New school year
I hope that you have all had a lovely summer holiday. UKS2 children have come into school settled, happy and ready to learn. I am particularly impressed with the fantastic listening and attitudes to learning: long may this continue.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with your child's class teacher, in the first instance, on Class Dojo.
Staff in Upper Key Stage 2
Golden Eagles (Year 6) - Mrs Fisher, Mrs Walsh & Mrs Wilson
Wolves (Year 5/6) - Miss Templeman, Mrs Harrison & Mrs Murray
Hippos (Year 5) - Miss Jeffrey, Mrs Horner, Mrs Wetherall & Mrs Causier
Our timings for the school day will remain the same as last year and so we will open the doors at 8.45am and close them at 8.55am; we dismiss at 3.15pm. All UKS2 will enter and exit from the bottom door. There will always be a member of the UKS2 team at the door each morning and afternoon. If you have a quick query, please see one of the team at these points. If you would like to have a longer meeting with your child's class teacher, please get in contact with them via Dojo and arrange a suitable meeting time. Thank you.
This newsletter is to inform you of the teaching and learning that will be taking place during the Spring term in UKS2. This will not only give you an insight into what your child will be doing in school but it will also enable you to support your child with any additional learning at home. If you have any questions about any of the content of this curriculum newsletter, please contact your child's class teacher or Mrs Fisher via Dojo.
English and mathematics
Our learning in English follows the National Curriculum and ensures that the children understand the links between reading and writing. We continue to push reading and the importance of reading; it not only improves vocabulary and understanding of words - great readers make great writers.
During our reading lessons, we will be giving the children the opportunity to become fully fluent with a text before beginning to zoom in and answer questions about their understanding of the text.
The texts we will be reading this term are: Cosmic by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz and The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
We have had a library makeover during the summer holidays. Take a look at the photos of what we managed to achieve.
We have introduced a new handwriting scheme called Kinetic letters which will be implemented throughout the year. It is a programme that builds on the cognitive and physical skills for handwriting. For more information please visit the website at www.kineticletters.com
We are currently following the White Rose Maths programme. White Rose Maths is an organisation that provides maths resources and Schemes of Learning for pupils of all ages, from early years to secondary school. The Schemes of Learning break down what children need to learn during each week of each term to master the learning objectives laid out by the National Curriculum. The resources are designed to be enjoyable, engaging and varied, to help pupils develop a love of learning and work towards mastery with differentiated resources.
'Everyone can do maths: everyone can!'
https://whiterosemaths.com/
Religious Education
During this unit of work we will be asking the question: What does it mean for Muslims to follow God?
The children will:
know that the five pillars of Islam are: Shahada, Salah, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj. ·
be able to explain how the five pillars affect the daily lives of Muslims and give examples to show how Muslims put their beliefs into practice. ·
know the story of how the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
know some of the key stories from the prophets in Islam and compare them to stories from Christianity and Judaism.
be able to explain the importance of the Qur’an compared to other forms of guidance for a Muslim and explain how and why parts of a mosque, including its art, reflect Muslim beliefs
know that Muslims use geometry and calligraphy to express beliefs.
Science
Our science focus for this term is Chemistry and we will be focussing our studies on the idea of how materials change.
The children will know how to compare and group solids, liquids and gases according to their properties and can name three of each (solids – particles close together, gas – particles sperate and move freely, liquids – particles close but can move freely)
They will also be able to describe the properties of different materials: durable, flexible, absorbent, waterproof, magnetic, permeable, conductive, transparent and stretchy and can explain what these words mean.
Finally they will learn that thermal insulation is the reduction of heat transfer.
The key scientist we will be learning about this term is:
If there is anything you can encourage your children to find out about these scientists, it will support their science learning this Spring term.
PHSE
We will be following a new PHSE scheme of work this year. Each half term we will focus on a different theme. PHSE will be taught in straight year groups, weekly, so all children will be taught to the expectations of the year group they are in. This means that Wolves class will be taught separately by miss Templeman (Y5) and Miss Hudson (Y6)
We will be learning about 'Keeping Safe' and 'Rights and Respect'
History
How did Power change in the Tudor Monarchy?
During the Spring term we will be studying the Tudors, their significance to British Monarchy and the affect they have had on life as we know it today.
During this unit of work the children will know that there was conflict in 15th century England between the house of York and Lancaster and this was called the war of the Roses.
