Year 6 have had a busy few weeks. There is always a lot going on at this time of year: the Summer Fayre, Sports Day, transition days to new secondary schools and SATs results to name a few.

Every-one in the Brunel Family is so incredibly proud of how well the children have done in their SATs. The hard work and dedication they have shown over the past 10 months has really paid off. Collectively, they have exceeded the National Average for results across all of the tests. Another huge thank-you goes out to everyone at home for the support and encouragement that has been in abundance throughout Year 6.

Year 6 have been enjoying their Maya based topic by completing a range of activities. We’ve been finding out about the various religious practises of this ancient civilisation and how they believe in 9 levels of the under world and 13 layers of heaven.

In DT, we’ve been busy creating beautiful Maya masks using the technique of batik. This involves drawing with hot, melted wax before painting in the unwaxed fabric with ink. The results are stunning, and we are so pleased with how they turned out. 

We have come to the end of the first week in our final half term. Year 6 have been busy with Bike Ability, lawn bowls and delving into the world of Stanley Yelnats via the book ‘Holes’.

Both classes have been working on their English skills by developing their descriptive writing with a particular focus on characterisation, dialogue and setting. They have all produced an individual piece of work based on the novel, which many are thoroughly enjoying.

We also remembered the incredible bravery of all of those who were willing to fight for our freedom in the D-Day landings 80 years ago. Three of our pupils read their war-based poems to the rest of the school to mark this solemn and important date.

Over the coming weeks, our thoughts will begin to turn towards the end of year celebrations and how we can mark the culmination of Year 6 in style! Keep reading the blog and checking your emails to discover more.

Whilst most of the year group sped off to Okehampton, a select few were privileged to experience a collapsed timetable and a range of activities before the half term holiday.

Monday saw the group begin the challenge of creating giant insects for Saltash Library. A huge weevil and a delicate damselfly are both under construction and will eventually be hung from the library ceiling over the summer; read the future blogs for images of the completed creations.

Tuesday, the children were treated to an exclusive, private swimming session at Saltash Leisure Centre complete with inflatables. Thank you so much to the staff at the pool who generously offered this session to the children: they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Wednesday saw us at the mercy of the Cornish weather! We took a trip out o Kelly Bray woods near Callington for a forest fun day. We were able to play various games and build a shelter just before the heavens opened! Whilst the rain dripped through the leaves, we had fun making clay creations before retreating to the minibus for an early return to school. Typically, this was the point when the sun came out, so we ate al-fresco before heading home.

Thursday found us at Hessinford walking our way through the woods towards Seaton Beach. We had great fun finding various stick to play ‘Pooh Sticks’ along the route culminating with a flurry of games off the small foot bridge. We then made our way to the park and our picnic :)

Once at the beach, we all enjoyed cricket, Smite, paddling, shell seeking and burying Ayrton up to his neck!

It has been a great week, and we look forward to hearing about the adventures of the other Year 6s and their trip to Okehampton.

Year 6 have been absolute troopers this week. They have successfully completed their final lessons of revision before the SATS begin on Monday. Everyone has focused, worked hard and had some fun along the way.

It’s not all been revision though. Aryton did a super job of leading this week’s Reading Assembly to the whole of Key Stage 2, the bowling team have started their journey towards world domination in the filed of lawn bowls and Mrs Williamson has been teaching Year 6 the finer points of rounders ready for several matches between Pendower and Seaton in the final few weeks of term.

We have also made a great start on our new topic ‘Why should we remember the Maya?’. Keep reading the blog for regular updates on our voyage of discovery into the Central America region that was home to this fascinating civilisation.

To finish off our week, we had a visit from Peter the Paramedic and his ambulance. We had a tour of this unique vehicle and the equipment carried within it. The children also had the opportunity to stretcher two of their classmates a short distance. This was a task involving teamwork and a lot of trust. Needless to say, they rose to the challenge admirably. We look forward to welcoming Peter back to Brunel in the coming weeks to deliver first aid training to the Year 6s.

Key information:

·       SATs begin on Monday 13^th May and conclude on Thursday 16^th May.

·       All Year 6s are encouraged to attend Breakfast Club on these days so they are in school and settled in advance of the tests. There is no charge for this facility.

·       For those children not going to Okehampton, a letter will be coming out next week detailing the activities they will be enjoying week commencing 20^th May. Feel free to email Mrs Morris for more information or to discuss any queries you may have jmorris@brunelprimary.co.uk

We have reached the end of our latest topic, ‘What’s so special about clouds’. We have focussed on a range of themes including erosion, human impact on the coast, how clouds are formed, their influence on the weather and how to read maps. We finished this week by completing some personal research into questions we still had on the topic. We recorded our findings in our books and on a few clouds too! 

Year 6 have returned to school in a positive and upbeat mood. We have got stuck into revising our reading comprehension skills and the fundamentals of grammar ready for the SATs next month.

Both maths classes are working towards the end of the taught units in order to allow some time for revision of the maths curriculum and to fine tune our arithmetic abilities.

We’ve also had the thrill of football and netball matches - with both teams winning. Some Year 6s have started soft ball on Thursday afternoons, and the Reading Pioneers have started a new book. Feel free to ask the Softballers and Pioneers about their activities and if they would recommend them.

We have another couple of weeks of our current topic ‘What’s so special about clouds?’  and will spend the final two weeks ensuring we have answered all of the questions we had at the beginning. Who knows, we may have some budding meteorologists in our midst.

We rounded off our first week in style by participating in a morning of alternative sports. Pendower and Seaton had a go at archery, American Football and capture the flag. The last two sports demanded positive teamwork from all of the children – a challenge they rose too admirably.

Finally, an apology for any confusion around the non-uniform day for Pendower as a reward for winning the attendance trophy. The children can come to school on Friday 26^th April in their home clothes. Well done on having such super attendance. 

Introducing the KIRFs Café...

What are KIRFs?

KIRFs (Key Instant Recall Facts) are pieces of mathematical knowledge that we want the children to learn off-by-heart or be able to work out very quickly (within 3 seconds).

They are designed to support the development of the mental skills that underpin mathematics. They are particularly useful when calculating, be it adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing.  They will include facts such as number bonds, counting on, back, times tables, equivalence of units of measure, and square numbers.

Each year group is allocated key facts to focus on throughout the year, in line with age related expectations. These should be practised for rapid recall.

Check out the website and class blogs for the newest KIRFs each Half Term.

We look forward to welcoming you to the KIRFs Cafe on Wednesday 17^th April at 3.10pm in Finnygook.

We have arrived at the end of our penultimate term in Brunel Primary; how has that happened so fast?

Year 6 have done a superb job of working their way through practice SATs last week and diligently completed their information texts on erosion this week. We are all incredibly proud of how they are applying themselves to their studies, and we know that they are ready for a well-deserved holiday before the final push towards the end of their time with us.

The summer term is a special one for Year 6, and we look forward to all of the exciting activities and special memories they will make together over the coming months. For now, relax, eat chocolate and enjoy some spring sunshine (hopefully).

Key dates:

• 15th April return to school 
• 6th May Bank Holiday
• 13th May - SATs week starts
• 24th May – No pupils – Community Day.
• 7th June – Inset Day