Year 5

We’ve had a busy and exciting couple of weeks in Year 5, full of creativity, exploration, and teamwork.

In English, the children have been introduced to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. They’ve enjoyed diving into the story’s magical elements and have begun crafting their own powerful spells using vivid language and imagery—some of them might even rival Prospero’s!

In maths, our focus has been on angles. The children have become confident using protractors to measure angles accurately and have explored calculating angles on a straight line and around a point. They’ve also investigated the internal angles of regular polygons and discovered the fascinating link between the number of sides and the total of internal angles.

Our new science topic has started with a bang or rather, a dissection! The children dissected plants to identify and understand the function of different parts. This hands-on investigation sparked plenty of curiosity and thoughtful discussion.

Geography lessons have transported us to the Caribbean. We’ve begun comparing its climate to the UK’s by analysing climate graphs, which has led to some great insights into global weather patterns.

In computing, the class has been working with Crumbles to learn about coding. Last week, they successfully programmed their devices to flash different colours—a task that required logical thinking and strong collaboration.

We’re so proud of how engaged and enthusiastic the children have been across all subjects. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

     

  

w/b 28.04.25

Convert nouns or adjectives into verbs using the suffix -en

blacken

brighten

flatten

lengthen

mistaken

straighten

shorten

thicken

tighten

toughen

 

Key words: 

internal/external, polygon, regular, irregular, symmetrical. Surrealist, self-portrait, climate, equator, hemisphere, debugging, script, social network, vulnerable

 

w/b 05.04.25

Words containing the letter string ‘ough’

though

although

dough

doughnut

through

cough

trough

rough

tough

enough

 

Key words: 

precipitation, climate, axis, increments, mammals, amphibians, life cycle, coordinate, translate, symmetrical, reflection

 

Key Messages: 

• Please ensure the children have a water bottle, hat and are wearing sun cream.

• Hooke Court Residential meeting - 2/5/25 (3.15 pm - 3:45 pm)

• Open Classrooms - 7/5/25 -(8.45-9.15)

• Celebrating Diversity workshop for all families  - 7/5/25 - 9.15-9.45

 

Year 6

Following the Easter break, Y6 have hit the ground running as we approach the final stretch before the upcoming SATs week starting 12th May. 

Year 6 have been showing outstanding effort in their revision sessions and classroom learning. With the assessments just around the corner, we’ve been focusing on sharpening key skills and revising key knowledge to ensure they are confident and well-prepared. 

In maths, the children have been working hard to strengthen their understanding of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), alongside developing strategies for tackling fractions, decimals and percentages. We’ve been practising timed questions in our afternoon sessions to build both speed and accuracy while also exposing them to potential question types. 

During reading sessions, we’ve been delving deep into how to approach trickier 3-mark questions. Pupils are learning how to structure their answers clearly, refer back to the text effectively and use evidence to support their ideas. Alongside this we have begun our latest novel study focused around the book ‘Skellig’ by David Arnold. 

Our grammar sessions have focused on the rules and structures that underpin our writing. From identifying word classes and verb tenses to using colons, semi-colons and modal verbs accurately, we’ve been reinforcing core concepts while practising test-style questions. Spelling patterns and common exceptions are also being revisited during weekly practice. 

While revision is a priority, the students have been enjoying breaks into the wider curriculum. In PE,  children have been taking part in outdoor athletics, working on running, jumping, and throwing events to build physical stamina and teamwork. Meanwhile in Art, we’ve been exploring the vibrant and thought-provoking work of Peruvian-American artist Favianna Rodriguez. Her bold use of colour and social themes will be the inspiration to create our own pieces of modern, combining personal expression with contemporary artistic techniques.

We’re incredibly proud of the determination shown by our Year 6 pupils: they’ve taken on every challenge with resilience and focus and we’re confident that their hard work will pay off. Your support continues to make a huge difference. Encouraging regular reading at home, completion of their maths homework and reviewing spelling lists are small actions that contribute enormously.

  

                                    

w/b 28.04.25

Continuing recap of spelling rules and exceptions. 

Key words: rounding, numerals, factors, multiples, time, clauses, active/passive voice, past, present, simple, perfect, contrast, composition, abstract.

 

w/b 05.04.25

Continuing recap of spelling rules and exceptions. 

Key words: fractions, decimals, percentage, money, shape, form, colour, line, bold.

 

Key Messages: 

• Wednesday 7th May - open classrooms from 8:45am. 

• Wednesday 7th May - Celebrating Diversity workshop for all families from 9:15am

• Saturday 10th May - May fair Richmond Green

• SATs Week: Monday 12th May. 

• Friday 16th May Super SATs football tournament 

• Friday 16th May Y6 Trip to Terrace Gardens