Class 6
Welcome to Class 6
2026-27
Autumn Term
Class 6 have made a brilliant start to their final year at Ashton Keynes! The children have been working incredibly hard and have enjoyed taking on the responsibility of being buddies to our new Year R children. They made welcome stars which the Year Rs were presented with at Holy Cross Church and they have been looking after their buddies at play times too and getting to know them.
English
In English, the children have enjoyed reading the beginning of the dystopian novel ‘Floodland’ by Marcus Sedgwick. So far, we have discovered that Zoe has become separated from her parents and she is currently stranded on Eels Island. The children have enjoyed writing diaries, in role as Zoe, inferring her thoughts and feelings as the events of the story unfold. Have a look at a couple of examples below:
Maths
In Maths, we have been focusing on place value as well as addition and subtraction. We have been working hard on using appropriate methods to solve problems efficiently.
Geography
In Geography this term we have been learning about climate change. So far, we have identified the different climate zones across the world and considered the impact that humans have on our planet. We have learnt about The Greenhouse Effect and how climate change impacts humans in different countries around in the world differently. We have been considering the impacts of climate change on humans in the UK, Bangladesh, The Maldives and Pakistan.
Forest School
In Forest School, the children enjoyed working with Mr Jackson to make willow wreaths to use as bird feeders. We even managed to attach an apple to each one!
Fencing
Year 6 have also enjoyed taking part in Fencing lessons with Neil Bromley from Cricklade Fencing Club so far this term. The children have been getting used to different commands and wearing the safety equipment. The fencing sessions are funded by the school as part of our affordability project so no additional cost to parents but a brilliant opportunity for our Y6 children to achieve level 1 fencing. It may even lead to some children taking up the sport and joining the local Cricklade fencing club outside school.
Sprituality Week – Learning Metaphor
We started the year by considering the whole-school learning metaphor ‘Different together’ and the children carefully considered what this means to them and to others. They explored how they see the world, their place in the community and thought about their personal goals for this academic year. We particularly enjoyed the paper tower challenge!
2025-26
Spring Term
Forest School
Class 6 have had another action-packed half term in school and the children have continued to work exceptionally hard. In Forest School, we were lucky enough to have a visit from James who works as an ecologist at Lower Mill Estate. Following our pond being relined recently, the children were tasked with making newt egg laying strips as we currently have a lack of vegetation around the edge of our school pond. The children used pond liners, pebbles and teamwork to successfully create the egg laying strips. Class 6 also enjoyed pond dipping in the session and looking for evidence of newts (including great-crested) living in our school pond. James shared his expertise and the children had lots of fun. A special mention to Eva who managed to find a great-crested newt!
English
In English this term, we have been continuing to read the novel Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. We have been writing TripAdvisor style customer reviews to share family ‘holidays’ to Kensuke’s island. The children found this particularly enjoyable and many of the children enjoyed giving the resort a 1 star rating!
Science
In Science, we have enjoyed learning the key components of a balanced diet. We have learnt about the different food groups and the different types of fats. We have also learnt about drugs and how some drugs are classified as being legal or illegal. We looked at painkillers, depressants and stimulants and the impacts they can have on the body. We have also learnt about what cigarettes are made up of and the health risks associated with smoking.
History
In History, we have enjoyed continuing with learning about Ancient Greece. We have made Top Trump style cards of Greek Gods and Goddesses as well as learning about the importance of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greek culture and the balance of religious, social and sporting activities at the Ancient Olympics.
Mock Trials
A huge well done to the group of year 6 pupils took part in the Mock Trials at Cirencester Baptist Church this week. The event is designed to give children a true taste of what a courtroom is really like and allows them to compete against another school. Previous to this, all of Year 6 experienced an excellent visit from the Magistrates to further learn about Democracy and the Rule of Law. Then a team of pupils prepared and attended a mock trial against another local school. We were the prosecution team and at the end of the trial, a guilty verdict was given! All of the children performed admirably and it was very evident on the day that they had spent lots of time rehearsing and learning their lines carefully as the whole group performed without using a single script!
