movement of particles in solids (close, regular, vibrating in…

Science // Matter & Materials

Give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials including metals, wood, and plastic

Science // Matter & Materials

Use process vocabulary for changes of state and material separation — dissolve, solution, soluble, insoluble, evaporate, condense, melt, freeze, filter, sieve…

Science // Matter & Materials

Plan and conduct an investigation to classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties

Science // Matter & Materials

Observe that an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object, understanding that the pieces still exist