Year 6

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Year 6 work focuses on reading, writing, speaking and listening. There will also be many opportunities for pupils to write creatively and study classic literature and poetry. Texts that will be studied across the year include: War Horse, Macbeth and Fireweed. Through careful cross curriculum planning, pupils will be challenged to use the skills garnered in English lessons across all subjects. Pupils are given the opportunity to explore the works of Shakespeare through workshops culminating in a visit the theatre to watch performances of Shakespeare. At St Joseph’s pupils are encouraged to be creative and imaginative in their writing, not only within lessons, but independently where rewards of reading books can be obtained and their work displayed for others to enjoy.

Through our careful planning we aim to provide stimulating and challenging activities that can be accessed by pupils of all abilities which enable them to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time. Therefore, they can develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately.  They will reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.  They will show that they can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.  There is also a firm emphasis on arithmetic agility and development is achieved through a diverse range of teaching styles where progress is partly measured via weekly tests and homework tasks.

We encourage pupils to become inquisitive scientists and ask questions like ‘what if?’ to explore and understand the world around them. We cover topics involving the three sciences: biology, chemistry and physics.  Through both scientific investigations and hands on practical experiments pupils explore evolution and inheritance.  They will understand that the adaption of plants and animals to suit their environment may lead to evolution. In addition, they will investigate how diet and exercise affects the body and what is required to maintain a healthy body.  Pupils will explore ways of distinguishing between organisms that have similar characteristics and how to classify plants according to those characteristics.  They will study Carl Linnaeus who created the first classification system amongst other famous scientists.  Pupils will explore aspects of light and electricity when constructing their own circuits using various components both theoretically using pictures and symbols and practically.

Year 6 pupils will be working from the Diocese of Westminster scheme of work. Pupils will foster an appreciation of different cultures and global diversity. Pupils will be encouraged to listen, reflect and then speak about events from the Bible.

The history topics taught in Year 6 are: World War 1, Plague, Pox and Antibiotics and Wembley- A World Stage. Our history topics offer an exploration of chronology, historical sources, significance of past people and events, and change and continuity between time periods.

Please click here for more information about history teaching and learning at St. Joseph’s.

The geography topics taught in Year 6 are: Extreme Earth, North America and a Local Study. Across the topics, children develop their skills in key geographical strands: locational geography, physical geography, human geography, place geography and geographical skills and fieldwork.

Please click here for more information about geography teaching and learning at St. Joseph’s.

This is closely linked with the Religious Education curriculum, plus current and cultural events. The children will participate in ‘Themed’ Art weeks, whereby they develop their artistic and creative talents, advancing their art, design and technology skills will be achieved through exploration, refinement and consolidation. We shall also use Art galleries’ websites to study specific artists and art styles to complement the learning. Children use a variety of materials to create interesting pieces of art and sculpture based on their investigations. Design and Technology skills are developed through investigating how 3D creations bring an object to life. This Year, the themes will cover ‘Diwali – the Festival of Light’ from the Hindu religion, the Disney production ‘Aladdin’ and Brent – City of Culture 2020.

Children will be given the opportunity to present information in different formats and develop an understanding of ‘design principles’. They will use a variety of software on a range of electronic devices, understand search engines, use algorithms to solves problems, and write programmes. Here at St Joseph’s children are taught about their responsibilities online, like the need to respect intellectual property, secure themselves, and the ethical impact of technology. The school is Internet linked and each pupil in Year 6 has access to a Chromebook which they can use to develop their understanding and use of computers to enhance their learning.

At St Joseph’s we are fortunate to have a specialist PE teacher who takes each class for one hour a week. We provide practical experiences for all coupled with opportunities for some pupils to excel in a chosen discipline or sport. Over the course of the year pupils will be given the opportunity to participate in team sports such as football, basketball and hockey and gymnastics. Pupils will also be given the opportunity to participate in swimming lessons once a week where they will build upon their skills from Year 5.  We are also fortunate to have a specialist dance teacher who will teach pupils Irish dance once a week (alternating classes).

In Year 6, children learn traditional Brazilian Samba Band instruments such as Surdos, Repenique, Caixa, Ganza, Agogo Bells, Reko-reko and Tambourims. By year 6, all children can play a number of musical instruments learned in previous years and the Samba Band is a fantastic opportunity to draw upon these skills and add guitars, bass guitars, ukuleles and keyboards to enhance the ensemble. The Samba Band often has the opportunity to perform at concerts, assemblies and this year’s Notting Hill Carnival.

Pupils are fortunate to have an experienced French teacher to help them develop their linguistic acquisition of the French language in one hour lessons per week. We come together to sing and learn poems in French during performances for assemblies and masses.

Your child will be expected to carry out additional homework tasks each night in order to either consolidate their understanding or to prepare for new learning. We are the three sides to a pyramid: the school, the pupil and the parent. Without one of the sides we will fall down, so it is essential that homework is completed to a high standard and it is handed in on time as it is very easy to fall behind.

All of the above help each and every child in Year 6 to develop and achieve their full potential and achieve outstanding results in their SATs of which we are top in the borough of Brent. Our vision in the school and in Year 6 is our learning is limitless and our targets are limitless – if we work hard we will achieve and we will do all we can to support your child to achieve the best.

Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.

Gail Devers

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