Woodlands Residential - Day 5

Today was the final day of our residential and although many of the children were tired, they were still willing to give it their all for our last activity for the week: the mountain hike! After a delicious breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup, the children got their bags packed and got dressed in many layers (including their waterproofs), ready for the hike.

Unfortunately the weather today was extremely wet and windy but we didn't let the weather stop us. All 3 groups began the mountain hike and we were certainly battling against the elements with the wind and rain making normal walking very hard indeed. It was a great challenge which again, helped to improve the children's perseverance. While on the hike, the children were very curious to learn more about the nature around them such as the different types of trees and mushrooms they saw. 

Due to the weather, we decided to cut the walk slightly short and aimed to leave the centre an hour earlier than expected due to the weather making driving conditions more difficult. We were all on the coach by 2pm when we said goodbye to our amazing instructors who had helped and supported the children so much this week: Brookes, Nick and Rich - thank you all so much! After leaving the centre at 2pm, we unfortunately had to divert through Hereford due to an A40 road closure which meant driving through quite a few floods. After 3 hours of driving, we needed to have a 30 minute stop at the services to stretch our legs. After that we were back on the road and were very happy to arrive safely back at school at 7.30pm. What an amazing week the children have had, making memories that will last a lifetime. 

Woodlands Residential - Day 4

Today was another fun, exciting day and it was lovely to have the sun shining. Groups 1 and 2 stayed on site today where they took on the challenges of the climbing walls, high ropes course and the exhilarating zipwire. The children wore their safety helmets and harnesses and worked as a team to help support and encourage each other as they climbed higher each time they attempted the climbing wall. On the high ropes course it was fantastic to see the children once again encouraging each other to succeed. It was certainly a challenge, being so high up amongst the trees, balancing on wires and stepping across swings. Many children found it scary but they should all be very proud of themselves for giving it a go and pushing past their fears. Finally, the zip wire was a particular highlight of the day where the children had to climb a tree and then zip wire across the grounds where the other children would be waiting to help them down and then run the zip wire back for the next person to have a go. No one wanted the fun to stop but sadly it had to once the sun started setting. 

Meanwhile, Group 3 had a great time caving today. They went to the same cave that Group 2 went to yesterday. Although many children found it scary, they all showed great resilience and determination as they pushed past their fears and entered the cave wearing their caving suits, helmets and headtorches. They grew in confidence and bravery as they explored the cave and some children took on the additional challenges of climbing up and through the narrow passageways. At the end of the session, some children crawled through 'The Toothpaste Tube' to find a different, narrow passageway out, while the rest of the group went out the way they had come in. 

After a fun-filled day of activities, the children enjoyed a dinner of pasta bolognaise with vienetta for pudding. Following on from this, the children completed their course evaluation and visited the souvenir shop. We then had early evening birthday celebrations for the twins which involved singing, birthday cake, a pinata and then watching a film, 'The Greatest Showman'. 

Woodlands Residential - Day 3

Today was a day where the children were certainly challenged and many conquered their fear. After a good night’s sleep and some delicious bacon rolls (amongst other options) for breakfast, the children were full of energy for their third day of adventure. Groups 1 and 2 headed to separate caves for their first experience of caving! For Group 1, they enjoyed a picturesque walk over the hills to get to their cave. Once arrived, they all entered the cave and bravely moved through the narrow passageways. Although there were tears from some children, they were all incredibly brave and they should all be very proud of themselves.

Meanwhile, Group 2 headed to a different cave where they needed to clip on to a rope to climb down the steep hill to get to the cave entrance next to a fast-flowing river. Although many children were feeling nervous, they were all so brave and climbed up into the cave. When in the cave, certain parts were very wet and the children had to wade through the water. The group bravely travelled deeper into the cave and some children attempted the challenges including crawling through ‘The Toothpaste Tube!’

Today, it was Group 3’s turn to go canoeing. They were all incredibly brave getting into their canoes and paddling up and down the canal in pairs. Throughout the day, each child grew in confidence as they learnt all of the different techniques to turn, steer and control the canoe. At the end of the session, the group had the opportunity to slide down the back of a canoe including on their tummies, head first into the canal! A fun time was had by all.

Once back at the centre, the children all enjoyed having a nice, warm shower. Afterwards, many of the children impressed us by trying some new food at dinner time as curry, rice and poppadoms were on the menu tonight, followed by jam sponge and custard! Once dinner was finished, the children all had lots of fun completing their evening activity of map orienteering all around the site. This was followed by a bedtime story before the children went upstairs for bed to get another good night’s sleep before more adventures tomorrow.

Woodlands Residential Day 2

Today the children have enjoyed an exciting, action-packed day. After a good night's sleep, we headed down for breakfast before embarking on our first main activity for the week. Groups 1 and 2 headed out in the minibuses to the canal for a day of canoeing fun. Once arrived, the canoes were unloaded from the trailer, the children were sorted into pairs and the adventure began. The children all did so well, working as a team and mastering how to use the paddle in different ways to control the direction of the canoe. All the children supported and encouraged each other which was lovely to see. They even got to try a few tricks like standing up in the canoes while paddling and some were brave enough to try standing on the edge of the canoe! At the end of the session, all children were given the opportunity to slide down the bottom of the canoe into the canal in various ways. A lot of wet fun was had by all!

