Welcome to Year 6

Meet The Team

Welcome to the Year 6 staff team. We are a friendly team, determined to help your children have a fantastic final year at Avonwood Primary School. If you require any help or have any questions, please do not hesitate to chat to us at drop off / pick up or contact the school and one of us will respond.

Phase Lead	Mrs King
Everest Teacher	Mrs King
Snowdon Teachers	Mrs Rich & Mrs Turner
Olympus Teacher	Mrs Pritchard
Teaching Assistants	Mrs Collins, Mrs Masterson & Mrs Tidiman

Key Information

Year Six Curriculum Overview: Click Here

Instagram: Avonwood.year6

Homework: Click Here

Year 6 is full of fantastic new challenges. Our aim is to ensure that the children are prepared for their SATs whilst also providing a broad and balanced curriculum, full of exciting opportunities. We have chosen inspirational texts to hook the children’s attention and have made sure that we provide opportunities for independence to assist the children in their transition to secondary school.

In Year 6, we continue to develop the skills that the children will have learned throughout their primary education. We do this through a variety of topics. We begin our Year 6 journey by delving into ‘The London Eye Mystery’ which allows us to put our inference skills to the test! After this, we move on to a novel set in World War II: ‘Letters from the Lighthouse’. This book allows us to learn more about British history. In spring term, we move on to study an abridged version of the classic ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley. We use this to explore what makes an effective villain and to assist us in understanding what makes an effective suspense piece. We then read ‘Pig Heart Boy’ which is full of opportunities to learn all about the human body, advances in science and to discuss moral dilemmas. In the summer term, we delve into the world of Macbeth and become explorers on the Land of Neverbelieve! We also spend the summer term ensuring that the children are ready for their transition to secondary school.

Curriculum Briefings

The key dates for the half term ahead and information on homework (including Reach for the Stars Challenges) are captured on the half termly curriculum handout, a paper copy of which is sent home with your child. The electronic version of the handout can also be found below:

Year 6 Parent curriculum handout - Autumn 1

Year 6 Parent curriculum handout - Autumn 2

Year 6 Revision Guides

Click here to view our Year 6 Revision Guides

We have created a bank of revision resources for your children to access whilst they are at home which remind them of the methods that we use in school. These are a brilliant place to start if they would like to revise a particular arithmetic skill; they will also assist adults at home in knowing which methods we use.

We strongly recommend exploring the range of resources on this page. You will find help with arithmetic, grammar and spelling.

Year 6 Timetable - A Typical Day

Note: this example is taken from Autumn 1

At Avonwood our mantra is ‘Every Minute Counts’, so please help us by arriving promptly at 8:40am daily. Morning break is 15 minutes, and we have a one-hour lunch.

Day / Time	Arrival 08:40-09:00	Session 1 09:00-10:00	Session 2 09:45-10:45	Break 10:45-11:00	Session 3 11:00-12:00	Lunch 12:00-13:00	Session 4 13:00-13:15	Session 5 13:15-14:00	Session 6 14:00-15:00	Session 7 15:00-15:15
Monday	Morning Learning	Maths	English	BREAK	Reading	LUNCH	DEAR	13:15-13:45 Spelling	13:45-14:40 RE	14:50-15:10 Assembly
Tuesday	Morning Learning/ 1 class times tables quiz	Maths	Reading		English		Times tables	13:10-13:40 Arithmetic	13:40-14:45 Science	14:50-15:05 Assembly
Wednesday	Morning Learning/ 1 class times tables quiz	Maths	Reading		English		Rotation: Music Computing PE			DEAR
Thursday	Morning Learning/ 1 class times tables quiz	English	Reading		Maths		Times tables	PE	History	DEAR
Friday	Morning Learning	Rotation morning: Forest school	English		Maths		First Chapter Friday	Spanish	History/DT/Art	14:50-15:05 Assembly

Home Learning

In Years 5 & 6, we begin to prepare the children for the next phase of education and rigour of secondary school daily home learning expectations. The onus increasingly falls on the child to organise their own time and to submit their learning to the class teacher. At the start of Year 5, we will support the children in taking more responsibility for their home learning. As well as consolidating prior learning, a key driver of this phase of home learning is to develop independence and resilience with this aspect of education. The home learning is very much designed around end of Key Stage 2 goals; in Year 6, CGP SATs revision guides form a key part of this (these begin from Autumn 2).

You can find details of our home learning policy below.

Activity	Expectation
Doodle Maths	5x 10 min sessions a week
Spellings	Around 15 minutes a week via Spelling Shed
'Times Tables Rockstars'	5x 10 min sessions a week
*CGP SATs revision guides	Around 30 minutes per week Collected every fortnight

* An overview of the CGP tasks will be shared at the beginning of every half term via:

Parent curriculum information update at the start of the half term
Sending to parents electronically
Publishing on the website
Giving children a paper copy

CGP Books

From Autumn 2, your child's homework will include completing specific CGP tasks. Your child's teacher will have given your child specific books and a printed overview of the homework assignments for the half term. The general overview of tasks can be accessed using the link below. If your child received an alternative version and you require a digital copy, please contact your child's class teacher.

