WELCOME TO YEAR 6 2023-24!

This year is going to be fabulous! Moving up to Year 6, becoming the most mature pupils in the school, looking forward to the residential in November and all the fantastic opportunities to learn new things before adventuring off to secondary school next year!

Curriculum

This term, we have a jam-packed curriculum of exciting learning opportunities including:

English

We will be reading and writing narrative stories based on popular stories such as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We will be focusing on sentence structure, technical vocabulary and key punctuation to support progress in writing at the top end of the school.

Maths

Our Maths is taught based on the White Rose Maths scheme and this is organised into blocks as follows: Block 1: Number – Place value; Block 2: Number – Addition and subtraction. We will also be focusing on mental arithmetic strategies and times tables.

There will also be a daily "Flash Back 4" which is a brilliant and fast-paced 5 minute activity that keeps all of the other areas of Maths fresh in our minds.

RE

In RE we will be focusing on 'what can we learn by reflecting on words of wisdom from religions and world views? What do sacred texts and other sources say about God, the world and human life?

People Skills

The main part of our skills this term will come from the DAaRT project which last until the middle of December. We will be looking at drugs and alcohol and their influences on choices made at the age of 10+

Science Sound and Food and Digestion

In the Circulatory System project, your child will revisit prior learning about the systems in the human body and the seven life processes. They will explore the role of the circulatory system and its main parts, carrying out research to answer their own questions. They will look closely at the structure, functions and features of the heart. They will learn about the components and functions of blood, making a representation of a separated blood sample. They will draw and label diagrams of each type of blood vessel and learn about their structure and function. They will test their resting heart rate using a variety of methods. They will investigate whether having a lower resting heart rate means you can sprint faster. They will recap the four types of exercise and test which raise their heart rate the most. They will recap what they know about healthy eating and the Eatwell guide, exploring foods that fall outside the Eatwell plate and recommended daily amounts of foods. They will research the effects of smoking, alcohol and drugs on the human body. They will complete their learning by carrying out an investigation into heart rate recovery.

History _ Invasion

In the Maafa project, your child will learn about Africa today and the ancient kingdoms that thrived on the continent for thousands of years. They will learn about the origins of the transatlantic slave trade in the 15th century and Britain’s involvement from the time of Elizabeth I, when John Hawkins became the first British slave trader. Your child will understand the structure of the transatlantic slave trade and the consequences of enslavement for enslaved people. They will also discover how the people of Britain benefited from the money and goods produced by the slave trade. They will learn about the causes and consequences of the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, the worldwide African diaspora and the European colonisation in Africa. They will explore the lives and actions of black people in 20th century Britain. They will understand how the Race Relations Act of 1965 became the first piece of British legislation to tackle racial discrimination and know that the Equality Act 2010 provides people with protection against racism and other forms of discrimination, today. Your child will also explore the lives of black people who have made significant contributions to Britain and will celebrate black culture in Britain today.

Art - Tints, Tones and Shape

This project is linked to Maafa 

This project teaches children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and exploring mixing tints, shades and tones. They learn about significant landscape artworks and features of landscapes before using this knowledge to create landscape paintings.

Geography- Our Changing World

During the Our Changing World project, your child will revise the features of the Earth and learn more about time zones. They will recall how to use lines of latitude and longitude to pinpoint places on a world map and learn about map scale. They will measure distances on a map and revisit grid references, contour lines and map symbols. Your child will learn about global warming and climate change and discover how climate change and extreme weather affect people worldwide. They will learn about global trade and find out about the export of manufactured goods, food or natural resources. Your child will analyse recent road traffic accident figures and carry out fieldwork to find out about the safety of a local road. They will study patterns of human settlements and carry out a fieldwork investigation to describe local settlement patterns.

DT - Food for Life

This project is linked to Maafa 

This project teaches children about processed food and healthy food choices. They make bread and pasta sauces and learn about the benefits of whole foods. They plan and make meals as part of a healthy daily menu, and evaluate their completed products.

PE  Sports hall athletics/ circuits and Zumba

Pupils will be focusing on athletic skills including speed and agility. They will be looking at the importance of heart rate in science and applying this to their sessions when completing circuits and Zumba dance.

Music 'Happy'

The focus of this unit will be to learn the song 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams, learning to play the glockenspiel with care and attention and working on 2-part singing and harmonies throughout the song.

Computing

This term's topic  is online safety and this will be delivered by Mr Mazzotti

Staffing

As well as Mr Heaps in class there will also be the wonderful Mrs Lowings who knows the class extremely well from Y5. She is amazing and will always be available, along with Mr Heaps to chat with any child should they have any worries or concerns about anything. She will work every morning in Class 6. Mrs Jackson and Mr Mazzotti will also be supporting the class on Tuesday afternoons with PE and Computing whilst Mr Heaps is planning his wonderful lessons for the next week.

Behaviour

The ‘Good to be Green’ behaviour system will continue as usual across the school with children starting each morning and afternoon on a green card. Class Dojos can be earnt by children for doing what is expected throughout the day, with Class Dojos of the Week being displayed in the class. Gold cards can be earnt by going above and beyond what is expected in work, behaviour or attitude. Dojo and Smarty Pants of the week awards will be handed out every Friday afternoon.

Platinum Cards are awarded for going way above and beyond and for really wowing! A prize can be chosen on receipt of a Platinum and a certificate and prize will be presented in Thursday’s Celebration Assembly in front of the whole school. House points are also awarded for Platinum Cards and they will be displayed on the website Platinum page.

Yellow cards serve as a warning for not behaving as expected and red cards will be given if this warning is not heeded. If your child receives a red card, you will be informed, a break time will be missed to reflect on the behaviour, the incident will be logged and house points will be deducted.