Meanwhile, Group 3 stayed at the centre for an exciting day of wall climbing, a thrilling high wire course and the zip wire. It was fairly windy which made this activity even more challenging. The children were able to attempt the climb several times and we were impressed by each child's determination to keep trying and climb higher each time. We were super proud of the resilience and team work shown by all the children - well done Group 3. 

After another yummy dinner this evening, the rainy weather sadly put a stop to our orienteering. However, the children enjoyed participating in a fun team quiz instead. The children then had some free time before a bed time story which will hopefully be followed by another good night's sleep.

Year 6 Woodlands Residential Day 1

We arrived in good time at the centre this morning. All the children had time to unpack and settle happily into their rooms before having their lunch in their activity groups. In the afternoon, the children all participated in a variety of problem solving, team-building challenges which were super fun. We were super impressed with their cooperation skills and their resilience to work as a team to complete each challenge. It was lovely to watch their confidence grow. After that, we had a yummy dinner before heading out again, this time on an exciting night time walk! Equipped with our torches and high vis, we carefully climbed a mountain. At the top, we stopped and enjoyed a few moments of calm by stargazing - some children were lucky enough to spot a shooting star! Then we walked back to the centre and after a bedtime story, all the children are now safely tucked up in bed. We are hoping they get lots of sleep, ready for a fun filled day 2 tomorrow. Today has been an amazing start to our residential; the children have all been listening respectfully and using their best manners and we are really proud of them all. 

Welcome to 

Year 6 Team:

Mrs Duffy - Class Teacher

Mr Jackson - Class Teacher 

Mrs Hayes - Teaching Assistant

Mrs Charalambous - Teaching Assistant

Welcome to the Year Six section of the website. Look out for regular updates to find out what the children have been learning and experiencing.

Routine and Information

• PE kits should be worn all day on our PE days. Year 6 PE days this term are: Mondays and Wednesday.
• Year 6 are swimming this term. Children should bring: a swimming costume, swimming hat, goggles and towel in a bag.
• Homework will be set on a Wednesday using CGP books and handed in the following Monday.
• Spellings form part of the homework. However these will be set on a Wednesday and tested before the new spellings are given out. Your child should practice these spellings across the week. Please see our spellings overview below.
• Please listen to your child read at least 3 times a week and comment in their reading journals. Try some of our reading comprehension questions below to see how much your child can remember!
• Pencil cases – If pupils wish to bring in a pencil case then it should be small and flat, containing no more than 15 items so that it can fit in trays. Stationery should be limited to a biro or handwriting pen, pencil, 1 rubber, 1 pencil sharpener, 1 ruler, 10 or less coloured pencils or felt tips. If children bring in inappropriate equipment they will be asked to take them home.
• Uniform – Please see the updated uniform expectations document on the parents page. 
• Hair – Long hair must be safely tied back and hair must be the child’s natural colour. Hair fastenings should be plain and in school colours. 

Staffing

Monday - Thursday (am): Mrs Duffy, Mrs Hayes and Mrs Charalambous

Thursday (pm) - Friday: Mr Jackson, Mrs Hayes and Mrs Charalambous

We welcome you to come and speak to us if you have any queries. Please leave a message with the staff member at the gate if you cannot see a member of the Year 6 team. Time is limited in the mornings and not particularly private, so the end of the day is preferable if it can wait.

In Year 6, pupils will be asked to complete homework containing reading, SPaG, maths and another task (writing, topic, science etc).

Reading will be recorded in reading records and spelling will be recorded in English books. Reading records should be in on a Friday. Spellings will be tested on the Wednesday. 

Any 'other tasks' can be completed on paper and photographed or on a computer or tablet. Photos can be emailed to the school office.

Spellings for Year 6

We are learning to spell the words from the year 5 and 6 spelling list, along side our weekly spellings.

What are we learning about this term?

Theme: Incredible Oxford!

We are studying our local city, learning about its growth and importance, both geographically and historically, and learning about the amazing authors who have been inspired by it.

Link text: Lyra's Oxford, by Philip Pullman and texts by other significan authors, including Rooftoppers, by Katherine Rundle, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and The Girl of Ink and Stars, by Kieran Millward Hargrave. 

See below for our curriculum map for Autumn 2025

Religious Education, PSHE and Collective Worship

In RE we are learning "What is the best way for a Muslim to show commitment to God?" in our study of Islam.

In Jigsaw PSHE lessons our unit is: Being Me In My World

In Collective Worship our theme is: Kindness and Care

Useful websites

These websites can be useful for helping with homework, revision for the SATs or for working from home.

BBC Bitesize

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/levels/zbr9wmn  

Use BBC Bitesize to help with your homework, revision and learning. Find free videos, step-by-step guides, activities and quizzes by level and subject.

Crickweb KS2 English

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2literacy.html

Range of interactive games to support learning in all areas of literacy.

Top Marks Education

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=9&AgeGroup=3 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/times-tables

Our favourite maths game is Hit the Button!

Times Tables

https://www.timestables.co.uk/speed-test/

Useful to practice your times tables at home. In the link is the speed test. How fast can you go?

BBC Newsround

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround

We like to watch this in class, but you could try reading some of the articles when you are at home!

DK Find Out!

https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/

Fun facts for kids!