Welcome to Year 6!

As we approach our final term at primary school, it’s hard to believe how quickly the year has gone. This term is always a special one—filled with important milestones, exciting opportunities, and lasting memories.

The children will be working hard as they prepare for their SATs, showing all they have learned and how much they have grown. We are incredibly proud of their efforts so far and will continue to support and encourage them every step of the way.

Alongside this, we have so many wonderful things to look forward to! Highlights of the term include our residential trip, a fun-filled visit to Paultons Park, an engaging STEM Day, and transition visits to secondary school to help prepare for the next big step.

To celebrate the end of their primary journey, we will also enjoy a leavers’ party, a special homework treat, and of course, our memorable leavers’ assembly—a chance to reflect on all the fantastic achievements and moments shared over the years.

It’s set to be a busy, exciting, and emotional final term, and we can’t wait to make it truly unforgettable for our Year 6 pupils. Let’s make the most of every moment!

Mrs Healy and Mrs Walker 

March 2026 - First Aid Workshop

Willow class took part in a fantastic Kids First Aid training session, and what an inspiring experience it was! The children learned a range of important life-saving skills in a fun, engaging, and age-appropriate way. From understanding how to respond in an emergency to learning basic first aid techniques, every child had the opportunity to become a hero.

During the session, pupils explored:

• How to stay calm and call for help in an emergency
• Basic CPR awareness and when it might be needed
• How to help someone who is choking
• Simple ways to treat minor injuries like cuts and burns

The trainer made the session interactive with demonstrations, role-play, and hands-on activities. The children especially enjoyed practicing what they would say when calling emergency services and learning how to put someone in the recovery position.

It was wonderful to see the children building confidence and understanding the importance of helping others. They showed great enthusiasm, asked thoughtful questions, and supported each other throughout the training.

We are incredibly proud of how mature and responsible the class was during this session. These are skills that not only empower them but could one day make a real difference.

Well done, First Aid Heroes! 👏

DT - January 2026

Last week, as part of our DT unit on food and nutrition, we took part in a food tasting activity to help us prepare for designing our own fajitas. We sampled a range of wraps and pittas and carefully evaluated each one.  We scored them based on their appearance (aesthetics), ease of folding, texture, and taste. This helped us think about how different types of bread can affect the overall eating experience.  The activity encouraged us to share our opinions, compare results, and think like food designers. We will use what we learned to help us choose the most suitable wrap when creating our own fajitas in our next lessons.

January 2026 - Outdoor Learning (2)

This week we took part in another outdoor learning session and learned some exciting new survival skills. We started by sharpening hazel wood to make our own skewers, which took patience and careful technique.  Next, we had a go at fire lighting using fire steels. We practised striking them to create sparks and learned how people make fire without matches. Unfortunately, the rainy weather and damp ground meant our fire pit wouldn’t light but everyone was successful in lighting their cotton pad!  Even though the fire didn’t work, we still had lots of fun. We gathered around our pretend fire and imagined eating hot, toasted marshmallows together. It was a great experience that taught us new skills, teamwork!

December 2025 - DT Day

This term, Willow Class has been exploring Maya shelters in DT. After considering the needs of a specific user and the purpose of the final product, the children designed their own shelter structures. They first practised key woodwork skills to prepare for the build, including accurate measuring, safe sawing, and secure joining techniques. They also learned how to reinforce their frames to improve strength and how to use a glue gun safely.  With these skills in place, the children created a brilliant collection of sturdy, thoughtfully designed shelters.

November 2025 - PE 

This afternoon, Willow Class were fortunate enough take part in some PE at Costello.  Miss Lewis arranged for the children to have a tour around the school and then take part in benchball.  Afterwards, the children paired up with some Year 7 ex-Rucstall pupils who showed them around and answered any questions they had.  Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to help this event take place.

English writing - November 2025

In English, we have been crafting our own horror narratives inspired by the short film Francis. After working hard to build suspense, atmosphere, and vivid descriptions, the children were proud to share their writing with one another. To make the experience even more immersive, we gathered around the fire pit in the morning to read our stories aloud, using the crackling fire and cool air to help set an eerie mood. After our storytelling session, we enjoyed toasting marshmallows as a cosy—and much less spooky—finish to the morning.

Art - November 2025

In Art, the children have been exploring traditional Maya crafts by designing and creating their own woven products. They carefully planned their patterns, selected colours and materials, and used weaving techniques to bring their designs to life.

The results are a wonderful celebration of creativity, patience, and skill. Here are our finished woven pieces for you to enjoy!

Outdoor Learning - November 2025

This week in outdoor learning, we explored different types of dens and shelters. After recapping the features of natural and man-made dens, we got hands-on with traps, ropes, and natural materials to build our own structures.

Working in small groups, we experimented with several shelter designs, including tripod shelters, large natural dens, and ridge-line tarp shelters. Each group used teamwork, problem-solving, and plenty of creativity to bring their ideas to life.

When our shelters were complete, we shared them with each other and turned our creations into a mini village in the woods. It was a fantastic afternoon of collaboration, fresh air, and outdoor adventure!

Maya Ball Game - October 2025

Willow Class have been exploring the exciting world of the Ancient Maya in their History lessons. This week, they investigated the Maya ball game, Pok-a-Tok - a sport that was both challenging and important in Maya culture!  Using clues from ancient artefacts and paintings, the class created fascinating fact files about what the game might have looked like and how it was played. Then came the fun part - they tried playing their own version! Everyone quickly realised how tricky it was to play without using their hands, so some new, modern rules had to be invented!  

Maya Sacrifice – October 2025

Year 6 have been diving into the fascinating world of the Ancient Maya civilisation in History! To help bring their learning to life, they took part in a fun re-enactment of a traditional Maya ceremony. The class worked together to imagine what life might have been like thousands of years ago and then used their knowledge to write detailed non-chronological reports about the experience.

(Don’t worry — no real sacrifices were made! Everyone stayed safe and had lots of fun while learning!)

Bikeability Lessons - October 2025 

This week, Willow Class took on the challenge of Bikeability for two whole days! There were wobbles, giggles, and lots of determination as everyone worked hard to build their cycling skills. Some of us felt nervous at first, but we all kept going and supported each other along the way. By the end, we were riding more confidently, learning how to signal, stop safely, and even tackle the roads. We are so proud of how everyone persevered, never gave up, and encouraged their friends. Well done, Willow Class – you really pedalled your way to success! 🚴✨

September - Outdoor Learning

Today was an action-packed day of outdoor learning, filled with teamwork, creativity, and a whole lot of fun! 🌿 The children worked together to build incredible shelters with the Kit Camp, complete with sturdy walls and a roof – just like real-life explorers. Then, they ventured into the woodland area to create natural dens, using branches, sticks, and plenty of imagination.  But the adventure didn’t stop there! They also mastered the art of constructing ridge line shelters, learning valuable survival skills along the way.

To top it all off, we gathered together inside one of the shelters for a story, the perfect ending to a day of discovery and outdoor adventure!

September 2025 - French

In French, the children have been learning how to explain where different European countries are using compass points.