Welcome to the page for Year 6.  We are thrilled to be sharing our learning journey with you!  

Spring 2 

English 

In English, we have been reading the book The Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen. It is set in Camberwell and is about a boy called Ade, who lives in a tower block. Strange plants start to take over and tower blocks are falling down around them. Ade and his mum become trapped and there's no one left to save them. 

We wrote a speech that the Prime Minister would give to the country to explain the situation and give advice. We wrote letters from the headteacher to explain the closing of the school and we rewrote parts of the story from another character's perspective. 

Maths

In Spring 2 we have been learning about decimals and how to convert between fractions, decimals and percentages. We have learnt how to find percentages of any amount. 

Our final unit of the term was statistics and we looked at line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts and how to find the mean of a data set. 

Geography and Art

Our topic across Spring 2 and Summer 1 has been Japan. We have looked at where Japan is, learning about longitude and latitude, time zones and seas surrounding Japan. We studied the climate of Japan, linking to our computing curriculum by creating graphs on Excel to show the weather in different cities of Japan. We also looked at volcanoes and earthquakes in Japan, how these impact on people, and what Japan is doing to prepare for these events. 

We made our own sushi and are currently working on Japanese prints in art. 

Science

Our unit this half term was Electricity and we were lucky enough to be invited to Alleyn's School, who taught this unit. The children learnt about components of parallel circuits, voltage, static electricity and how traffic lights work. 

Computing

This term in computing our topic was Spreadsheets. We learnt how to input data into Excel, format spreadsheets, use formulas and create a variety of graphs. We then used these skills in our geography lessons, when looking at the weather in different regions of Japan. 

PSHE, RE, Music and Spanish

In PSHE this half term we have been looking at what makes a democracy, how to manage money, and how to keep safe online. 

In RE, we looked at the Easter story. We recapped the Easter story and read different accounts of the trial of Jesus, looking at differences and similarities. 

We have continued learning the violin and preparing for our concert at the Barbican. 

Spring 1 2025

Reading & Writing:

Our key text this term has been The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It tells the story of a 12 year old boy Hugo, who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets. When he meets a young girl and her godfather, Hugo's undercover life is put into jeopardy. The children wrote biographies of French film director, George Melies, who featured in the story. 

We also read the text The Rainplayer by David Wisniewski, the tale of a boy who must defeat the Rain God in the popular Maya ball game of Pok-a-tok to save his people from drought. The children wrote newspaper reports based on the ball game. 

Maths

In Maths this half term, the children have been learning about ratio and algebra. By the end of our ratio unit, they learnt how to use the ratio symbol, solve problem with ratio and create scale drawings. The algebra unit taught them how to form expressions and equations and know the difference between each, as well as substituting numbers in the place of letters. 

We also looked at the Maya number system and learnt how to read and write Maya numbers. 

Science

This half term our topic has been Animals Including Humans and we have been looking at the Circulatory System and how blood travels around our bodies. We learnt about the function of the heart, the different components of our blood, and how the body relies on water. The children created models to represent the action of the heart pumping. We also learnt about the effects that diet, exercise and drugs have on the way the body functions. 

RE

This half term, our unit has been religious leaders. We discussed what it means to be a leader, who the leaders were in our lives and what good leadership looks like. We then looked at leaders in different religions and the similarities and differences between them. The children then created presentations about famous religious leaders. 

History, Art and DT

This half term our unit has been Ancient Maya. The children have been learning about where and when the Maya civilisation took place, what Maya city states look like, the number and writing systems, Maya gods and religious beliefs and how they used the rainforest to their advantage. The unit culminated in learning about the decline of the Maya civilisation. 

We created models of different Maya buildings or features, including cenotes, temple pyramids and houses. 

PSHE, Spanish and Music

In PSHE, we have been looking at neurodiversity and how to tackle racism. For children's mental health week we took part in a mindfulness workshop. 

Our unit in Spanish this half term has been the weekend. We have recapped telling the time and discussed hobbies that we enjoy doing at the weekend. 

In music, we have continued learning the violin and have been practising the song Ode to Joy. We have also been doing a lot of singing in preparation for our concert at the Barbican in April. 

Computing

This half term our unit has been Programming - Variables in Games. The children have been learning what variables are and editing games to include them. They have then designed, created and evaluated their own projects. 

Autumn 2 2024

Reading & Writing:

Our key text this term has been ‘The Odyssey’ by Gillian Cross. It is a modern retelling of Homer's classic, following the adventures of Odysseus as he struggles to return home after the Trojan War. As he journeys through perilous lands filled with mythical creatures, gods, and temptations, Odysseus's cunning, strength, and perseverance are tested to the limit. The children then used the story of Odysseus to create their own epic adventure narrative. 

In our Reading lessons, as well as reading The Odyssey, the children have been enjoying reading Greek myths and legends, such as Cerberus and Theseus and the Minotaur.

