Stanway Fiveways Primary School

This week, Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic visit to The Garrison, where they had the opportunity to put their squash skills into practice on the courts. The children brought together all the skills they have developed over the term, demonstrating impressive technique, coordination, agility and control.

They threw themselves into the experience with great enthusiasm and confidence, looking just like professional squash players! It was wonderful to see how much progress the children have made and how confidently they applied their skills in a real sporting environment.

An excellent day was had by all, and the children thoroughly enjoyed this exciting opportunity to showcase their learning!

This week, as part of our Science learning, Year 6 have been exploring electricity by building and investigating electrical circuits. The children have been developing their practical skills by connecting cells, wires, bulbs and other components to create complete circuits. They have been investigating how different components work together, identifying when a circuit is complete and troubleshooting connections when things don’t work as expected.

Through this hands-on learning, the children have been developing key skills including using recognised circuit symbols to represent simple circuits, understanding how the brightness of a bulb or the function of other components can be affected by changes to a circuit, and applying their scientific knowledge to make predictions and explain their observations.

The children have shown great curiosity and perseverance, using their problem-solving skills to test ideas, make changes and improve their understanding of how electrical circuits work.

This week in PSHE, Year 6 revisited their previous learning about mental health, recapping what it means and why looking after our emotional wellbeing is just as important as looking after our physical health.

The children then took part in an outdoor learning activity focused on the positive impact of trees and spending time outside on our wellbeing. They moved around the outdoor space, responding to a series of true or false statements and discussing their ideas together. All of the statements were true, helping the children to recognise the many benefits of being outdoors, from reducing stress and improving mood to helping us feel calmer, more focused and connected to nature.

The children thoroughly enjoyed taking their learning outside, engaging enthusiastically with the activity and sharing their thoughts with one another.

This week in DT, Year 6 have been developing their practical skills as they began constructing their frames. The children carefully measured and marked out their pieces of wood before using saws to cut them to the correct lengths. They then used glue guns to join the pieces together, showing excellent care and precision throughout the process.

It has been fantastic to see the children applying a range of important DT skills, including accurate measuring, marking out, cutting, joining materials, using tools safely and checking that their structures are strong and stable. They have also been developing their problem-solving skills, evaluating their work as they go and making adjustments where needed to ensure their frames fit together neatly.

The children have shown real patience, concentration and resilience, taking pride in the quality of their work. We have been particularly impressed by their attention to detail and the precision of their measurements. Well done, Year 6 – we look forward to seeing their finished projects!

This week, Year 6 have been thoroughly enjoying their squash sessions! They have been developing a range of skills, including hand-eye coordination, racket control, accurate serving, controlling the direction of the ball and moving quickly around the court. The children have been working hard to improve their technique, practising their forehand and backhand shots, and learning how to position themselves ready to return the ball. It has been fantastic to see how much progress they have made already, with their confidence, accuracy and ability to keep a rally going improving noticeably.

With their visit to The Garrison coming up, the children are certainly on target and are developing the skills they need to put their learning into practice. Well done, Year 6 – keep up the great work!!

This week the children thoroughly enjoyed their first Forest School session. They had a fantastic time exploring the Forest School area, becoming familiar with their surroundings and developing their confidence in the outdoors.

The children took part in a range of activities, including nature exploration, collecting natural materials, identifying plants and trees, den building and woodland games. They enjoyed working together, developing their communication and teamwork skills while discovering more about the natural environment.

It was wonderful to see the children embracing the opportunity to learn outdoors, showing curiosity, enthusiasm and a real sense of adventure.

It has been wonderful to welcome the children back to Year 6 after the summer break. We have had a fantastic start to the new school year, with the children settling in brilliantly and already showing so much enthusiasm, curiosity and potential.

This week, we have been enjoying Continents Week, with our focus on the fascinating continent of Asia. The children have enjoyed exploring the diverse countries, cultures and history of this vast continent.

As part of our learning, the children used atlases to identify and locate different countries across Asia, developing their geographical knowledge and map-reading skills. We also delved into the fascinating history of the terracotta, discovering why thousands of life-sized clay soldiers were created to protect China’s first emperor in the afterlife. The children were amazed by the detail and scale of this incredible archaeological discovery.

To bring our learning to life creatively, the children produced some stunning blossom cherry tree artwork using watercolours. Their beautiful creations showcased both their artistic skills and their growing confidence.

What a wonderful first week back! The children have made a fantastic start, and we are already seeing them demonstrate the enthusiasm, resilience and potential that will make Year 6 such a special year.