In PE the children are playing the River Crossing Game where in groups they have to cross the ‘river’ to get to the other side. They cross in teams of 6 but they only have 6 ‘stepping stones’. If they fall in the ‘river’ they all have to return to the ‘river bank’ and start the crossing again. Good communication and organisation skills are necessary to make a successful crossing. To make it harder, the team have to cross whilst holding hands.

Year 6 have been learning about variables on the computer that can be changed. They used the computer game Scratch to choose two sprites which when clicked on scored a number of points. The children had to find the code to programme the sprite. 

Year 6 have been exploring the art of Catalan artist Joan Miro who used bright colours and geometric shapes in his art work. The children made their own collages in his style. 

This term Year 6 are travelling back in time to learn about the Islamic Golden Age. We have already located Baghdad on Google maps and learned that the River Tigris flows near to the city. We have discovered that it was built in a round shape with a Mosque at its centre and was a melting pot of ideas and knowledge due to its location on the major trade routes. We have begun reading The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad by Saviour Pirotta to immerse ourselves in the historic period. 

Jabir is the man of the house after his father’s death. His family are under threat of eviction if they fail to pay the rent. He goes to Baghdad to seek work. When a clockmaker discovers Jabir’s exquisite whittling skills, he hires Jabir to make twelve horsemen for Haran Al-Rashid, the caliph, to present to Charlamagne, Emperor in Europe. Will Jabir’s life change?

It was so lovely to be back in All Saints Church for our carol service. Mrs Budgett had worked hard with the choir so that they sang the descants beautifully. Year 6 read the Christmas story with confidence into the microphone and, for some, that meant overcoming some nerves and fear. They read clearly and confidently and did really well. I was very proud of them. Thank you to Rev Trudie for leading us in a blessing at the end of our service. Thank you to Marion for serving us by putting the heaters on for us.

We do wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas. See you all in the new year.

Year 6 were amazed by the increase in number of websites since Yahoo first began in 1994. Using search engines and browsers are things they take for granted. They were asked to write instructions on how to search to find out Gandhi’s date of birth. They swapped books with a friend who followed their instructions to find out the answer. After that, they searched for rugby, sale and boot to discover what the internet would throw up. When I told them I wanted to find out about the three places-Rugby, Sale and Boot- in Britain, it lead to a discussion on why we need to narrow or refine our searches when using a search engine. 

To complete their History this term, on Crime and Punishment, Year 6 presented their learning on a double page spread. 

We have been looking at the work of Gustav Klimt in art, exploring how he loved creating patterns in his paintings and using gold leaf. Year 6 copied some of Klimt’s patterns and designed their Christmas cards using his style. 

Year 6 looked great in their Christmas Jumpers on Friday. It added to the growing sense of Christmas sizzle and excitement.