This half term, Year 6 have been exploring the themes of Loving, Vocation and Commitment, considering how love, faith and service are expressed through the choices people make in their lives.

Through scripture, prayer, reflection and discussion, pupils have explored the Christian understanding that everyone is called by God to love and serve others. They have considered the meaning of vocation and how people may respond to God's call in different ways through family life, marriage, religious life, priesthood and service to their community.

Year 6 have also considered the importance of commitment, faithfulness, responsibility, sacrifice and unconditional love, making connections between scripture, Catholic teaching and their own experiences. Pupils are encouraged to use appropriate religious vocabulary, refer to scripture when explaining their ideas and reflect thoughtfully on how they can demonstrate love, compassion and commitment towards others in their own lives.

The learning supports pupils in recognising that vocation is not simply about a future career, but about considering who God calls us to be and how we can use our lives and gifts in the service of others.

Year 6 will develop their reading and writing skills through their study of Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo. Through close reading of the novel, pupils will explore themes of survival, courage, resilience, danger and the relationship between humans and the natural world, using the text as inspiration for a series of short writing opportunities and an extended survival narrative. Pupils will be encouraged to select ambitious and precise vocabulary to create atmosphere, describe settings and convey characters’ emotions, particularly during moments of tension, danger and uncertainty.

When crafting their own narratives, pupils will work towards the Year 6 expected standard, applying a broad range of grammatical features purposefully. These will include expanded noun phrases, relative clauses, modal verbs, adverbials, subordinate clauses, active and passive voice, the perfect form of verbs and a range of sentence structures. Pupils will also develop cohesion within and across paragraphs through the careful use of pronouns, conjunctions, adverbials and repetition. They will apply increasingly sophisticated punctuation, including commas, colons, semi-colons, dashes, brackets and hyphens, where appropriate, while varying sentence length and structure to control pace and build tension.

Alongside their narrative work, pupils will explore the features and purposes of biographical writing before researching and writing a biography of Sir David Attenborough. They will learn how biographies are organised chronologically, written primarily in the third person and past tense, and combine significant life events and achievements into a coherent account. Pupils will use formal vocabulary, precise verbs, varied sentence structures, cohesive devices and appropriate organisational features to produce an engaging, informative biography for their reader.

Comprehension:

 Year 6 will develop their reading comprehension skills through the study of The Middler by Kirsty Applebaum. Through regular whole-class reading, discussion and written comprehension activities, pupils will develop the full range of Year 6 reading skills, learning to read increasingly challenging texts with accuracy, fluency and a deeper understanding of meaning.

Reading for Pleasure:

This half term, Year 6 will develop a secure and connected understanding of Integers and Decimals, Multiplication and Division, and Calculation Problems. A strong emphasis will be placed on fluency, mathematical reasoning and making connections between operations, enabling pupils to select efficient strategies rather than viewing each calculation method in isolation.

Within Integers and Decimals, pupils will deepen their understanding of place value and the relationship between whole numbers and decimal numbers. They will compare, order and round numbers, calculate with decimals and use their understanding of powers of 10 to recognise how digits change in value when multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000. Pupils will make connections between known number facts and decimal calculations, for example using 6 × 4 = 24 to reason that 0.6 × 4 = 2.4.

Through Multiplication and Division, pupils will strengthen their recall and application of multiplication facts and use these fluently within increasingly complex calculations. They will develop efficient written and mental methods, including long multiplication and short and long division, while exploring the important connections between multiplication, division, factors, multiples, prime numbers and common factors. Pupils will be encouraged to use inverse operations to check answers and recognise when a mental strategy is more efficient than a formal written method.

When tackling Calculation Problems, pupils will apply all four operations within multi-step contexts. They will learn to identify the operations required, interpret mathematical language carefully, estimate before calculating and check whether their answers are reasonable. Particular attention will be given to order of operations, missing-number problems and multi-step reasoning, with pupils expected to explain and justify their mathematical choices.