They will construct a scaled timeline to show the key events of the War of the Roses leading the establishment of the Tudor Monarchy and know that there were 5 Tudor monarchs between 1485 to 1603 (Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I)
Tudor monarchs will be placed on a scaled timeline and children will be able to name some of the key significant events that happened during each reign.
They will know the significance of Henry VIII, his wives (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, Catherine Parr) and the changes he brought about in Britain (Reformation).
We will compare the reign of Henry VIII’s children (Elizabeth, Mary and Elizabeth) to the reign of Henry VIII, using a range of sources.
During the unit we will also discuss how the rule of Henry VIII had an effect on both Britain today and our school (C of E) and why this is a significant event.
Geography
During our Geography studies this term, we will be investigating how we can locate places in our local area.
Children will learn how to carry out observational fieldwork in the local area in order to to observe the human and physical features, and record them on a map.
They will know the features of an OS map (scale, symbols, eastings, northings, contour lines) and will be able to identify some of these features on a map and how to create a detailed map of the local area using OS symbols and 6 figure grid references.
By the end of the unit, they will be able to plan a route to a local landmark using an OS map, know how to use the 8 points of a compass to create a route card and also know how to use the 8 points of a compass to navigate to a given destination. (orienteering)
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
PE improves motor skills and increases muscle strength and bone density, which in turn makes students more likely to engage in healthy activity outside of school. Furthermore, it educates children on the positive benefits of exercise and allows them to understand how good it can make them fit and healthy.
Our PE days are a WEDNESDAY and a THURSDAY and all children need to ensure they bring their indoor and outdoor PE kit on these days.
During the Spring term, we will be focussing on the skills of tag rugby, cricket and OAA. There will also be an opportunity for some Y6 children to attend swimming lessons on Wednesdays. We will inform you on Dojo which children will be attending on which week.
PE is an essential part of the curriculum and all pupils need to take part. If you are struggling to obtain any PE uniform, please contact Mrs Fisher via Dojo and we will do our best to help. The uniform bank is also available to support.
For PE children will need:
- Black or navy shorts/skort - these need to be mid thigh length and not hot pant style
- Plain white T-shirt (no logos or sport's teams)
- Trainers suitable for outdoor PE
- Plain black or navy joggers or leggings
- Plain black or navy jacket or hoodie
- A water bottle
French
We will be continuing with our French tutor, Mr. Ratcliffe, who is coming in to work with all classes in Key Stage 2 this year. He will teach each class for 30 minutes every week. The children will not only be learning a variety of French vocabulary, but in UKS2 they also do a lot of writing in French too. This will give them all such a head start for when they head to high school.
The arts
This term we will be learning the skills of painting and mixed media in Art through investigating portraits. We will be studying the artist, Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE. She is a British artist, celebrated for her radical feminist practice, which examines representation, gender and cultural identity. She works across a wide range of mediums including printmaking, drawing, painting, installation and film.
The children will be investigating Mechanical Systems Design Technology lessons. They will have the opportunity to design and make a pop up book.
In music lessons we will be using a range of performance techniques to perform as an ensemble. We will be using our voices, tuned and untuned instruments to compose music with a meaning.
Computing
During our computing sessions this term we will be continuing to learn about different coding systems. In Spring 1, we will be learning the difference between ROM and RAM, Recognising how the size of RAM affects the processing of data. The children will recognise how the size of RAM affects the processing of data, understand the fetch, decode, and execute cycle and also learn how the data for digital images can be compressed.
In Spring 2, the children will be learning about the importance of Bletchley Park during WW2. They will write increasingly complex algorithms for a purpose, debug quickly and efficiently to make a program more efficient and remix an existing code to explore a problem.
In addition to these computing lessons, we will be working with the children to ensure that they know how to keep themselves safe online and the dangers of putting their personal details and photos out on social media.
Attendance
At St Botolph’s CE Academy, we believe that children have a right to fulfil their potential and flourish as unique individuals and so it is our vision that all children attend our school regularly and on time. To this end, we strive to support all our families in encouraging their child to attend regularly, no matter what barriers they may face
Please ensure that your child is in school each day. If they are not well, please phone the office to let them know. If we do not have a reason for absence, your child will be marked as an unauthorised absence.
Thank you for all your support and helping us to provide the best possible education for your children.
As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
You can message us on Dojo, email us on info@stbotolphsacademy.co.uk or catch one of the UKS2 staff team on the door at the beginning or end of the day.
Mrs Fisher and the UKS2 team.