Welcome to our page!

Welcome to Year 6!

What a fantastic year we have lined up for you all. 

Our transition topic is called "Colour Me Happy" and focuses on the picture book by Drew Daywalt. This hopefully will give ample time for the children to understand what life is like in Year 6, our final year at junior school, before we get into our first main project, "Alpaca My Bag".

We will then be moving on to our first History project linked to Crime and Punishment and before Christmas we will be delving into the world of Ancient Egypt.

October

What a busy half term we have had so far - where did September go?! This half term, the children have been submersed in a topic called 'Good vs Evil' and have had lots of debates about whether a character is 'good' or 'evil'. This topic has seen children travel through time, looking at how crime and punishment has changed throughout history - they have learnt some pretty gruesome facts!

The Year 6 children have also been incredibly lucky to be working a cricket coach for their PE lessons and the children have become much more confident with their throwing and catching skills - we certainly have some competitive children! Not only this, but the children have been having weekly French lessons with an incredible French teacher and have even started asking questions and responding in French.

A visit from the Hampshire Fire Service is one of the first of many visitors the children will have this year. During this session, the children discussed how to keep themselves safe and received wonderful tips on how to help with keeping the house safe.

The next few weeks look to keep us busy with lots of exciting writing opportunities chances to shine. Please keep an eye on letters as we will be revealing our Upper School Residential very soon...

January

2025, how has that happened already? Welcome back to a new year and term! We hope you all had a wonderful break and enjoyed some family time. Year 6 have come back ready and are straight back into their routines.

This half term the children will be studying 'Macbeth' that was wonderfully kick-started by the incredible Young Shakespeare Company just before Christmas. The children will be fully submersing themselves into the character's within the story - showing the villainous Lady Macbeth and the easily led Macbeth. We have already seen some wonderful pieces of writing, with fab description, and cannot wait to see what the rest of the half term has in store.

Alongside the writing, the children are studying another science unit where they will investigate light and circuits. This half term will be rounded up with a wonderful DT project where they will put these skills to use!

Over the course of the next term, the children will be participating in more assessment papers and the Year 6 team will be in contact with the results when they are ready. Please contact either Year 6 teacher, Mrs Edwards or use the Year 6 email address if you have any worries or concerns, or would just like to discuss anything regarding your child's learning.

December

Year 6 have had a brilliant half term, really immersing themselves into their topic, 'Out of Africa'. The children have written biographies about famous Egyptian figures, as well writing descriptive piece, focusing on creating an effect on the reader.

This half term is finishing off with a wonderful production of 'Macbeth' by The Young Shakespeare Company, ready to kick off the New Year with our new topic, 'Seriously Shakespeare'. The company have been visiting Merton for many years and their performances really engage the children, supporting their understanding of the story, helping the children to produce fantastic pieces of writing which we can't wait to share with you.

The children have also undertaken their first assessment week of Year 6, using past SATs papers. These results were sent home, and although the test reflects curriculum the children have no yet covered, please do contact us if you have any concerns or would like to support your child further.

With only two weeks to go until the festive break, all of us in the Year 6 Team hope you have a wonderful two week break, filled with love and laughter, and we look forward to seeing you all back in January.

March

What another busy half term we have had in Year 6.

This topic has been 'Blackfish' and has been a science led topic, looking at evolution and adaptations. The children started this learning journey with a wet trip to The Hawk Conservancy Trust where they participated in an adaptations workshop. We had wonderful feedback from the staff and the children had great questions for them.

Within English, the children have been writing in role as a whale in captivity and have really immersed themselves in what it may be like to be an animal in these situations and have written powerful monologues. They are now writing persuasive letters to the CEO of Sea World and trying to persuade him to change the conditions of these animals.

The children have been working incredibly hard in reading and maths and showed great resilience in their recent test week. A big thank you to all the parents who attended parents evenings this half term and we hope that you left with some useful steps in how to support your children at home.

Next half term is a big one for our Year 6 children with SATs week running 12th-15th May, so if you have any concerns or questions about your child and their learning, please do get in contact with a member of the Year 6 team.

One week to go and a two week break is upon us - we wish you a happy Easter break!

April

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter break and are ready and rearing to go for our final term in Year 6!

Another busy half term last half term, with a focus on Science during our most recent topic, Blackfish. The children looked at what it may have been like to be a whale in captivity and wrote some brilliant persuasive pieces in English. During this topic, the children created some wonderful pieces of 'whale art' and should be proud of the resilience that they showed.

This half term is yet another busy one for us in Year 6. The children are working towards their final assessment week of the year, their SATs. We are very proud of the positive attitudes the children are showing and look forward to celebrating their successes as we move through the final term!

Please do get in touch with us if you have any questions, queries or worries.

May

This half term, our incredible Year 6 pupils have completed their end of Key Stage 2 SATs assessments, and we couldn't be prouder of the focus, determination, and resilience they have shown throughout the process. Every child gave their absolute best, and we are so proud of how they handled this important milestone with such maturity and positivity.

To relax and enjoy some creativity, the children also took part in a wonderful MSSC Day, exploring the vibrant world of global art. They learned about a range of artists from around the world, drawing inspiration from different cultures to create their own expressive and imaginative pieces.

As we look ahead to next half term, we’re excited to be diving into our new science topic on The Human Body, where we’ll explore body systems, nutrition, and healthy living. This will link closely with our Food Technology lessons as we learn about preparing and enjoying balanced meals.

To support this learning over the holidays, here are three fun and free activity ideas related to keeping active and eating healthily:

• Staunton Country Park (Havant): Free to enter and perfect for outdoor walks, exploring nature, and spotting local wildlife.
• NHS Change4Life Website: Offers interactive games, meal ideas, and tips for healthy habits that children can try at home.
• Portsmouth Healthy Living Trail: A self-guided walk with educational stops promoting physical activity and wellbeing.

Wishing you all a relaxing and healthy half term break!