CGP Homework - Autumn 2

CGP Book Guidance

Handing in your homework: We are asking for CGP books to be handed in every other week. Highlighted dates are deadlines for books to be handed in to teacher.
CGP 10-minute reading tests: You should complete this within 10 minutes (if you do not manage this time limit, please show where you got to in 10 minutes and then complete the rest of the activity). Once you have finished, please ask an adult to mark them with you.
Maths CGP workbooks: You have been given one of three different maths CGP books. Please ensure that you are completing the correct task based on the book you have received. You must ask if you are unsure. When completing your tasks, ask an adult at home for help if necessary. You should mark your work once you are finished and ask an adult to go through the answers with you. If there is anything that you are unsure about and would like to go over with your teacher, you will need to bring your CGP book into school and ask for help.

FAQs

What tests will my child sit in Year 6?

Children will sit their KS2 SATs in May. They will sit the following tests:

Grammar, punctuation and spelling
Spelling
Reading
Arithmetic
Maths reasoning x2

There is no test for writing in Year 6. Instead, this is teacher assessed.

How will you prepare my child for the KS2 SATS?

We carefully plan and deliver our Year 6 curriculum to ensure the children are prepared for their KS2 SATs in May. Throughout the year, we continuously recap learning from previous year groups whilst also teaching new skills to cover Year 6 objectives. During lessons, we teach the children techniques to assist them in their tests. The children sit a set of past SATs papers each half term to give them the opportunity to put these skills into use and so that they can familiarise themselves with format and content of each test. In spring term, we introduce revision rotation sessions to help with fluency and stamina. For the last set of tests that the children sit, we run it as a mock SATs week so that the children can experience exactly what it is like on the week. From the second half-term in autumn term, we distribute CGP workbooks to the children as their homework tasks. These act as good revision tools.

When will I receive my child’s results from the KS2 SATs?

Results from KS2 SATs will be sent home with end of year reports. More information about how SATs work and what results are distributed to parents are discussed during our SATs information evening.

What day of the week is homework set?

Homework across the school is issued on a Friday and due in the following Thursday.

I would like to support my child with their learning from home, what can I do to help?

The best way to assist your child at home is to help set up routines that ensure your child has increasing responsibility for getting their school things ready, completing their homework and daily reading. Daily reading is fundamental to children’s progress so any support with this would be fantastic. This could be a mix of the child reading to you and you reading to them too. Times tables are also key in a child’s success to maths in Year 5 and 6; without this vital knowledge they will struggle with the everyday basics. Any support you can provide with helping your child to ensure they have high quality weekly homework would be highly beneficial as well. Checking over your child’s homework and discussing the number of marks they achieved helps them to identify where they may have made any mistakes and what areas they should focus on in the future.

What should my child be reading and how often?

For some top tips of what your child should be reading in Year 6, please see our useful documents and links (below) for a recommended reading list for Years 5 and 6 or have a look at the reading section of our website. Research shows daily reading as one of the highest contributors to high achievement in children. Therefore, children should be reading daily all through their school life; we encourage children to log this in their reading journals which we will check daily. Once your child has read five times in the week, they will receive a ‘High 5’ pom pom to put into their class jar. Once the jar is full, the class will celebrate by choosing an activity from the reading raffle!

What should my child bring to school every day?

Each day, your child should come equipped with their reading journal (signed daily), their reading book, a named water bottle, a named snack box with a fruit or vegetable snack for playtime, a named lunchbox (or know that they are having a hot school dinner), a named waterproof coat and a named sunhat and suncream in the summer.

What days does my child need to wear PE kit?

In Year 6, we have PE on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Children should attend school in full PE kit, including navy jogging bottoms and our branded Avonwood navy hoodie. They should not wear any jewellery (including earrings) whilst participating in PE.

My child would like to walk to and from school independently, is this possible?

In Years 5 and 6 we permit children to walk to and from school independently with prior parent and school consent. To request this, please complete the form (which can be found from the office) and pass this back to the front office once completed. Please await written confirmation this may go ahead before commencing this.

When should I apply for secondary schools and when are places announced?

The deadline for applications for secondary schools is the end of October in the year that your child enters Year 6. You will receive your child’s placement in the March of Year 6. Children will then be invited to attend their new secondary school in early July for a transition day.

Can I take my child with me to view secondary schools?

We do encourage you to take your children with you on your school visits and tours due it being such an important part of their life. Often these only last for half an hour so children usually only miss an hour (or less) of their school day, but this often sets them up with a positive view of starting secondary school.

Do you do 11+ practice in school?

We do not do anything specific to assist with 11+ practice at school. All preparation for this should be done at home, however, teachers are happy to discuss which areas of learning your child may benefit from focusing on.

What trips and visits do you complete in Year 6?

In Year 6, we have several exciting activities to enjoy. Since we have our end of year residential after SATs (alternative fun activities are provided for any children not accompanying us), our aim is to keep the cost down as much as possible throughout the rest of the year. However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t have a number of events to look forward to! We have a variety of visitors throughout the year, ranging from historical educators, artists, science specialists, authors, musical performances, Red Cross volunteers and more!

Will my child be able to complete a Bikeability course before going to secondary school?

Yes. Each year we offer the opportunity for Year 6 children to complete Levels 1 and 2 of the Bikeability course.