Welcome back Oak Tree Class!

Welcome back! I hope you have all had a lovely summer holidays, spending time with family and friends, and that the children are ready for the new term ahead!

If there are ever any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch. The support you give is essential for your child's progress and the closer we can work together, the better it will be for them. Finally, don’t forget to follow our class on twitter @OakClass_Sankey for regular updates.

Kind Regards,

Mr. Johnson

Curriculum Overview:

Maths

Our Maths topics for the autumn term will focus heavily on number, place value and the four written calculations and it is imperative that children are supplementing this work with basic skills practise at home. Please encourage the children to use their log in for Times Table Rockstars regularly at home to ensure they know all the multiplication and division facts accurately and rapidly as this knowledge and recall will be hugely beneficial this year.

English

We will continue to develop our writing skills through the study of various texts this term, first with Chris Van Allsburg’s beautifully illustrated and thought-provoking book called ‘Queen of the Falls’. Then we will be looking at 'The Lost Happy Endings' by Carol Ann Duffy.  We will analyse the author’s use of language and the impact it has upon the reader and then use them to stimulate a variety of different forms of writing. We will explore using a variety of sentence structures, thoughtful well-chosen vocabulary and a wide range of punctuation and grammar. We will be completing daily whole class guided reading sessions to develop the children’s reading stamina, pace, understanding of vocabulary and comprehension skills alongside individual reading sessions where each child will be heard to read by an adult weekly. Alongside everything we do in school, it is incredibly important that children are reading a variety of texts both fiction and non-fiction regularly at home and recording their comments in the planners. The planners need to be in school daily and to be signed at by an adult regularly. Finally, the children will need to focus on using spelling strategies and rules consistently to ensure they spell a variety of common and uncommon words accurately. They need to be practising their spellings regularly at home. Please see the spelling strategies document to support your child learning their weekly word lists at home. 

Science  

In our weekly Science sessions, we have a Physics focus to begin with and will be learning all about Electricity. Children will begin with revision of simple circuits with lots of hands on experience with symbols, diagrams and incomplete circuits. Children will then compare series and parallel circuits and face some difficult challenges! Next, we have some biology! The children will then explore the structure of the heart and lungs; looking at the double circulation system and all about blood! They will then investigate why exercise is good for us and what can harm the heart and lungs. The children will be encouraged to work and think like scientists and explore these natural phenomena using their research skills, asking relevant questions to investigate.

Geography                                           

Our Geography enquiry question is ‘Is Warrington a good place to settle? In this topic, the children will study why the location, transport links, proximity to cities, trade and industry all make Warrington a good place to live. Through use of digital and paper maps, children will investigate land use in different sized settlements and the ways in which settlements are linked together.  They will also look at how Warrington has changed over time.

History                  

This year we will be studying both history and geography throughout the year to ensure we cover all curriculum objectives before the children leave us for High School. Our History enquiry question is ‘What can we learn from Ancient Civilisations? During this topic, the children will focus on the early ancient civilisations; Ancient Sumer, Ancient Mayans, Ancient Egyptians, Indus Valley and Shang Dynasty. They will learn about significant events from the time and order these events chronologically on a timeline of early world history. 

Additional Messages:

SATs 

In May 2026, children in Y6 will complete their statutory end of key stage assessments known as SATs. The children will be tested in Reading, Maths and Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling with Writing being teacher assessed in school. The tests will take place the week beginning Monday 11th May 2026 so we ask that any holidays or time off is not taken during this month. An information evening for parents giving further details will be held later this year and a timetable will be sent out to you in the first week of the Summer term to confirm arrangements. SATs Booster sessions will take place throughout this term and all Year 6 pupils have access to SATs Boot Camp which will support their learning at home.

Reading:

Please make sure that you read regularly (at least three times per week) and get an adult to sign your planner each week. You can read your school reading book, your own book, a library book, newspapers, comics, etc.

Spellings:

Spellings will be taught and practised throughout the week and tests will take place each Friday morning with new spelling lists posted on Google Classroom every Friday. 

PE:

For this term, indoor PE (health and fitness) will be on Wednesdays and outdoor PE (rugby) is on Fridays.  Once again, the children can come into school in their school PE kits on these days - a T-Shirt in their house colour and black shorts / joggers / leggings and trainers - with all hair tied back and jewellery removed. Please make sure these PE uniform guidelines are adhered to as last year we started to notice a few football shirts, etc. starting to creep in. It is important the children look as smart in their PE kits as they do in their uniforms. Thanks for your support with this. 

Homework:

Homework will be posted on Google Classroom each Friday and should be returned by the following Friday. Homework will consist of a Maths activity and an English activity linked to the unit of work they are covering in class, so they should be able to complete the activity independently. 

Some useful websites, resources and links:

https://spellingframe.co.uk - Spelling Frame. A great, interactive website to give you chance to practise your spellings in a variety of different ways.

https://ttrockstars.com/ - Times Table Rockstars. Use this website to practise your times tables, battle with your band mates and keep your arithmetic skills up to scratch!

SATs Boot Camp - Year 6 SATs Revision, Practice Papers & SATs Questions Online - SATs Boot Camp (Year 6 only). Use this website to revise maths and English units and complete practice SATs tests in preparation for your SATs in May.