English
In English this term, we have been reading the novel Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. So far, Michael – an eleven-year old boy – has found out that he is about to set sail on an around-the-world trip with his parents, and family dog Stella Artois, after his Dad was made redundant from the local brickworks. We have written diary entries, in role as Michael, to explain his thoughts and feelings ahead of the voyage…
Geography
In Geography, we are learning all about Scandinavia. We have identified the countries found there and we have been busy researching the different biomes that make up Scandinavia.
We know that Scandinavia sits in Northern Europe, stretching high up towards the Arctic Circle. We have learnt that its position means it has long, cold winters and short, cool summers – perfect conditions for cold biomes like tundra and taiga. We have also found out that as you travel from north to south, the climate changes – and so do the biomes!
Autumn Term
English
In English, Class 6 have just started reading the dystopian novel Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick. This is a story set in a dystopian world where global warming has caused the sea to rise until cities are turning into islands and civilization is crumbling. The city of Norwich has been consumed by flooding and new islands have appeared… Ten year-old Zoe was left behind on Norwich by accident when her parents escaped in the last supply ship to visit the island. Zoe discovers a small rowboat and keeps it a secret until she can set out alone on the great sea to find her parents. She lands on tiny Eels Island, where she must survive in a nightmarish world run by wild children and their boy-leader, Dooby.
We have been working incredibly hard on our writing, thinking carefully about our use of punctuation and its impact on the reader. We have written some fantastic descriptive pieces including setting descriptions of Eels Island and character descriptions of Zoe. Have a read through some of our writing below:
Maths
In Maths, we have been focusing on place value as well as addition and subtraction. We have been working hard on using appropriate methods to solve problems efficiently. Have a look at some of our long multiplication and long division work below!
Geography
In Geography this term we have been learning all about climate change and how we can all work as a team to reduce our own carbon footprints to help the environment. We have investigated how more economically developed countries contribute more to the climate crisis but also have more money to spend on pursuing new green initiatives (such as electric cars and solar panels). We have considered the pros and cons of using renewable energy sources and calculated food miles to show the distances food has to travel from where it is produced to our plates! We used atlases and a food miles calculator to investigate the distances some of our favourite foods have to travel. We discussed the importance of growing our own produce and supporting local farmers.
History
As part of Black History Month, Class 6 have been learning about Martin Luther King and his speech ‘I have a Dream’ and its impact on society. We learnt about the fundamental role he played in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and in his role as a civil rights leaders.
Have a look at some of our work on Martin Luther King below:
Science
We have been learning all about living things and their habitats. We have looked at: the difference between living and non-living things, grouping and classifying organisms (plants and animals) by their physical characteristics using classification keys and microorganisms. We also learnt about Carl Linnaeus and how he classified organisms based on a hierarchical system. We discoveed that because Linnaeus did not have all the information
we have now, his system was not accurate. For example, he was not aware of the existence of microorganisms, and he did not classify reptiles as a separate vertebrate group. Have a look at some of our fact files on Carl Linnaeus below:
Wiltshire Police – Online Safety Talk
On Monday 6th October, Class 5 and 6 were lucky enough to have visits from Wiltshire Police to talk about how we can all stay safe online. During the session, the children learnt about:
- Suitable technology for their age (including ages for different apps we use)
- How to keep safe when using the internet and what a good online profile should look like
- What cyberbullying is and the impacts of being hurtful to others online
- How to keep safe when out and about with friends and family
The children found the sessions really interesting and enjoyed listening to a catchy song which reinforced online safety rules. From the session, the key message was to not to talk to strangers online and to keep your personal information to yourself and report anything to a trusted adult when appropriate. We also learnt about how we can use childnet.com to block strangers online. Finally, the children enjoyed asking questions at the end about online safety and cyberbullying.
Learning Metaphor 2025 – ‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’
Class 6 started the year thinking about the quote, ‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ We read the book ‘The Dot’ and linked this to how we grow as learners and set ourselves personal goals to reach by the end of Year 6.
We designed class charters based on the learning metaphor and the positive learning behaviours we can show.
We also learnt about the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. In role as him, we wrote diaries explaining how he ‘renewed his mind’ by meeting Jesus:
