Year 6

AUTUMN TERM 2024

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In Year 6, we look forward to a very exciting year ahead! There will be such a lot happening in your final year of primary school including fun trips and our residential to Bewerley Park, preparation for secondary schools and lots of learning will be done!

As always, there are lots of adults who are always here to help us in our learning and growing experiences. These adults are:

• Miss Dunkley (class teacher)

• Mr Barrick (teaching assistant on Thursday and Friday)

• Miss Riley (teaching assistant on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday)

• Miss Ibbotson (RE and French teacher on Wednesday afternoons) 

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During the first half of the Autumn term, our class topic is 'World War 1: The War To End All Wars' during which we shall learn about this fascinating period in history which changed the map of Europe. We shall learn about key figures and events including how the war started, the advancement of warfare, the involvement of animals, life on the Western Front and at home, the end of the war and what happened in the years afterwards. 

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Our whole class novel this half term is 'An Eagle in the Snow' by Michael Morpurgo. This is a moving and thought-provoking story based on real life events and is inspired by the true story of one man who might have stopped World War II. Set in 1940, our story starts on a train which is under attack from German fighters. In the darkness, sheltering in a railway tunnel, the stranger in the carriage with Barney and his mother tells them a story to pass the time. And what a story it is! The story of a young man, a young soldier in the trenches of World War I who, on the spur of the moment, had done what he thought was the right thing. It turned out to have been the worst mistake he ever could have made – a mistake he must put right before it is too late…

 

We shall use this novel and our learning to inspire our own writing of soliloquies from the trenches in the form of letters written from the courageous soldiers to their loved ones back home.

We shall also look at a selection of poems from the anthology 'Poems From The First World War' (selected by Gaby Morgan). We shall use these during reading sessions to improve our reading fluency and prosody. We shall have such fun performing these poems aloud to our friends and considering and discussing the messages and learning within them!

Usually, our class novels in Year 6 are thought-provoking experiences and the pupils have loved having them read aloud by an adult on a daily basis. We recommend that our pupils have their own copy of the books to read along with us where possible. It makes the whole reading experience much richer!

We are really looking forward to this half term and continuing on our primary school learning journey, this time as pupils at the top of the tree!

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Home Learning

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Home Learning in Year 6 is simple and minimal, enabling pupils to work hard and with enthusiasm during school hours and allowing them to relax and focus on their wellbeing and outside interests when at home.

Our focus in Home Learning is to supplement the learning being done in lessons and to prepare our children for the forthcoming SAT tests in May 2026 and their transition to secondary schools, when the volume of home learning will increase.

Home Learning tasks will be primarily shared on the class Google Classroom and are updated weekly. All children can independently log into this on devices from home to access their home learning. Some tasks may also be set on Purple Mash and explicit links and instructions will make it clear where to find the tasks. Should pupils be unable to access Google Classroom, paper copies of the home learning will be made available.

Home learning will usually include:

Spellings - These include a set of spellings to be practised every week plus weekly spellings following spelling patterns. Your child will bring home their spellings on paper and links to practices, quizzes, games and tests can be found weekly on Google Classroom. This will supplement the spellings and patterns which will also be taught in lessons each day.

Reading - Our children are given time to read for pleasure for 20 minutes most day in school. This ensure our pupils maintain and improve their reading speed, fluency and prosody (use of expression and intonation) and are exposed to a range of reading materials. Children are encouraged to read at home wherever they can to build their independent love of reading. Pupils may access current and engaging reading material - both fiction and non-fiction - from the bookshelves in our classroom and library. They may also bring in and read books from home.

Times Tables - Every child in Year 6 has bespoke times tables set which they can practice online via Times Tables Rockstars. Each child has his/her own login details and the website can also be accessed via Google Classroom. TTR is a fun way to practice, test and improve their recall and mastery of times tables and their related division facts - a skill which is crucial if they are to access the Year 6 Maths curriculum with accuracy.

Other - In Year 6, we believe that our pupils should work to the best of their ability in lessons and that time out of school is to pursue their hobbies and other activities. However, every now and again, pupils will also be encouraged to complete short activities which will help them to revise their learning done in class, especially in the run-up to the SAT tests. This could include completing grammar activities on Purple Mash or answering Maths questions for example. Expectations and instructions will be made clear via Google Classroom.

Whilst home learning in Year 6 for most of the year is manageable and minimal, additional home learning will be given in the second half of the Summer Term (once the SAT tests have been completed) to prepare children for the volume of home work and the expectations around this once they transition to their secondary schools. 

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SATs Tests

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This year, the end of Key Stage 2 SATs week takes place from Monday 11th May to Thursday 14th May (inclusive) 2026.

Throughout Year 6, we help our pupils learn, revise and consolidate the knowledge they will require to complete these tests to the best of their ability.

A SATs Parents Meeting will be held in the Spring Term 2026 to answer any questions you may have, identify how we support all pupils for this and to impart key information.

Please make arrangements to speak with Miss Dunkley if you have any questions about the national test week.

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What does a day in Year 6 look like?

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Every day, the pupils will be engaged in a range of activities following the Year 6 Long Term plan which covers all aspects of the Year 6 National Curriculum, taught and supported by the adults who work in the class. To see what the class timetable looks like on a 'normal' day, please click on the Timetable link for the appropriate term at the bottom of this page.

Below is some additional information regarding the learning our children will do during the school week.

Bonjour!

In line with the primary curriculum, our pupils will continue to learn French, building on what they have already learned in Year 5 and previously. Learning another language is very exciting and pupils can look forward to developing their ablilities to communicate in a foreign language - fantastique! This is taught by Miss Ibbotson.

PE and Games

PE sessions will be taught on Thursday afternoons.

Please make sure all children come to school on these days wearing the correct PE kit (white t-shirt, black bottoms and appropriate footwear). In colder weather, pupils may wear black leggings or jogging trousers and a school jumper or PE hoodie (school purple/teal ones please). 

For health and safety reasons, children wearing earrings will be required to remove them for safe-keeping if they are able or should have them covered with tape.

Spellings

Pupils will currently be taught spellings during the school day on a weekly basis. Initially, we will be ensuring all pupils have a secure grasp of the Year 3, 4 and 5 spelling lists (or other differentiated spellings as required per individual child), before moving on to learning the Year 6 spelling patterns and related words. Spelling patterns and words will be introduced on a Friday for a test the following Friday. Pupils will spend time learning these during the week in school and are expected to supplement this learning with practice at home via Google Classroom or using the paper sheets provided. The skills, strategies and journaling methods they use will be invaluable for helping them to spell unfamiliar words in their writing, with greater accuracy.  Please support your child in learning their spellings each week.

Times Tables

Pupils will be encouraged to learn the full set of times tables (to 12 x 12 and beyond) by heart and will be engaged in a range of tasks to improve speed of recall and accuracy throughout the school week. Individual times tables will be set to learn (according to the progress they are making) as part of their Home Learning, using Times Tables Rockstars to access a range of practices, games and tests.

Reading

All of our pupils are given time to read books from a carefully selected library of books which form our class reading spine that is both age and ability appropriate. Time is set aside for them to read for pleasure for 20 minutes each day and our children are encouraged to find time at home to continue their reading. They are encouraged to develop a love for reading and to become motivated, responsible readers!