Year Six Curriculum Newsletter Autumn 2025
Joy Excellence Service "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them." Psalm 126:5-6
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Pupils will reflect upon and link scripture to our school mission statement of Joy, Excellence and Service. They will learn about our class saint ‘St Maximilian Kolbe. The children will explore the second Creation story from Genesis and will learn about the Fall and the Christian belief in original sin. They will explore how sin damages relationships with God, with others and with creation. The children will go onto learn that in Jesus a new covenant is made and through him the relationship between humanity and God can be restored. They will explore the sacrament of Baptism and will also consider the relationship between faith and science. In Year 6, children will explore the important role of women in salvation history. They will hear Old Testament stories of figures such as Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah and Esther, and will learn how these women were true protagonists in God’s plan, as recognised by Pope John Paul II. They will study the Gospel accounts of the Annunciation, comparing Luke’s and Matthew’s narratives, and will learn that Mary is the fulfilment of Old Testament promises and became the Mother of God through her “Yes” to God’s plan. They will also explore the Magnificat and will learn about women today who respond to God’s call.
RSHE In year 6, we will use story sessions guided by reflections on ‘Calming the Storm’ to drive our conversations and explore the power of ‘yet’ through discussion around 'growth mindset’. We will discuss changes to our bodies during puberty and reflect on the gifts and talents that God has given to each of us.
ENGLISH Pupils will continue to enjoy a variety of texts and authors. Our focus text is ‘Letters From The Lighthouse’ by Emma Carroll. We will compose writing linked to our key text including a descriptive piece of writing, an explanation, poetry and writing a narrative whilst applying key spelling, punctuation and grammar skills. We will develop our editing skills and work on producing effective writing for a range of audiences. As a whole class, pupils will read a range of extracts and literature relating to our topics. We will continue to analyse texts with a particular focus on skills pertaining to word meaning, retrieval, summary, interference and prediction.
MATHS Our maths learning will consist of arithmetic, key skills and problem solving sessions. We will cover a wide range of topics in the Autumn term whilst revisiting and reviewing prior learning. These topics include numbers to 10,000,000, decimals, rounding, multiplication, division, column addition and subtraction, long formal methods, ‘BODMAS’, fractions, decimals and percentages.
SCIENCE During the first half of the Autumn term, pupils will learn
about adaptation, evolution and inheritance. We will explore themes of natural selection, fossils, adaptive traits and inherited traits. This will include learning about how different species have adapted physically or behaviourally to survive in a particular type of habitat.
In the second half of the Autumn term, we will explore the topic of ‘Animals including Humans.’ We will learn about how the heart pumps the blood around the body, the function of blood and the impact of diet and exercise on our bodies.
HISTORY In the first half of the Autumn term, the pupils will be learning about the significance of ‘The Magna Carta’, meaning "Great Charter" in Latin. The children will take part in a local study of the Magna Carta and will learn that it is a charter of rights agreed to by King John of England in 1215. During the second half of the Autumn term, we will delve into the history of WW2 including gaining an understanding of the reasons for WW2, key figures of WW2 and the experiences of children who were evacuated during WW2.
ART/DT In art, we will learn how to communicate movement in sculpture, manipulate wire to create images of figures and solve problems as they occur. We will study the work of Giacommetti and we will use this artist to inspire our sculptures. In Design and Technology, our topic is ‘Mechanisms’. Through this unit of work, the children will research designs for vehicles with moving parts from the World War Two era and plan their designs accordingly.
MUSIC Our first topic ‘Music and Technology’ will focus on listening, singing, playing, improvising and composing with twentieth century orchestral, pop and soul music. Our second topic ‘Developing Ensemble Skills’ will focus on singing and playing in a group to develop ensemble music. The pupils will also reflect on the question, ‘How does music connect us to our past?’
MFL This term we will be learning about the location of Spain by asking “¿Dónde está España?” and discovering which other countries around the world speak Spanish. We will talk about where we live, using the question “¿Dónde vives?”. As part of developing our language skills, we will practise asking and answering simple questions in Spanish. The pupils will learn to count from 1 to 100, which will support us in games, classroom activities, and everyday conversations. Later in the term, we will explore vocabulary related to Christmas, learning how this festive season is celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries. Throughout the term, we will continue to improve our pronunciation and build confidence in speaking Spanish through fun, interactive activities that develop our conversational skills.
P.E. In our indoor dance unit, we will focus on the skills of artistry, partnering, circles and shapes. We will then move onto develop and apply dynamic balances on a line and practise our counter balances with a partner through focused skill development, games, sports and healthy competition. Throughout the Autumn term, we will work on the skills needed for cricket, outdoor athletics and adventurous activities alongside orienteering.
COMPUTING In Autumn, we begin by reminding pupils about online safety. Pupils will then go onto use the iPads to create their own short film. They will create a storyboard for their film and experiment with different filming techniques and camera angles to bring their film to life. They will then make improvements to their film by reshooting and editing. In the second half of the Autumn term, pupils will learn to write code. They will learn to identify and explain what a variable is and why it is used in a program. They will choose how to improve a game using variables. Moving onto designing and creating their own project.