Year 5/6 Teachers: Mrs Barry – Mrs Moore – Mrs Camp-Overy
Select this link and it will bring you to the topics for Spring 2013 UJ
Curriculum Map UJ Cycle 1 2012 to 2013 2
At St Edmund Campion transition to secondary school starts at the beginning of year 5 and at this point the staff all urge parents to encourage their child to be more independent both in coming in and out of school and in taking responsibility for their own belongings. However, the children will already be familiar with the Upper Junior staff and they will know they can always ask for help.
Classes
There are three mixed year 5/6 classes in the Upper Juniors and all children are in a registration class. In this context the children take the register and are taught the foundation subjects during the afternoons as well as science. As a catholic school religious education is a core subject and also taught as part of the registration class . For maths and literacy the classes are set, largely based upon age group but mostly in the context where the children are most able to thrive from a learning point of view. Thus there is no top or bottom class, the classes will be teaching different objectives according to the needs of the children.
In terms of attainment we are very aspirational in all subjects. In literacy children can achieve at different levels in different genres of writing and the teachers will assess the writing attainment over the whole year as well as the optional SATs tests in year 5. With the loss of the externally marked writing test in year 6 and its replacement by the new Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Test the current year 6 have a new, and currently unknown, format to look forward to. They will be prepared for this test in the best way possible given that this is currently an unknown quantity.
Again, it is the attainment of all the children that the staff see as paramount and the dynamics of both Maths and Literacy classes may change over the academic year in order to accommodate the needs of the children. The teachers are supported by very experienced Teaching Assistants.
Homework
With the homework diary the children are prepared for the daily Planner that will form part of their day at Key Stage three and beyond. Homework is set regularly in maths and literacy and takes different forms according to the class. Children are asked to show their homework diary to their parents and ask for the diary to be signed each week. Parents are requested to support their children’s need to complete homework. We are all trying hard to prepare for children for secondary school.
Competition and performance
At St Edmund Campion we try and grasp every sporting opportunity available and will send as many children to compete in a wide range of tournaments as the rules of each sport will allow. We have reached County finals on a number of occasions in tag-rugby and hockey. Many of the children play in the netball and football times in a regular league.
When available we will enter children into other competitions such as maths and science. In Literacy many of the children had the opportunity to take part in the Maidenhead Thames Rotary Club Key Stage 2 Writing competition. We have been the lucky winners on a number of occasions.
Trips
In Year 5 the children visit the PGL centre in Swindon where they undertake a wide range of outdoor and adventurous activities. The trip lasts three days so the children are only away a couple of nights. Many of the activities involve lots of mud and water and the trip is great fun for all, even the teachers who attend!
This short initial trip paves the way for the longer Year 6 trip to North Wales. St Edmund Campion children have been visiting this area of Wales for thirty years and this particular hotel for twelve years. Visits include lots of walking and trips to many underground venues. Recently there has also been the opportunity to ride on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Starting on a Sunday the children are away for six days in the company of experienced staff.
The Upper Juniors is a great time for pupils at St Edmund Campion. There are opportunities for children to take on extra duties and responsibilities across the school and sometimes they find qualities within themselves that neither parents nor teachers knew they had before. Upper junior pupils take on more responsible roles in the school council, can apply for the roles of Head Boy and Head Girl, and Deputy Head boy and Deputy Head Girl. Sports captains are also chosen on a termly basis. On open mornings for prospective parents Year 6 children take turns to tour parents around the school to see how the school works on a daily basis.
In all our children we hope to find hidden skills and talents that help to form a secondary school student of the future and, as a result, prepare them for the rest of their academic lives.
Core Reading Scheme
“Letters and Sounds” and “Oxford Reading Tree”.