Y6 Curriculum Information
Term: Autumn Term 2025
Home Learning
Home Learning is set on Friday due in the following Thursday.
This will include a Maths task and an English task. Tasks will be posted on Google Classroom.
Maths will be an online task through the Maths Shed platform unless stated otherwise.
English will alternate between a reading comprehension task and a grammar task in CGP books.
Spellings should be practised via Spelling Shed, and a copy of spellings for the whole half term can be found on Google classroom.
You should be practising your spellings, rapid recall target and times tables daily, as well as reading for at least 15 minutes.
Please continue to encourage your child to read EVERY DAY and access a variety of authors and genres of writing - reading underpins all areas of the curriculum.
Maths
Children should by now be very confident in all their times tables (up to the 12 times table). Children must be able to answer related questions quickly and fluently. Please practise these at home with your child on a daily basis.
Maths No Problem will be used throughout Year 6 and the children will be continuing to use Rapid Recall to develop and consolidate mental maths skills.
Most Maths No Problem chapters include problem solving activities where children will be consolidating and extending their use and understanding of bar modelling method. All children will be expected to complete reasoning challenges related to the topic of study.
Rapid Recall will be given out weekly. Rapid Recall is very important to practise as an arithmetic paper is included as part of the SATs tests at the end of the year.
This term children will be learning:
Numbers to 10 000 000
In this chapter pupils are refining their knowledge of place value, working with numbers between 1 000 000 and 10 000 000. This will include; reading and writing numbers to 10 000 000, rounding and comparing numbers to 10 000 000, followed by placing them in order from smallest to greatest.
The four operations on whole numbers
The unit begins with lessons on creating and solving expressions involving brackets, exponents, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. Pupils are then multiplying 3-digit and 4-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers using number bonds and column multiplication as the key methods. After this, they are estimating the product of multiplication sentences before moving on to division. Pupils are dividing 3-digit and 4-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers using a variety of methods, including number bonds and long division. Pupils then begin solving more complex word problems involving multiple operations, including multiplication and division, with bar models being a main heuristic in addition to other pictorial methods. Pupils are then challenged by finding common multiples and common factors before ending the unit exploring prime numbers.
Fractions
This unit of work will cover simplifying fractions using common factors, comparing and ordering proper and improper fractions and also mixed numbers. Pupils will learn to learn to add and subtract unlike fractions, proper fractions and mixed numbers. We will conclude this unit by multiplying and dividing fractions.
Decimals
Our decimals unit will follow on the work in fractions by learning how to write fractions as decimals. We then move on to multiplying and dividing decimals with renaming and without renaming. Once children confident with this they will then learn to multiply and divide decimals by 2 digit whole numbers.
Measurement
Pupils will further expand their knowledge of measurement looking closely at converting the following units of measure; millimetres, centimetres, metres, kilometres and miles. We follow this up with converting units of mass, volume and time.
English
The texts that we are using to teach writing in the Autumn term are: The Piano (a visual text) and Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick. Children will be focussing on sentence level work before moving on to write longer pieces, using the skills they have learned and practised in previous weeks.
Throughout the half term, the grammar, punctuation and spellings expectations for Year 6 will continue to be taught and revised. As listed in Appendix 1 and 2 of the Year 6 programme of study for English.
In our Destination Reader lessons, the children will explore Once by Morris Gleitzman a novel set in Poland during World War 2. It is told through the innocent eyes of 10-year-old Felix, who is living through the Holocaust. They will combine a range of reading strategies (inferring, clarifying, summarising, questioning, making connections, and evaluating). They will practice answering a range of comprehension questions related to these skills while also developing their reading stamina
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RE
We follow the ‘Come and See’ scheme of work. Each topic usually lasts for four weeks. We begin by exploring what each topic means to us before moving on to how it relates to religion and the gospels. During the year we also learn about other faiths. At OLM we focus on Judaism and Islam. This is a brilliant way to teach respect for our community as a whole, regardless of cultures and beliefs.
Topic 1 : Unconditional love
Topic 2: Vocation and commitment
Topic 3: Expectations
Topic 4: Sources
Catholic Social Teaching
Throughout the year, OLM focuses on different elements of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Each half term we look at a different theme and discuss what each one means:
Autumn 1 - Care of Creation
Autumn 2 - Preferential Option for the Poor
Spring 1 - Solidarity and Peace
Spring 2 - Community and Participation
Summer 1 - Dignity of Workers
Summer 2 - Human Dignity
Science
In science our topic is Animals including humans, where children will build on skills learned in previous year groups. Children will be able to identify and name the main parts of the human circulatory system, and describe the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood. Pupils will learn what is needed to keep hearts healthy and about some blood disorders. We then move onto our topic investigating The Science of Light, where we learn how light travels, the role light plays in reflections and how shadows are formed. We will also find out how rainbows are made and if we can change the colour of fruit.
History
In History we will begin the term by exploring the ancient civilization of The Maya. Children will learn about the culture, language and some of the contributions The Maya has made to our modern world, including hieroglyphic writing, advanced mathematics accurate astronomy, and impressive architecture. We will then go on to studying the Medieval African Kingdoms of Ethiopia and Benin. This topic builds on work the children did in Year Four when they studied the Kingdom of Aksum and will cover the fall of the Aksum Kingdom, the reign of Zara Yaqob, the rule of Ewuare in Benin and rules, rituals and regalia.
Geography
We begin by looking at Energy and Climate change and explore some controversial issues. By investigating the energy mix in the U.K. we then begin to form opinions about onshore wind power and nuclear power. Children will gain knowledge of the effects of climate change and what we can do about it. In the latter part of the term, Geography is closely linked to our History topic this half term where children will be exploring Ethiopia. We will look at the diversity of the country, what it is like to live there now and some challenges the country faces. We will further investigate biomes, agriculture in Ethiopia and if hydro-electric power is the answer to some of the challenges they face. We will conclude by looking at climate change in the country and the affects it has on the people, land and agriculture.
Art/ Design and Technology
Computing
In computing lessons we will be working on the broad topic of communication systems and networks, specifically looking at communication and collaboration.
Online-safety
The popularity of social networking sites is growing. It is important for children to know how to protect themselves and behave responsibly when they are part of an online community. Their profile is who they are online. When they choose a nickname and profile picture it is important to remember it will be viewed by strangers. Online, it is not safe to give personal information away because even friends might not be who they say they are.
- SAFE - keep safe, do not give out personal information
- MEET - don't meet someone you have met/spoken to online
- ACCEPTING - don't accept messages from people you don't know
- RELIABLE - information may not always be true
- TELL - tell your parent/carer if something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried
PE
Children may wear their PE kit and trainers on PE days only.
The children will have 1 lesson with our PE coach, and 1 with their class teacher.
Our topics this term will be Gymnastics and Basketball.
Music
Each class will have a have a weekly music lesson with Ms Edwards every week.
French
Each class will have a have a weekly French lesson with Madame Wolton every week.
Useful sites:
https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/
The BBC Bitesize website is worth having a look at for interactive games to support your child's learning: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Oak National Academy also has some fantastic resources to support your child's learning: https://www.thenational.academy/
SATS information: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-tests
