Welcome to Year 6

Class Teacher - Miss Milnes

SCITT Student- Miss Hussain

Autumn Term

Dance
We have made a fantastic start to Year 6, embracing our brand-new dance unit with Miss Wells. Together, we created motifs that depicted the heartache of being sent to fight in World War I. Each child created three shapes that represented the anxiety, pain and loss associated with the tragedy.
Miss Wells commented on what a reflective, respectful and imaginative class we are, and we can’t wait to further prepare for our end of term performance!

Science
In science, we have been investigating how light travels. We made lego mazes before assessing whether a torch light reached the centre. Once we had identified that it was unable to reach around corners, we concluded that light must travel in straight lines. As a class, we then discussed how we could adapt our maze to ensure that it was as well-lit as possible. Some of us made the fantastic suggestion of using mirrors, which then enabled the light to reach the centre of our mazes.

Collective Worship
After reading Luke 16: 1-13 in this week's Gospel Assembly, three of our Year 6 pupils led a session of collective worship. We gathered by passing the Bible, and then re-read the scripture before discussing how we could learn to prioritise God and our faith over the pursuit of material wealth. We then linked the word to our school values before creating a promise jewel which we combined to create a class treasure chest. 

What a beautiful, reflective session led by our classmates. 

History
We have been fascinated by our WWI history topic this term. After learning all about the recruitment of soldiers, and how the government used propaganda in the mobilisation of their army, we decided to recreate our own! We thought about how we could incorporate a variety of the strategies that we had observed from our source analysis, including patriotism, shame, peer pressure, and a false sense of adventure. 

What do you think... would our Year 6s have convinced you to enlist?

Cyberbullying Workshop

WithMeinMind paid us a visit and asked us all about how long we spend on the internet each day. We discussed how to stay safe online, including reporting bullies and putting ourselves into a victim's shoes. We were then asked to create CyberHeroes who were gifted with special powers such as reducing our screen time or blocking unkind comments. 

Crucial Crew

Each year, our Year 6s are invited to Crucial Crew where students take part in a variety of interactive scenarios, covering topics from road safety and anti-social behaviour to knife crime. We were able to visit a Magistrates court, contact the emergency services about a house fire, and investigate a case of child exploitation. We always have great fun, and come away feeling informed and prepared.

RE- Creation and Covenant

We absolutely loved our first RE topic. To represent our newfound understanding of creation, we built forest school sculptures that summarised key learning. We braved the rain and created masterpieces with plenty of religious symbolism, including a bridge connecting Jesus with the fallen world, a Big Bang Theory, and the serpent devouring the tree of knowledge.

Mass

Year 6 attended mass in church after returning from their residential. During Father Patrick’s homily, he spoke about how Jesus searches for us like we do lost money because he loves us. We also discussed how we should show our love back.

Remembrance Artwork

At the end of our last art topic, we combined all of our recent learning to make a piece of remembrance street art. Some of us were able to incorporate one-point perspective, creating the illusion of a three-dimensional landscape. Others used a ‘scaling up’ technique to alter our perception of images, and many children included graffiti-style word art to deliver key messages of hope and reflection.

R

Prophecy and Promise

We had a beautiful discussion during our recent RE unit, all about the significant women in our lives. We wrote poems honouring these women, and discussed which qualities made them so special. This served as a thought-provoking precursor to our topic on how biblical women were portrayed as protagonists in salvation history. 

ROBINWOOD 2025

What fantastic memories we made at Robinwood! We spent 3 days facing our fears – reaching lofty heights, wiggling through caves, and solving some of Dobroyd Castle's most perplexing puzzles. Sleeping away from home was a challenge, but it was worth it when we all flung ourselves off the infamous trapeze and escaped the deadly piranha pool! 

We had the best time pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones, and making memories that will last a lifetime.

 

RE- From Galilee to Jerusalem

Our Spring RE topic has allowed us to delve into the Gospel of John, learning all about how his perspective differs from the synoptics. St John does not simply recount biblical events; rather, he points towards the deeper meaning and symbolism of Jesus' actions. We are learning about the seven key miracles depicted in his account – the first of which is the Wedding at Cana. 

To do this, we created freeze frames and used thought tapping to truly understand how both Jesus and his followers felt when witnessing concrete proof of Jesus' divinity. 

 

SCIENCE- Living Things and Their Habitats

In science, we have been learning how scientists use dichotomous keys to classify living things. We then had a go at making our own, using some slightly tastier species!

Throughout the process, we ensured that our questions had either a yes or no answer, and that they were based on observable features. 

The following week, we learnt about the acronym MRS GREN, which allowed us to determine whether something is a living organism or not. Using this acronym, we planned an investigation centred around the following question: "Is yeast a living thing?"

As a class, we gathered the given equipment: a bottle, some warm water, sugar, yeast and a balloon. We then identified that, if yeast was alive, it would respire and, therefore, produce carbon dioxide. If this was the case, then the balloon would surely inflate. 

We then held a race to see which group's balloon would inflate the quickest, with orange group securing the victory!

MATHS- TT Rockstars Day!

Year 6 were ROCKING the rockstar brief for our whole-school Times Tables day! 
We celebrated all things maths: completing our final reasoning mock paper, creating mathematical parabolic curve artwork, and participating in our whole-school tournament. 

ART- Artist Study

In our Spring painting unit, we have been studying a given artist each week. We started by studying David Hockney, analysing his work and creating double-page spreads about our initial impressions. We then looked at Fiona Rae's abstract technique before having a go at mirroring one of her pieces ourselves. 

David Hockney

 

Fiona Rae

TenTen-  Online Safety

In our RSHE lessons, we have been exploring the emotional and mental impact that videos and images of an adult nature can have on children and young people. We watched Paradise Street, where Finn spoke to his dad about a site that he had viewed, and how he felt about it afterwards. In response, we made posters to advise people of what to do if they see something uncomfortable online.

RE- The Anointing at Bethany

To begin our Lent topic, we have been reading about how Jesus was anointed at Bethany. We learnt all about the symbolism of anointing, and how it can represent kingship, but also preparation for death. We spoke about Judas' role in John's gospel, and how he feigned concern over the cost of this perfume. Judas is symbolic of those who might disagree or betray us, and how we must continue to do what we believe is right. To immerse ourselves into this topic, we started by smelling some essential oils and trying to guess which scent was which. 

We also wrote Lenten promises, rooted in the idea of spreading love for those who might need more of it. We thought about how to make our promises meaningful and achievable, and what intentional acts can have the biggest impact on those whom we love. 

 

Science Week Workshop

As part of the theme for this week’s science week - Curiosity, what’s your question? Year 6 had the best time in our science workshop creating bouncing bubbles, exploring static electricity, investigating which materials are magnetic, creating catapults and experimenting with colours and how they change.

Lent Assembly

Year 6 kicked off our school Lenten Assembly Journey by teaching both parents and children all about the temptation in the desert. They retold the story in the style of a news report, with presenters reporting live from the Judaen desert. They read clearly and sang beautifully. Well done, Year 6!

Big Lent Walk and Big Lent Dance

We had a great last day of Spring term, starting the morning by participating in our sponsored Big Lent Walk. As we completed our laps of the field, we visited each class' station of the cross, following in Jesus' footsteps and taking a few moments to pray and reflect on the Lenten period. 

Then, in the afternoon, we all gathered on the playground and joined in with the whole-school Big Lent Dance! It was a lovely sunny day, and we all brought our best dance moves to finish off a fantastic Spring term. A huge thank you to Mrs Holden for teaching us our routine and for bringing such Easter joy!