Year 5

The last two weeks in Year 5 have flown by and the classroom has been buzzing from start to finish. There has been a real mix of thinking, creating and hands-on learning and the children have thrown themselves into everything with great enthusiasm.

We wrapped up our fact files on hidden figures from the space race and the results have been fantastic. The children enjoyed learning about people, whose stories are not always told, and worked hard to turn their research into clear and interesting writing. Publishing their finished pieces on the computers was a highlight and there were plenty of proud smiles as they saw their work come together.

Maths lessons have taken us deeper into fractions and decimals. Rather than just finding answers, the children have been explaining how numbers work and why. Using models, number lines and discussion, they have been making strong connections and showing growing confidence when tackling trickier problems.

Presentation work has also kept us busy. The children completed their Google Slides presentations on a subject of their choice and loved having the freedom to share something they are passionate about. We have seen some thoughtful designs and clear speaking as they prepared to present to others.

The biggest excitement of all has been starting our final weaving project. Using yarn and constructing their own willow frames, the children got straight to work planning, problem solving and weaving. The room has been filled with colour, focus and lots of quiet(ish) determination.

It has been a pleasure to see the pride the children are taking in their work and the way they are supporting each other along the way. We are looking forward to seeing these projects continue to grow over the coming weeks.

   

                                        

This week: 02.02.26	Next week: 09.02.26
Spelling rule: homophones and near homophones:   stationary stationery steal steel  wary weary who’s whose fate fete   Key words:  Cocoa pods, global supply chain, container ship, animation, slide transitions, decimals, tenths, hundredths, thousandths.	Spelling rule: homophones and near homophones:   alter altar ascent assent bridal bridle cereal serial compliment complement   Key words:  apprenticeship, degree, aspirations, persuasive speech, modal verbs, global trade, water resistance, levels, pulleys, gears.

 

Key dates: 

January

• 30.01.26 - International Day (pm) - school uniform and please bring any spare foreign currency for PTA collection

 

February

• w/c 02.02.26 - NSPCC Number Day - own clothes (number themed)
• w/c 02.02.26 - Children’s mental health week with collage activity on Friday
• 13.02.26 @ 3.15pm - End of half term

 

Year 6

We’ve had a really exciting (and very busy) two weeks of learning in class and the children have been working incredibly hard throughout.

In English, we began exploring our new class text Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. The children have already been drawn into the story and are enjoying discussing the characters, setting and mood. We have started to learn about Michael’s journey around the world, thinking carefully about what it might feel like to travel so far and face the unknown. Over the coming weeks, we will be using this book as inspiration for lots of our writing, including descriptive pieces and a balanced argument. 

In maths, we have been learning about measure and converting between different units by multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. The children have had lots of practical opportunities to apply their learning, including weighing everyday items (even their shoes) to help them make sense of grams and kilograms in real-life contexts.

We’ve been enjoying hands-on investigations into refraction and colour. The children loved experimenting with light and exploring how it can bend, split and create different effects. Have you ever put a pencil in a glass of water and thought about what is happening or thought about how a rainbow is formed? Ask your children to explain these to you. 

The children have shown great creativity and attention to detail in their art lessons. We have been practising a range of printing techniques and developing our ideas ready for our final Hokusai-inspired piece.

Last week, we also completed our mock SATs. Everyone showed fantastic resilience and effort - we are so proud of how hard they worked.

  

  

This week: 26.01.26	Next week: 02.02.26
Spelling rule:  Word families based on common words, showing how words are related in form and meaning   commit committee transmit submit commitment emit permit intermittent omit unremitting   individual  language   Key words:  ecosystem, wildlife, visible spectrum, rainbow, Isaac Newton, skipper, sextant, navigation, charity, international	Spelling rule:  Word families based on common words, showing how words are related in form and meaning   interrupt interfere intercept interject intertwine interim internal intersperse interloper interest   sufficient  determined   Key words:  human uses, printing, design, compliments, informal, research, measure, conversion, mass, capacity

 

Key messages: 

• Just a reminder that only simple stud earrings are to be worn to school.

• Children’s Mental Health week is the last week of half term - on the last day, we will be designing our own islands to represent us. Children may bring in photos and collage materials etc that they wish to use. We will have resources in school to use as well. 

 

Key dates: 

30.01.26 - International Day (pm) - school uniform 

6.01.26 - Number Day for NSPCC - dress up (number theme)

w/b 02.02.26 - Children’s mental health week