2024 - 25

Welcome to our Year 6 class page.  We will updating our class stories every week to share with you the engaging work we are completing in year six.

This year, our staff consist of:

Eagle Class - Mrs Ward, Mrs McBride (who will work across both Y6 classes)

Kestrel Class - Miss Handel, Mrs Wilkinson (1:1)

We will also have the following teachers working with us over the year:

Music Specialist- Mrs Heap (autumn 1, spring 1, summer 1)

PE Specialist- Mr Williams (autumn 2, spring 2, summer 2)

French - Mrs Page (all year)

Useful Class Information

Drop off and pick-up

The school gates will open at 8.45am for registration at 8.55am. We expect for children to be in the classroom, ready for learning by 8.55am. Pick-up time is 3.15pm. If you would like your child to walk home independently, please pick up a form from the office which allows you to give permission for this to happen.  

P.E

P.E will be taught this half-term by Mr Williams which will be on Mondays. Please ensure that children come to school dressed in their PE kit. We will aim to be outside, weather dependent, so please make sure that your child is suitable dressed. 

Reading

Oxford Reading Buddy

We are delighted to tell you that our school uses Oxford Reading Buddy. This is a digital reading service to support children’s reading development at home and at school. It contains hundreds of digital books and book-quizzes all matched to each child’s reading ability. Please log in to Oxford Reading Buddy. Your child has their password in the back of their home-school learning journal. If you don’t have a tablet or PC at home the service works on smartphone as well. For more information go to this address and choose Parent Support: https://support.oxfordreadingbuddy.com/

Your child will also be given a physical copy of a book. This can be looked through when completing their quiz.

In year 6, children should be reading at home for 30 minutes, five times over a week. We also read every day in school between 8.45-9.05am. This is where children are able to read their book, complete a quiz and change their book once they’ve completed it.

Teachers keep track of individual scores and move on and/or support where necessary. When children complete a quiz, it gives teachers an analysis in how pupils have performed in certain areas such as finding information, making connections and using inference or understanding vocabulary. Teachers can then support appropriately.

The scheme goes up to level 20 which is aimed at Y6 greater depth readers/writers.

Homework

Spellings and homework will be set on Fridays and will be due in the following Thursday. It is important that pupils complete their weekly tasks along with reading, times tables and practising their spellings on a daily basis.   

Times Tables Rockstars (https://ttrockstars.com)

Your child will be set five 'soundchecks' to complete over the week. 

Water bottles/snacks

Children are encouraged to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep well hydrated.  We ask that each child brings to school a named water bottle and a healthy snack (fruit or veg) each day to school (Fridays are for a small treat). Please remember that we are a nut-free school. 

Communication

If you need to communicate anything to staff, please contact us (through email or telephone) via the school office.  Alternatively, you may be able to speak with a member of the team during pick-up time.

Best wishes,

The Year 6 Team 

Communication, Language and Literacy

This half-term, we will continue working on the fascinating world of classification and evolution. Pupils will be exploring the revolutionary theory that changed the world forever. Evolution. They will research important discoveries and learn about significant individuals using a wide range of resources.

Through a cross-curricular approach, pupils will investigate how the discoveries in these two areas have shaped our understanding today of animal survival. We will be using these two books as the basis for our CLL work. For their create pieces, pupils will be writing a diary entry by pretending to be Charles Darwin and a discussion text on Darwin. We will then finish our term with a big debate using many of our oracy skills.  

Maths

The key areas being taught over this half-term will include:

• Decimals
• Fractions, decimals and percentages. 
• Area, perimeter and volume
• Statistics
• Shape

Science and Technology

This unit of classification and evolution introduces pupils to key scientific concepts about the diversity of life and how it has changed over time. Pupils learn about classification systems, including the grouping of living organisms based on shared characteristics, and delve into the work of scientists like Carl Linnaeus. They will explore how animals and plants adapt to their environments, leading to survival advantages. The topic of evolution is introduced through the study of natural selection, often highlighting Charles Darwin's contributions. Activities will include examining fossil evidence, comparing adaptations, and understanding how environmental changes influence species over generations. This unit aims to promote critical thinking and an appreciation for the complexity of life on Earth.

Personal, Social, Health, Education (PSHE)

Jigsaw is sequential, the six puzzles (units) starting with 'Being Me in My World' (BM) at the beginning of the school year and working through to the end of the year:

1. BM (Being Me in My World)
   'Who am I and how do I fit?'

2. CD (Celebrating Difference)
   Respect for similarity and difference. Anti-bullying and being unique

3. DG (Dreams and Goals)
   Aspirations, how to achieve goals and understanding the emotions that go with this

4. HM (Healthy Me)
   Being and keeping safe and healthy

5. RL (Relationships)
   Building positive, healthy relationships

6. CM (Changing Me)
   Coping positively with change

Jigsaw PSHE’s Healthy Me unit for Year 6 focuses on physical and emotional health, covering topics like substance use, stress management and making healthy choices. It aims to help students develop self-awareness, resilience and strategies for leading a balanced lifestyle.

Faith and Belief

For this unit, we will be studying Humanism.  Pupils will explore that Humanism emphasises reason, empathy and a scientific understanding of the world rather than religious beliefs. They will investigate that it encourages people to live ethical and fulfilling lives based on logic and kindness. By the end of the unit, they will be able to answer these sentence starters: 

• Explain the difference between atheism and humanism
• Explain humanist beliefs
• Explain the 'Happy Human' symbol

Our school values for this half-term are Goodness and Kindness.