Across all three areas, arithmetic fluency will be developed alongside reasoning. Pupils will regularly revisit key number facts and calculation strategies so that these become increasingly automatic, freeing them to concentrate on more challenging problems. Concrete resources, representations, number relationships and worked examples will be used to help pupils see the structure behind calculations.

The overarching aim is for Year 6 pupils to become fluent, flexible and confident mathematicians who can make connections between mathematical ideas, choose the most efficient calculation method, spot patterns and relationships, and explain why a strategy works rather than simply carrying out a procedure. This will support success in both Year 6 arithmetic and reasoning and provide a strong foundation for KS3 mathematics.

This half term, Year 6 have been developing their scientific knowledge through the Animals Including Humans unit, with a particular focus on the human circulatory system and how the body works to keep us alive and healthy.

Pupils will learn about the structure and function of the heart, identifying its main chambers and understanding its role as a muscular organ that pumps blood around the body. They will explore the role of blood vessels, distinguishing between arteries, veins and capillaries, and understand how these work together as part of the circulatory system.

Year 6 will investigate the important components of blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma, and consider the different jobs they perform. Pupils will also learn how oxygen, nutrients and water are transported around the body and make connections between the circulatory and respiratory systems, including the journey of oxygen from the lungs into the blood and around the body.

An important part of the unit will focus on health and lifestyle. Pupils will consider how exercise, diet and other lifestyle choices can affect the heart and wider body, applying their scientific understanding to explain why healthy choices are important.

Throughout the unit, there will be a strong emphasis on working scientifically. Pupils will ask scientific questions, make predictions, identify and control variables, record and interpret results, draw conclusions and use evidence to support their explanations. They will increasingly use accurate scientific vocabulary such as circulation, oxygenated, deoxygenated, artery, vein, capillary, pulse, heart rate and nutrients.

The overall aim is for pupils not simply to remember facts, but to make connections between the heart, blood, lungs, blood vessels, exercise and health, enabling them to explain confidently how different parts of the human body work together as an interconnected system.

This half term, Year 6 have been developing the knowledge, understanding and confidence needed to make safe, healthy and respectful choices as they become increasingly independent.

Within PSHE, pupils have explored legal and illegal drugs, developing an age-appropriate understanding of what the term drug means. They have considered that some drugs, particularly medicines, can be necessary and beneficial when used correctly, while also recognising that substances can cause harm when misused. Pupils are developing the skills to assess risk, resist pressure, make informed decisions and understand the importance of seeking help from a trusted adult when they are unsure or concerned.

In RSHE, Year 6 have explored what makes stable, caring and respectful relationships. They have considered the importance of qualities such as trust, honesty, kindness, commitment, communication and mutual respect, recognising that healthy relationships should help people feel safe, valued and supported. Discussion encourages pupils to recognise appropriate boundaries and understand the importance of treating themselves and others with dignity and respect.

As part of Equality and Diversity, pupils are using The Princess Boy as a stimulus for thoughtful discussion around individuality, acceptance, stereotypes and respect for difference. Pupils consider the messages presented within the text, explore different viewpoints and reflect on the importance of not judging or excluding others because they do not conform to expectations or stereotypes. The emphasis is on creating a classroom culture in which every child understands the importance of kindness, inclusion, dignity and respect, while feeling confident to express thoughtful opinions and listen respectfully to those of others.

This half term, Year 6 have been developing their understanding of the skills, rules and physical demands of basketball and netball. Across both sports, pupils are learning how individual skills combine with teamwork, communication and tactical awareness to improve performance in competitive game situations.

In basketball, pupils have been developing greater control and accuracy when dribbling, passing, receiving and shooting. They are learning to move effectively with and without the ball, create space, select appropriate passes and understand how positioning can support both attacking and defending. Pupils are increasingly expected to make quick decisions under pressure and adapt their play in response to opponents.

