Welcome to Year 6

As the final year of Key Stage 2, Year 6 is an exciting and pivotal time in your child’s education. Our comprehensive curriculum not only focuses on preparing pupils for the transition to secondary school but also encourages them to consolidate their learning across key subjects such as English, maths, and science. With a blend of exciting challenges and lasting memories, Year 6 is a year of personal and academic achievement.

An adult sits beside a child at the desk looking ahead to the presentation in the class

Upcoming events for Year 6

Here’s what you’ve got to look forward to over the next few weeks.

First day of Autumn Term
Thu 3rd Sep

KS2 National Curriculum Tests

If you have a child in Year 6, at the end of Key Stage 2 they will take national curriculum assessments (sometimes referred to as SATS) in:

  • English grammar, punctuation and spelling
  • English reading
  • mathematics

Find out more about these tests.

Find out more about the assessment.

Year 6 Curriculum

Art and Design / DT / Food and Nutrition

At KS1 and KS2 we follow a two year sequence:

2026/2027 and 2028/2029

Autumn 1 – Textiles – batik

Autumn 2 – Painting

Spring 1 – Mechanical Systems: Pneumatics

Spring 2 – Collage

Summer 1 – Portraits, including mixed media

Summer 2 – Food Technology

 

2025/2026 and 2027/2028

Autumn 1 – Printing

Autumn 2 – 3D: Metal

Spring 1 – Electrical Systems

Spring 2 – Mechanica | Systems (axles and wheels)

Summer 1 – Portraits, including mixed media

Summer 2 – Structures

Computing

Each year through KS1-2 we cycle through the following units at increasing depth:

  1. Productivity
  2. Programming
  3. Computational Thinking
  4. Creativity
  5. Networks
  6. Communication/collaboration
English

Reading to Learn

Once children have been carefully assessed as having met the requirements of the phonics program, they should be able to decode any age appropriate text. At this point, children move onto our ‘Paradigm Literacy and Language’ program.

The program allocates 3 weeks to ‘fiction writing’ such as: stories, poetry, one week to ‘journalistic writing’ such as biographies and non chronological reports and two weeks to a ‘non fiction writing’ program in which specialist teachers across the Trust have worked together to create and provide high quality texts in The Humanities and The Sciences.

Click here to see which books we read in Year Six.

Geography

Children in Year 6 learn about the following subjects:

The living world

  • Biomes
  • Hot and cold climates
  • Rainforests

The economic world

  • Food, water and energy
  • The changing economic world
  • Tourism and ecotourism
  • Case study: Cambridge

 

History

We cover two topics a year for History in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

In Year 6 we take an in-depth study on The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Britain and the rest of the world, then the same for World War One: What was the impact of WW1 on individuals and families? After a general introduction, life in the trenches, a focus on families, the home front and poetry.

Mathematics

Our school uses Maths Mastery to teach the subject. In Year 6 we cover:

  • Integers and decimals
  • Multiplication and division
  • Calculation problems
  • Fractions
  • Missing angles and length
Modern Foreign Languages

We study Spanish at Key Stage 2, through a system called Early Start Spanish Programme.

Music

Autumn 1 – Pop

Autumn 2 – Jazz

Spring 1 – Minimalism

Spring 2 – Disco/Funk

Summer 1 – Songwriting

Summer 2 – Locally Agreed Topic (eg Year 6 Musical)

PE
  • Striking / fielding (eg. rounders, cricket)
  • Gymnastics
  • Invasion Games (eg. hockey, netball, football)
  • Athletics
  • Swimming
  • Dance
Religious and Non-religious Worldviews (RE)

We follow a three-year cycle (see below) covering the major world religions as well as worldviews.

The programme is designed so that each previously taught religion is reviewed and comparisons are drawn between the content. Over six years, each child will have studied each identified religion/non-religion twice, studying in greater depth and making connections between religions.

Pupils are taught key substantive knowledge for each religion and worldview and each lesson is broken down into one of three disciplines: Theology, Philosophy and Human/Social Science.

2024-2025: Christianity and Islam

2025-2026: Judaism and Humanism

2026-2027: Hinduism and Sikhism

Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE – please contact the principal if you wish to explore this as an option.

RSHE and PSHE

The Paradigm primary schools follow the Jigsaw programme.

From September 2019 we have allocated 45 minutes per week to PSHE at KS1 and KS2.

  • Being Me in My World
  • Celebrating Difference
  • Dreams and Goals
  • Healthy Me
  • Relationships
  • Changing Me
Science

We teach Science on a two year cycle.

25/26 and 27/28

Autumn 1 – Animals including Humans

Autumn 2 – States of Matter

Spring 1 – Plants

Spring 2 – Electricity and Energy

Summer 1 – Living Things and Their Habitats

Summer 2 – Environmental Issues

 

26/27 and 28/29

Autumn 1 – Earth and Space

Autumn 2 – Living Things and their Habitats and Classification

Spring 1 – Rocks / Evolution, Inheritance and Fossils

Spring 2 – Forces and Magnets

Summer 1 – Properties of Materials

Summer 2 – Light and Sound

INSET Days for this term are:

  • Tuesday 1st September
  • Wednesday 2nd September

Pupils should not attend school on these days.

 

The first day back after the summer holidays for pupils is Thursday 3rd September 2026.

The first day back after the October half term for pupils is Monday 2nd November 2026.

 

Bank Holidays

Christmas Day: Friday 25th December 2026

Boxing Day: Saturday 26th December 2026

New Year’s Day: 1st January 2027

Term Dates
Start Thursday, 3rd September
End Friday, 18th December
Half Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 26th October
End Friday, 30th October
End of Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 21st December
End Friday, 1st January

INSET Day for this term is:

  • Monday 4th January

Pupils should not attend school on this day.

Tower Hamlets has advised the provisional dates below:

Eid Ul-Fir: Tuesday 9th March 2027

 

The first day back after the Christmas holidays for pupils is Tuesday 5th January 2027.

The first day back after the February half term for pupils is Monday 22nd February 2027.

 

Bank Holidays

Good Friday: Friday 26th March 2027

Easter Monday: Monday 29th March 2027

Term Dates
Start Tuesday, 5th January
End Thursday, 25th March
Half Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 15th February
End Friday, 19th February
End of Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 29th March

INSET Days for this term are:

  • Monday 12th April

Pupils should not attend school on this day.

 

The first day back for pupils after the Easter holidays is Tuesday 13th April 2027.

The first day back after May half term for pupils is Monday 7th June 2027.

 

Tower Hamlets has advised the provisional date of Monday 17th May 2027 for school closures for the celebration of Eid Ul-Adha.

 

Bank Holidays

May Bank Holiday: Monday 3rd May 2027

Spring Bank Holiday: Monday 31st May 2027

Summer Bank Holiday: Monday 30th August 2027

Term Dates
Start Tuesday, 13th April
End Friday, 23rd July
Half Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 31st May
End Friday, 4th June

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to know about homework?

The view from the playground to the school building

See you soon!

We are now closed for the holidays! We hope you enjoy your break and we look forward to seeing you back at school on  Thursday 3rd September.