English

Each week, we teach our English unit (this term begins with our novel as a theme – Wonder – before we move on to studying biographies) alongside spelling, grammar and comprehension skills.

After half term, we will be writing our own detective stories and then newspaper articles. If you do buy newspapers, we would be very grateful if you wanted to donate them to school after you have finished reading them! There is nothing like the real thing when we are teaching this and it would be wonderful to have a range of articles to choose from to excite the children.

Maths

The school website curriculum area contains an overview of the long term plan, where you can find all of the necessary information about what area of mathematics is being covered. Alongside these units, we also focus on multiplication and division facts, recall of addition and subtraction facts and the four areas of calculation. The progression documents for calculations can again be found on the school website.

We strongly encourage you to practise mental maths skills daily with your child. It really doesn’t matter how you do this but just five minutes per day will help them with their arithmetic skills which will be a huge help to them. If your child cannot recall the number bonds to 10 within seconds, please, please, please practise this! It may sound simple, but you would be amazed at how many children still rely on using their fingers for this and without this skill, everything else in maths lessons is so much more difficult for them. If they are competent at this, check they can recall number bonds to 20, 50 and 100, as well as recalling multiplication and division facts up to 12 x 12.

Science

We will be studying living things and their habitats all this term. Early on in the unit, we teach the life cycles of animals, including humans. In this, we will be using the vocabulary of sperm, egg, sexual reproduction. When we teach about the life cycle of plants, we will also use the term asexual as well as sexual. We know that children can get very excitable at this language and thought it worth bring to your attention early on.

In the second half of the autumn term, we will begin to study human reproduction in more detail. This links with our PSHE work.

Throughout the year, we will be visiting the allotments regularly to plant and to harvest. If you are able to give up any of your time to help with this, please do let us know!

PSHE

We begin the year focusing on rights and responsibilities, healthy relationships, feelings and emotions. Then, as part of the statutory curriculum, your child will be taking part in some lessons in PSHE that will focus on relationships and sex education. These lessons will be on puberty, life cycles and reproduction. Our year 6 children will also learn about contraception. The lessons will be delivered by your child’s class teacher. They are very carefully planned and delivered and there will be a chance for your child to ask any questions that they have. 

RE

This term, we will studying two religions: Hinduism and Christianity.

Our first unit focuses in what Hindus might learn from the Krishna and the Christianity unit is about why it is sometimes difficult to do the right thing.

Geography

This half term is one of our favourite geography units to teach as the children explore their local area. This focuses on fieldwork skills. Please keep your eyes peeled for a letter explaining this in more detail as we will need your signed permission in order for your child to take part in some elements of this. Again, if you are able to give any time to accompany us on our fieldwork trips, we would be very grateful!

History

After half term, we will be learning about the Vikings.

Computing

If you haven’t yet completed the online Acceptable Use Policy, please do so immediately. We need this completing in order for your child to have full access to school devices and therefore to complete their computing work in the most effective way.

Online safety

This is always an aspect of development as your children increase in independence in upper key stage 2! We will be learning about self-image and identity, privacy and security before half term. Please do talk to your child about what they have learnt in these lessons – it is so useful! After half term, we will be covering online relationships and your support in reinforcing these messages would be very much appreciated.

Music

As children move from year 4 into year 5, they are able to decide whether or not they wish to join the school choir. This takes place after assembly once a week. Recorder club runs weekly, at lunch times, and there are many more opportunities for your child to learn an instrument too.

In class, we will be continuing our recorder lessons up until half term and then be developing our own melodic phrases.

DT

We begin the year by making our own gardening tool belts. If you have any fabric that you do not need and could donate to school, this would be wonderful. In particular, if you know anyone who has a wetsuit that they do not need, this material would come in very useful!

Art

Once our tool belts are completed, we will begin to explore identity through the medium of paint.

French

Madame Mills will continue to teach our French lessons with the first topic focusing on weather.