Classroom information:

Stationery

One of the things our children love in Year 6 is being able to bring their own stationery. There is no specific requirement for children to bring stationery other than a blue or black pen/biro, a pencil and a ruler. However, if they wish to do so, all children are allowed to bring their own small pencil case to school with basic stationery items (e.g. blue handwriting pen, pencil, rubber, ruler, pencil sharpener, scissors, glue, hi-lighters, protractor). In addition, if they wish to bring pencils and pens for use in Art they may also do so – these should be kept in a separate pencil case and left in their school bag.

The children keep their school bags in a storage unit just outside our classroom. Each child is allocated a storage box so please ensure that bags are not too large. Children are allowed to bring a backpack-style bag if they wish (this does not need to be a school logo bag) and it should be large enough to carry A4 sized books and folders.

Reading

We operate a library system in our class, where children are all required to sign out a library book/book from home to read. They are expected to read this book at home and at school during guided reading sessions/quiet time in class. Pupils read regularly to staff and we keep a track of their progress.

It is important that children read texts that provide suitable challenge and engagement in Upper Key Stage 2. A recommended reading list can be found at the bottom of this page to help you and your child choose suitable texts if you require support. Bookshops and libraries are also willing to recommend texts and it is definitely worth having a chat with staff if you are unsure. In addition, we are also part of the Accelerated Reader scheme, to help our children to choose reading books of a suitable level.

Our Year 6 children use Reading Plus to support their reading fluency and comprehension skills – they complete up to 3 sessions per week in school and are encouraged to supplement this at home when they can.

One important way that you can support your child in year 6 is by reading with them. Reading is key to success in English both at KS2 and beyond. Take a little time to listen to them read, to read to them and to discuss books that they are reading.

Homework

Each child is given a homework diary at the beginning of the year. It is their responsibility to look after this diary and to record in it any work they are expected to complete at home. Parents are asked to sign the book at the end of each week to acknowledge they have seen the homework that has been set. The diary will also be used to record any other important information that the children need to bring home/remember. Please encourage your child to look after this book. The use of a homework diary is good preparation for secondary school, where the children will be required to maintain a work planner.

Homework in year 6 is used to help the children consolidate their learning as well as to provide an opportunity to prepare for sessions or research a topic we are studying in class. We use Google Classroom as the platform for our weekly homework, as well as for some of the work that the children complete in class. Further details are provided to both children and parents/carers at the start of the autumn term. Once children are at St Thomas More, they will use an online learning platform for a lot of their work, so it is important that they develop their confidence with this approach in Year 6. Weekly homework is set on a Friday in most cases, however there maybe additional research/preparation homework that the children need to complete to support their learning. 

From January, Year 6 children will also have SATs revision homework each week. This will be given out during their SATs revision classes which will take place from 3 pm – 4.15 pm each Tuesday and Thursday from January.

SATs

KS2 SATs will take place from Monday 12th May until Thursday 15th May 2025. Further guidance about these can be found in the SATs information documents on the website. In addition, information about SATs is provided in a parents’ meeting in early January each year.

Google Classroom

As mentioned above, we use Google Classroom for homework and other classwork in Year 6. Your child has a school email address and their login details and will be required to log on to the classrooms for the relevant subjects in year 6. There is a link to a parents’ guide to Google Classroom in the documents section below. Pupils have logins for all relevant programmes in their homework diary.

Class Dojo

In Year 6, general updates for parents and children will be sent through Class Dojo. Make sure you sign up to see pictures on our Class Story as well as general messages. If you have any queries about your child’s progress, or any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via the school office to arrange a meeting or for quick queries, use Dojo.