Year 6: Class 14 and Class 15
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Mr Simon Beatty
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Mrs Lisa Base
WELCOME TO YEAR 6
Year 6 is a year full of exciting challenges and we are sure that our children will embrace these opportunities and benefit from the responsibilities that Year 6 offers.
Important Year 6 dates
KS2 SATs - 11th - 14th May
Barton Hall Residential - 1st- 5th June
SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
In AUTUMN 1, our skill for success is RESILIENCE.
Starting in Year 6 requires a lot of resilience as we raise the expectations for the children to be independent in preparation for secondary school.
Well Done to Ryan Wood and Sully Graves
In AUTUMN 2, our skill for success is SELF BELIEF.
Year 6 is hard work and it takes a lot of self-belief to rise to the challenge.
PE DAYS ARE TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
Please come into school wearing correct school PE kit.
Year 6 Residential
Barton Hall PGL
Dates 1st -5th June 2026
Please see the presentation given to parents on 25th Nov. below
Total cost £500
Initial deposit of £60 payable via Parentmail by the 8th December
Hope you can all come!!
Our current model text is:
The Ice Bear by Jackie Morris
Long, long ago, in the icy lands of the far north, Raven the mischief-maker takes a bear-child from his mother. A hunter and his wife find the child and, wrapping him in sealskin, they sing him songs of the ice, the wind and the great white bears. But the child wanders off, with consequences for both animals and people. Set in the pristine polar regions of the Arctic, Jackie Morris reminds us in this lyrical story of trickery, loss and restoration, that we are caretakers of wild creatures, and our actions directly affect their future.
AUTUMN 1 GARDEN DAY
The themes for our first garden day were Autumn and Orienteering.
The children ran from country to country...without even leaving the playground!
Then we collected Knopper Wasp galls for an art activity in the afternoon. There is further information on these fascinating insects below.
Next, the children were set a challenge. Mr. Beatty had taken close up photos of places around the school. The children had to find them and mark them on a map. Their reward was a punctuation mark or a letter from a scrambled message. We were very impressed with the children's commitment and RESILIENCE.
The scrambled message is below if you want to challenge someone at home to unscramble it!
!SYOTSIHSEVOLABMIS
We also created a fabulous leaf colour wheel, working as a whole year group, which was inspired by Andy Goldsworthy.
In the afternoon, the galls from the Knopper Wasps were put to good use. We made ink by following an old recipe; we crushed them and mixed them with rain water and iron-sulphite and used the resulting jet-black ink to paint trees which we then adorned with autumn leaves by using the galls as stamps.
Here is a link to one recipe (there are many) if you wished to make some at home.
https://blog.amandabatesart.co.uk/2017/11/iron-gall-ink-recipe-using-knopper-galls.html
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE KNOPPER WASP here...
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/galls/knopper-gall-wasp
WE ARE SCIENTISTS!
Working scientifically is an important part of our learning in science. After learning all about the circulatory system, we set up an experiment to answer the question:
How does exercise impact on our resting heart rate?
We measured our resting heart rate three times and then recorded an average. We then did the same after walking, jogging and sprinting.
It was science and PE all in one!
We then recorded our results in a graph.
AUTUMN 2 GARDEN DAY
SUSTAINABILITY
Continuing the 'sustainability' theme of this week, the Y6's were tasked with making their own wind turbines and challenged to see if they could raise a 'load' made up of something they found in the outdoors.
(We have included the instructions below if you want to make another one at home.)
Following instructions was our biggest challenge but we all got there in the end!
After lunch, we took the turbines outside to test. Despite there being very little natural wind, many groups managed to raise the load they had attached (much huffing and puffing was heard!).
BEWARE THE JABBERWOCK
At the beginning of the Autumn Term, Year 6 children had fun playing with language and learning their Book for Life poem off by heart.
Have a go at learning it together!
Reading in Year 6
Learning to read doesn't stop once a child can decode. In Year6, we are still teaching the skills of reading.
Part of our Reading Curriculum is to ensure that children have a wide experience of reading a range of texts. They regularly have a chance to browse the books available to help them to make informed decisions and to look forward to their next read.
YEAR 6 RECOGNISE AND CELEBRATE DIWALI
Year 6 celebrated Diwali this term. They learnt some celebratory Diwali dance moves in PE and then had time to choreograph their own routine. This produced some impressive results.
Then, in class, we made little representations of diyas. Diyas are central to the Hindu story of Rama and Sita. When Rama rescues his wife, Sita, their journey is lit by hundreds of little lights, guiding them safely home.
It's Never Too Early....
Shhhhh....
Year 6 were in the festive mood last week when they had great fun making their decorations for our Christmas Tree Festival entry with the theme of 'SUSTAINABILITY'.
Do make sure you pay the tree a visit (and vote for us!) The Festival runs from 28th November - 7th December in St. Eustachius Church.