In netball, Year 6 have focused on accurate passing and catching, footwork, marking, movement into space and shooting. They are developing an understanding of different positions and how players work together to move the ball effectively through the court. Pupils are also applying key rules, including those relating to footwork, obstruction and contact, within increasingly competitive games.

Across both sports, there is a strong emphasis on physical fitness, agility, balance, coordination, speed and stamina. Pupils are encouraged to communicate positively, demonstrate good sportsmanship and evaluate their own performance. The overall aim is for children to become confident, skilful and tactically aware players who can transfer skills between basketball and netball while recognising the similarities and differences between the two sports.

This half term, Year 6 have been studying The Maya through the Opening Worlds curriculum, developing both their substantive historical knowledge and their ability to think and reason as historians.

Pupils have explored key aspects of Maya civilisation, including society, beliefs, rulers, cities, farming, trade, mathematics, writing and everyday life. Importantly, children have been encouraged to make connections with previously studied ancient civilisations, identifying similarities and differences in areas such as leadership, social structure, technological development and the ways societies organised themselves.

A strong emphasis has been placed on chronology. Rather than viewing historical periods as isolated topics, pupils have considered what was happening elsewhere in the world at the same time as the Maya civilisation. They have used timelines to place their growing historical knowledge into a wider chronological framework, revisiting earlier learning and recognising where civilisations and historical periods overlap.

Throughout the unit, pupils have developed important disciplinary skills including historical enquiry, comparison, chronology, cause and consequence, continuity and change, similarity and difference, and the use of historical evidence. This cumulative approach enables pupils to make meaningful links between their Year 6 learning and the historical knowledge they have built throughout primary school.

This half term, Year 6 have been developing their understanding of graphic design, exploring how artists and designers combine typography, line, shape, colour and composition to communicate ideas and attract an audience.

Pupils have investigated examples of food packaging, considering how designers carefully select fonts, imagery, colour combinations, patterns and layout to create a distinctive visual identity. They have explored how these elements work together and have recreated and developed their own packaging designs, making purposeful artistic choices rather than simply copying existing products.

A key part of the learning has been understanding the relationship between two-dimensional graphic design and three-dimensional form. Pupils have applied their designs to 3D nets, considering how individual panels connect and how a design needs to work across the different faces of a finished package. This has required accuracy, careful planning and an awareness of proportion and positioning.

Throughout the unit, pupils have been encouraged to experiment, refine and evaluate their designs, developing their technical control while explaining their creative choices. The overall aim is for pupils to recognise graphic design as an important form of visual communication and understand how artistic choices can influence how a product is presented and perceived.

This half term, Year 6 have been developing their musical knowledge and skills through the Charanga music programme. Pupils have been learning through a combination of listening, singing, performing, improvising and composing, while developing their understanding of important musical elements such as pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics and structure.

Year 6 are increasingly encouraged to listen critically to music, identify musical features and discuss how different elements contribute to a piece. Through practical activities, pupils develop greater accuracy, fluency and expression when performing, both individually and as part of an ensemble.

There is also a strong emphasis on creativity and musical independence, with pupils having opportunities to improvise and compose their own musical ideas, evaluate their work and make improvements. Throughout their Charanga learning, pupils build their confidence in using appropriate musical vocabulary, notation and performance skills, while importantly developing an enjoyment and appreciation of music.

This half term, Year 6 have been developing their Spanish through the topic ‘This Is Me’, learning how to communicate key information about themselves and find out information about others. Pupils are developing the vocabulary and sentence structures needed to introduce themselves, say their age, describe where they live, talk about their likes and dislikes and share information about themselves.

There is a strong emphasis on speaking and listening, with pupils practising accurate pronunciation and responding to questions such as ¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?) and ¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?). They are becoming increasingly confident in building complete sentences and applying familiar vocabulary independently in both spoken and written Spanish.

Throughout the unit, pupils are encouraged to listen carefully, recognise familiar vocabulary, ask and answer questions, read short passages and write increasingly detailed sentences, building their confidence to communicate for a real purpose in Spanish.