Category: Our Classes

The start of the final half-term is always a funny time for year six – the SATs are finally behind us and we have enjoyed the school journey that we had been looking forward too for so long, and whilst the children are naturally beginning to look forward to the adventure of secondary school, there is still so much to do and enjoy here.

The end of key stage assessments for writing are based, not on tests, but on the writing the children do day-in and day-out, so high expectations and good effort are still as important now as they have every been. We have finished the content of the maths curriculum and so we are keeping our maths understanding ‘fresh’ through a number of projects: this week, we have been making plans for our bakery and look forward in the coming weeks to putting on our masterchef hats and cooking up a treat, using our data handling and measuring skills to make this happen.

We also have to begin looking towards the end of term and planning to go out with style and so, to that end, I have completed the worst job I have to do each year and cast our leavers’ production. We have our scripts and parts to learn: this is always an ensemble piece, where the children can enjoy putting on something special and memorable which can only be achieved by working together. I do not doubt that they will have a blast and that they will do themselves (and us) proud.

I plan to share the limited photos from the Isle of Wight at the open evening towards the end of this month as part of our celebration of our learning. For now, here is a taster from the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

We all had a fantastic day at Kew Gardens, learning about plants and exploring a fraction of the many beautiful and amazing things at this world-famous site. The children were enthusiastic, energetic and represented the school very well. Emma, the teacher, said how much she enjoyed their sense of fun and excitement. She led sessions where we learnt about plant explorers from the past and today and the equipment they need : can your child tell you why you need a trowel when you go looking for plants? The children practised describing plants, using knowledge from their time at primary school such as the names for parts of a plant. They also classified leaves using a key where they thought of the yes/no questions themselves. The children became acquainted with the resident geese, young and old, who appreciated some left-over breadstick and would have happily shared the rest of the children’s lunches, too. The weather was perfect and thank you for sending the children so well-prepared, with everything you were asked to provide. We were all amazed by The Hive, which will give us some insight into what a “pavilion” is in our D&T learning. The plants in the Temperate House and outside the Palm House provided opportunities for the children to practise their sketching skills which they have been learning with Mrs Bartley. The children will use what they did and learnt today in learning back in class.

A huge thank you, as ever, to the parent helpers. Wednesday is not an easy day to get time away from work and we really appreciate the effort made in coming and having to make up for the lost time in either work or jobs at home. Thank you also to Miss Jilly, from the office, who came with us – there aren’t any photos of her, unfortunately. Again, I am sorry for the high cost of the event but we did have a great day, and a full one as they journey there was completed in just under an hour.

In Year 3, we celebrated Numeracy Day with a series of fun and educational activities. We created our own songs and raps, focusing on times tables and important maths keywords we have learned so far. After spending time perfecting our lyrics, we performed our creations on stage, showcasing our musical and mathematical skills.

We have learnt more about Anglo-Saxon life this week, focusing on the justice system. Some children recommended a very severe punishment for a misdemeanour in school, so I think they understand the general principle! Our RE topic is “Building bridges” and the children showed good insight into the “bridges” which act as bonds between children and how these need to be strong for relationships to flourish. The children have really enjoyed the beautiful book called “Cinnamon”. They have been putting themselves in the position of the lead character and are writing a diary entry by her.

I have been impressed by the children’s understanding of decimal fractions this week. Some more children have “gone green” on TTRS and all are making progress in learning the TT facts. Please keep this up.

I hope you all have a lovely, relaxing weekend.