Maths:

In Maths this half term, the children have focused on their Fractions knowledge. At the beginning of the half term, they consolidated their knowledge of adding and subtracting knowledge using concrete, pictorial and abstract methods. By the end of the half term, they learnt how to efficiently multiply and divide fractions as well as answer challenging reasoning & problem solving questions. 

Science:

Our topic in Science this half term term has been Living Things and their Habitats. In this unit, the children learnt how to classifying living things based on specific characteristics. In Class, we also conducted an experiment which proved that Yeast is a living micro-organism as it produced CO2, which was shown by the balloon inflating. 

History, Art & DT:

In History this half term, our topic has been Ancient Greece - How did Ancient Greece change our world? The children have learnt about all the legacies the Ancient Greeks left us, such as: Democracy, Olympics, Philosophers and Maths. Furthermore, in Art, the children also designed and created their own Green pots and in DT they also had the opportunity to design and try a variety of Ancient Greek dishes as well! 

PSHE:

In PSHE this half term, Year 6 attended the Southwark Junior Citizenship Scheme Workshop. The children learnt life skills, such as basic first aid and road safety. Furthermore, in preparation for secondary school, they learnt about using and staying safe on public transport. 

RE:

In RE this half term, Year 6 have focused on how Art is important in different religions. In class, they looked at stained glass windows, statues and drama and how they were important in different religions. 

Autumn 1 2024

English:

Our key text this term has been ‘The Arrival’ by Shaun Tan.  A beautiful wordless book that tells an important and incredible story of migration.  We have written some incredible stories, first person narratives, letters and setting descriptions – we are very proud of some of the work we have produced!  As we have studied Greece as one of our focus countries and as we are studying ancient Greece next term, we have looked at the Greek myth of Cerberus - the three headed hound, writing both character descriptions and poems about it.  Please see below for some examples of our work this term. 

Reading:

In our whole class guided reading sessions, we have been reading the book ‘Migrations and Journeys.

Book Talk:  We are reading some wonderful books at the end of the day across the year group.  Children get to discuss the story, get an opportunity to read in front of the class and interact with some high-quality texts.   

6LM:  ‘The Final Year’ by Matt Goodfellow

6SB:  ‘Who Let the Gods Out’ by Max Evans

6MS: ‘‘Who Let the Gods Out’ by Max Evans

National Poetry Day:

On National Poetry day, we enjoyed reading, performing and discussing a variety of poems.  Some of us will get the opportunity to perform or chosen poem in assembly!

Maths:

We began the term with a large place value unit and then worked on addition and subtraction and then multiplication and division.  We consolidated our learning with some investigations collaborating on and presenting our work. 

We will be moving on to fractions, decimals and percentages after the half term break. 

Science - Physics

Light has been our main focus this half term.  We have been investigating light sources, how shadows are formed and how light travels.  In addition to this, we have been looking at how rainbows form.  We have become scientists and conducted a number of experiments and investigations to further our learning.  For our end of unit assessment, we shared our knowledge with some fantastic double-page spreads.   

Geography - Europe

In geography we have been looking at Europe as a continent. We have explored some of the different countries that make up Europe, explored migration and looked at the various physical and human features of the different places.  We looked at how diverse the various regions of Europe are with a big focus on Greece and Iceland where we compared the differences in human and physical features. 

Black History Month:

Year 6 learned about Walter Tull – One of the first black English footballers and WW1 soldier. We also learned about Sam King, who was the mayor of Southwark.  Children have made power-points and completed presentations. Videos coming soon! 

Computing

In our computing lessons,  we explored how data is transferred over the internet. We initially focus on addressing, before they move on to the makeup and structure of data packets. Learners will then look at how the internet facilitates online communication and collaboration; they will complete shared projects online and evaluate different methods of communication. Finally, they will learn how to communicate responsibly, by considering what should and should not be shared on the internet.  

Music

All children in year 6 have embarked on their Violin journey this half term.  We have learned the names of the strings, the parts of the violin and even played some music.  Next half term we will begin using our bows. 

PE

In PE this half term, we have been doing gymnastics, where we will be combining balances, rolls and jumps to create a sequenced routine as our end point, both individually and in small groups. We'll be using peer feedback to help us define and improve our moves.  For outdoor PE we will be enjoying team games where we will be practicing our throwing and catching skills.  

Citizenship and Curriculum Enrichment

Earlier in the month, Year 6 went to court!    Yes, we took an exciting visit to the incredible Royal Courts of Justice in central London and took part in a trial.  Children took on the roles of judge, lawyers, solicitors (defence and prosecution) as well as a full Jury.  In both courts the accused was found GUILTY, just like in the trial on which it was based.  We learned lots about life in a British courtroom (no hammers) and most importantly, learned about issues surrounding cyber-safety and cyberbullying (think before you type).