Class teachers - Miss Ellett and Miss Vaughan

• January - Determination and Perseverance

• February - Honesty and Trust 

• March - Learning and Effort

This term, our literacy work is based on the exciting and thought-provoking novel 'Boy in the Tower'. The story is set in a dystopian world where mysterious, plant-like creatures begin to destroy buildings and release dangerous spores, forcing people to flee the city. The main character, Ade, finds himself trapped in the last remaining tower block because his mother is unable to leave.

Why this book?

We chose Boy in the Tower because it encourages children to think deeply about resilience, empathy, and problem-solving in challenging situations. The story sparks imagination while exploring themes of friendship, courage, and hope. It also provides rich opportunities for developing descriptive language and writing in different styles.

Through this text, children will explore:

• News reports – writing as if reporting real events.

• Formal letters – communicating ideas clearly and professionally.

• Non-chronological reports – presenting factual information in an organised way.

The main writing project will be creating their own narrative inspired by the novel, using both past and present tense to bring their stories to life.

If you’d like to get involved, here are a few simple ideas:

• Talk about the story: Ask your child what they think will happen next or how they would feel in Ade’s situation.

• Read together: Share a chapter or listen to the audiobook together. (available for free on amazon kindle and audible sights)

• Explore themes: Discuss resilience, friendship, and problem-solving in everyday life.

These activities are completely optional, but they can help spark great conversations and deepen your child’s understanding of the book.

Guided Reading Focus: 'The Explorer' by Katherine Rundell

This term, children will take part in Guided Reading sessions. These sessions are designed to support the Literacy Curriculum by giving pupils the chance to practice key skills such as spelling, reading fluency, comprehension, and engaging in meaningful group discussions.

Our first book will be The Explorer by Katherine Rundell. This exciting adventure story follows a group of children stranded in the Amazon rainforest, where they must work together to survive and find their way home. Through this text, pupils will explore themes of resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving, while developing their ability to express opinions and justify ideas.

As part of these discussions, children will also begin to learn about how decisions can affect people and the environment.   These conversations will be age-appropriate and linked to the story, helping pupils understand the world around them in a thoughtful and engaging way.

Welsh will be every Monday.  Conversational Welsh will then be embedded in each lesson through new phrases that relate to the lesson.  This is so that we can expand the children's vocabulary.

We will revisit simple sentence patterns and expand our knowledge of using present, past, and future tenses. Children will talk and write about places they want to go in Welsh using increasingly sophisticated language and will be encouraged to extend their sentences using achos, ond, and weithiau. 

We believe that reading for pleasure is a powerful way to spark creativity and imagination. To nurture this, we encourage pupils to bring a book to school every day, something that excites their curiosity and inspires their ideas. Our school library is open to all children, and we’ll support them in choosing age-appropriate books that fuel their interests. They are also welcome to bring in their favourite books from home. During reading sessions, pupils will be able to use their books to inspire activities from a guided reading log.

This Spring, Year 6 will be exploring a wide range of mathematical concepts. In Spring 1, pupils will begin with geometry, focusing on position and direction, including using coordinates and grid references, skills that link to map reading and navigation. They will then move on to percentages, decimals, and their relationship with fractions, applying these to real-life contexts such as calculating discounts, interpreting data, and converting measurements. Later in the term, children will work on estimating and converting units of time, length, weight, and capacity, which are useful for everyday tasks like cooking, planning journeys, and understanding timetables. They will finish with properties of 2D shapes, including symmetry and tessellation, which connect to design and art.

In Spring 2, the focus will shift to more advanced topics. Pupils will explore 3D shapes and nets, linking to packaging design and construction, then move on to angles and how to calculate missing angles, skills relevant to architecture and engineering. They will also learn about ratio and proportion, which apply to recipes and scale drawings, and probability, which helps in understanding risk and chance in real life. Later, they will interpret and create graphs and charts, useful for reading information in newspapers or online. Towards the end of the term, children will be introduced to algebra, including sequences and simple equations, which form the foundation for problem-solving in technology and finance.

This term, we are excited about our three-day residential trip. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the children to learn new skills, build friendships, and enjoy memorable experiences together.

To help prepare for this, our Health and Well-being lessons will focus on the question:

“What does it mean to truly understand and care for others?”

Through this theme, we aim to support children in becoming confident, caring, and responsible individuals. They will take part in activities that encourage teamwork, empathy, and resilience. These experiences will help them learn how to respect others, make positive choices, and play an active role in their community.

Year 6 Enrichment sessions will focus on activities designed to support and develop children’s orienteering skills. Pupils will take part in practical, engaging tasks that build confidence in map reading, teamwork, problem-solving, and navigating routes safely and independently. These activities will also encourage physical activity and resilience while preparing pupils for future outdoor learning opportunities.

In the Spring term, we will focus on the Global Environment. Pupils will build on previous learning by exploring Earth’s structure in greater depth, including tectonic plates, magnetism, and the causes and effects of flooding. They will also investigate how physical features such as rivers and valleys support plants, animals, and humans.

Alongside this, pupils will consider their responsibility for positive environmental change. They will look at how choices, such as recycling, food, and energy use, impact people and the planet, and compare sustainable and non-sustainable energy sources.

This links to our Health and Well-being question:  “What does it mean to truly understand and care for others?”

By examining environmental responsibility and human impact, pupils will develop empathy for affected communities and learn how their actions can support the wellbeing of others locally and globally.

Children will also celebrate St. David's Day by participating in 'Welsh Week' and take part in Welsh based activities to celebrate the Eisteddfod and St. David's Day. Children will be able to wear House Colours to join in the celebrations. on March 2nd. 

Children must remember to bring in a water bottle each day and weather-appropriate clothing; we aim to go outside each day; therefore, coats and waterproof footwear are essential if forecasted wet weather. 

School uniform must be worn at all other times.  A uniform list is on the school website. 

Swimming will run this term. This will run on a Thursday afternoon. The first session starts on January 8th and finishes on February 5th. 

PE sessions will run during Health and Well-being sessions on a Friday afternoon. Pupils should wear their P.E kit every Friday. 

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