Year 6

Welcome to Year 6! A room full of challenge, creativity, and community. As the final year group in primary school, I have a duty to ensure that all children feel supported in their transition to secondary school and are prepared to face their next challenge, wherever that may be! My aim is to create a deeply nurturing environment where children feel heard, valued, and important. The planning of my Year 6 topics incorporates children’s interests and curiosities, while also ensuring they are learning the skills stipulated by the National Curriculum.
Throughout Year 6, children are given opportunities to grow in their sense of responsibility and develop their organisational skills. Librarians oversee the running of our school library, host competitions for younger year groups, share stories at break times, and monitor the loan of books. Sports ambassadors are tasked with promoting a love of sports, teaching younger year groups playground games and activities, and supporting the PE department with the delivery of the curriculum and maintenance of resources. PSHE ambassadors assist children in resolving playground disagreements, promote our school values, and organise whole-school events. All of these opportunities help our children develop into responsible, articulate, and community-minded young people who embody our school values as they leave Shiplake Primary School.
Year 6 is a year of many changes and transitions for the children. They are embarking on new journeys, looking towards their futures at secondary school, and exploring their thoughts and opinions as they grow in maturity. My aim in planning the English curriculum is to keep these developmental milestones in mind, offering the children the opportunity to discuss their views, challenge others respectfully, and learn to be independent in thought. Through persuasive writing, varied and rich reading materials, and opportunities for speaking and listening, my hope is that they develop empathy, understanding, and respect for others.
As part of our English curriculum, Year 6 will read and study the following texts, which will help deepen their understanding of the written word, allow them to analyse authorial styles, and infer meaning across a range of genres.
Each term, every child will plan and deliver a talk to the class. This can vary in subject matter depending on the children’s interests and the topic currently being studied. The children gain much from this experience, listening to topics presented by others, asking questions, and being curious.
Mathematics is a subject where mistakes can be celebrated and learned from easily. My aim for the children is for them to be fearless in their attempts at calculation, reasoning, and problem-solving.
In maths, the children begin by honing previously acquired arithmetic skills and learning new ones. These skills include fraction calculations, percentages, and decimal calculations. The goal is for the children to feel confident in applying these fluency skills to problem-solving and reasoning tasks in efficient and accurate ways. Problem-solving and investigation tasks are frequently used to encourage perseverance and resilience and to foster a love of mathematical discussion and discovery.