Our Class Teacher in Year 6 is Mrs Ladds. Mrs Groom will be working with us every day and in some afternoons, we will be working with Mrs Marks and Mrs Swoosh.

The adults in Year 6 are available to chat and answer your questions before registration each morning and at the end of the school day. However, if you feel you need more time to talk, please feel free to make an appointment - face to face or virtual meetings can be arranged by contacting the School Office.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support - The Year 6 Team :)

Useful Information

What does my child need to bring to school?

Every day children will require: a water bottle filled with water (although squash may be drunk at lunchtime), a waterproof coat and a rucksack or Orchard Primary book bag. In this they will need their homework book, school planner and a reading book.

At the start of each half-term, children will need to bring in their PE kit in an appropriate bag, and leave it in school for the duration of the half-term, so it is not forgotten or left at home. Within their PE kit, they will need an Orchard Primary logo PE top, appropriate bottoms (black or navy shorts/skort or jogging bottoms to choose from depending on the weather), PE pumps or suitable trainers and an additional pair of socks. Boys and girls will change separately.

Pencil Cases

The children are allowed to bring into school one small pencil case, containing pencil crayons and felt tips only. All other equipment, including handwriting pens, pencils, sharpeners, rubbers and rulers will be provided by the school. This is to ensure we maintain our high standards of presentation.

Homework

We will be setting the children a '10 Minute Challenge' to complete each day at home. This will include a range of different activities to support your child's learning in school. More information can be found on our Homework page.  In addition, we do still ask that your child reads and practises their spellings along with their numeracy fluency target (times tables) each day, as this will have a significant impact on their learning.

Spellings

Weekly spelling will be sent home every Friday and ‘checked’ (tested) the following Friday. Spelling sheets will be collected, and a record kept of their weekly score.

Reading

All children are expected to read regularly (at least 3 times a week) and keep an up-to-date record in their ‘School Planner'. Planners will be collected in every day, although we will still check reading and homework on a daily basis. 

Internet Safety

A big focus this year will be learning how to stay safe online. Important information and updates will be sent where necessary and the following websites also have lots of information:

• http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
• http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/

We use the child-friendly search engine 'Kiddle' when carrying out research in school and recommend that the children do the same when they are online at home (link below).Please make sure you supervise your child while they are online and do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

• https://www.kiddle.co/

Maths Fluency Targets

This half term Year 6 will be revisiting their times tables, up to 12 x 12. We really appreciate your support and encouragement of this as it is important that the children revisit these regularly at home as well as in school. Please use the following link to our Maths Fluency page, which has lots of great links and games to help: https://www.orchardprimary.org.uk/times-tables/

MarvellousMe

We will be continuing to use MarvellousMe to keep you informed of your child's learning and achievements in school. If you have any questions or would like help with accessing the app, then please do not hesitate to ask.

Mobile Phones

We would recommend that your child does not bring their mobile phone to school. However, if you wish them to do so, the mobile phone must be handed in to the class teacher for safekeeping during the school day; children will not be allowed access to it during this time.

PSHE and Sex and Relationships Education

Schools are required to provide a programme of sex and relationships education (SRE). As part of our PSHE curriculum, we will be covering age-appropriate SRE lessons. In Year 6, the children will begin their sex and relationship education in a more formal and detailed way. A range of topics will be covered, including respect for themselves and others, recognising and managing peer pressure, names of the body parts and how the body changes as they approach puberty. 

We will be providing facilities for the girls in the toilets and will keep a stock of emergency supplies if they are needed.

SATs Test and Preparation

KS2 SATs take place in May each year and take place over 4 days. During the year, children will be well-prepared for these tests and staff will always be on hand to answer any queries. The tests include: Reading, Grammar and Punctuation, Spelling, Arithmetic and Reasoning.

More information is available under the separate tab of this class page.

How can I help my child in Year 6?

Although we are encouraging greater independence in the children, it is really important that parents/carers continue to:

• Talk to your child about their daily experiences.
• Listen to your child read regularly.
• Practice their timetables with them.
• Support them with their homework, providing a quiet space and encouraging them to be organised by setting a routine for doing it.
• Encourage your child to take responsibility, eg packing their own bag for school.

Thank you for your support!

The Year 6 Team