Welcome to Year 6

2023-2024 

Class Teacher:

Mr Hall

LSAs:

Mrs Hall

Ms Lees

Ms Thomas

KS2 SATs

Children in Year 6 complete a number of tests (SATs) each year. These tests take place during the month of May, with the tests spread out across the week, by children across the country and allows schools to monitor attainment and progress of each child in English and Maths. This year, the key stage 2 tests are timetabled from Monday 13th May - Thursday 16th May 2024. To find out more click on the links below:

SATs Timetable 2023 – 2024

The key stage 2 tests are timetabled from Monday 13th May to Thursday 16th May 2024.

I know some of the maths topics are quite difficult so we have compiled a revision guide to refer to if you need some extra help.

Hello and welcome to the Year 6 Class Page. This is where you will find all the information you need to know about what we will be doing in Year 6 throughout the year. Undoubtedly, the last year of Primary School is the very best, and we have so much to look forward to this year. We will be covering some exciting topics such as 'Raging Rivers', 'Marbulous Structures' and 'Ancient Mayans' as well as lots of other challenging and exciting work across the curriculum. we can't wait to see what the year brings and we will all do everything we can to help you make the best out of Year 6.

Remember: It is really important to be at school every day, on time and ready to learn.

Check out the new gallery button which I have no doubt will be filled very soon with photographs of what we have been up to in our first term.

What are we learning in Year 6?

Important Information

Timings and Expectations

The gates open at 8.30am and the bell rings for the start of the day at 8.45am. Year 6 are expected to line-up at their designated frog. As soon as we get to class, you are registered. If after 9.00am, you are registered as late and after 9.30am, you are registered as absent for the morning session. Some of us are finding it difficult with the the new term starting, so it may be we need to set our alarm clocks ten minutes earlier to make sure we all get to class on time.

School ends at 3.15pm. We will walk and wait at the designated frog to be collected at the end of the school day. In Year 6, we encourage children to be more independent in preparation for secondary school and therefore, with parental permission, allow the children to walk home on their own. If this is something you would like to consider, please email or send written permission to the school office.

PE

The children have two PE sessions a week.

Tuesday - outdoor PE

Thursday - indoor PE

You should bring your PE kit to school, named and in a PE drawstring bag which will be kept on your peg. This will enable you to get changed at school, when required.

Water Bottles and Snacks

It is really important that you don't get dehydrated and have plenty of water. Please bring your own small refillable water bottles to school. These should be labelled and taken home every day to be washed. Please note, we have water dispensers where you can refill your bottle if necessary. Don't worry if you forget your bottle, we do have cups.

We encourage you to bring a healthy snack for break. This should be in a small, labelled box separate from your lunch box.

Equipment

All the equipment you need to help you with your learning will be provided by school. 

Coats

Even though it might be not be raining in the morning, British weather means we may experience some rain during break and lunch. Please make sure you come to school with a coat which is clearly labelled, especially as we will see more autumnal weather in the next few weeks.

Homework

At the beginning of each term a homework sheet will be stuck in the purple Homework book, as well as posted here on the class page on the school website. 

The activities are divided into three areas: Spelling, Mathematics and Other Learning. Every week you are expected to complete at least two spelling activities (green section) and one maths activity (blue section). In addition you are expected to complete two other activities from our learning e.g. History, Geography, Science or PSHE (purple section) every term.

The spelling words for the week will be stuck in the Homework book every Friday to learn using the activities in the green section. Activities should be spread throughout the week rather than completed on one day. Whichever activities you choose, it is important that you know the words ready for a weekly test. All activities, for spelling and maths, should be completed or recorded in the purple Homework books. If completing an activity from MyMaths, please make sure you record it in your Homework Book and give an example of what you have learnt or even better write a question for your teacher to answer using what you have learnt. Any written activities from the purple section should also be completed in the Homework books.

Homework books with the completed spelling and maths activities must be returned by the following Wednesday.

Spelling

Here is the Y5/6 Spelling List that you need to learn.

Here are some posters with mnemonics  to help you spell some tricky words.

Reading

In Year 6, we want everyone to read and enjoy reading.  Accelerated Reader gives a ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), which is the ideal range of text complexity for your level, neither too easy as to be unchallenging, nor so hard as to be frustrating. The expectation is that you read independently but it also nice, now and again, to share a book - see our Y6 Reading Parents' Guide for more information. 

We want you to take more responsibility for selecting the books you read in school and at home. A daily reading time of 20 – 30 minutes is timetabled in Y6 to promote reading but you are also expected to read at home for at least 20 minutes, Monday to Friday, to build stamina.

Once you have finished reading a book, you take an AR quiz. These quizzes check that you have  understood the book. The percentage correct score and the points that are awarded for passing a quiz are highly motivating. We challenge you to attain 85% or above. 

Try to read both fiction and non-fiction texts to develop reading skills and complete the Reading Log every night. 

Accelerated Reader Top Tips

 Choose a book within the target range set by your teacher.

 Read consistently every day. 15-20 minutes at least.

 Test yourself as you read. If there is a quiz within the book, use this. If not, make up your own questions and test yourself at the end of your reading.

 Make a list as you read of key characters, events, facts that might be asked about in the quiz.

 Talk to a friend who has read the book before. What do they remember? Ask them to test you before you take your quiz.

 Make sure you quiz within 24 hours of reading the book; any later and you run the risk of forgetting things.

 Choose a book that interests you. Without interest you are unlikely to remember the content.

 Try to take both the comprehension and vocabulary quizzes if they are available. Reading one book but learning from it in two different ways will increase your chances of moving towards your overall target more quickly.

 Try to read and quiz on at least one book every week without fail. If you can, read more.

 Stretch yourself. Accelerated Reader quizzes are available on many non-fiction as well as fiction texts. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

Cracking Times Tables

By Year 6, we expect you to know ALL your Times Tables including the 12x table. We have already taken the multiplication tables check in Year 4, but we do need to remember them. It is really important that you learn them as we use them in lots of areas of maths: multiples and factors, fractions, ratio and proportion, multiplication and division.

Cracking Times Tables is the scheme we use in KS2 for monitoring the learning of multiplication facts. You are expected to learn times tables at home (about 5-10 minutes each day is ideal) and you will be tested each week (Monday) in class. By the end of this term, all Y6 should aim to reach level 15.

The learning and testing are based around a series of 27 levels which get increasingly more difficult to provide you with more of a challenge. The test is written, and you will be given five minutes to complete a test. This ensures that you are able to give responses quickly and accurately. The tests become increasingly difficult as you move through the levels but five minutes remains the time limit. I wonder if any of you will be able to reach level 27!