Welcome to Year 6!

1. Welcome to Year 6! PE Times: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for both classes; please ensure that a PE kit is in school Lessons start at 9.05! Please make sure that you child is ready to start learning by then! Please encourage your children to bring a healthy snack.

2. Residential Homework The Curriculum SATs Secondary Schools Safer cycling

3. The Curriculum We try and offer a broad, varied and interesting curriculum throughout the year and keep revision for the May SATs to a minimum so that this can happen, but we will conduct some revision and formal testing throughout the year to prepare the children.

4. The Curriculum At the moment, our topics for this year will be: • World War Two (Autumn 1) • Shakespeare (Autumn 2) • The Ancient Greeks, supplemented by a geography topic (Spring 1 & 2) • Darwin and evolution (Summer 1) • Coasts (Summer 2)

5. Aylmerton is small hamlet about 10 miles from Cromer, within easy driving distance of Sherringham and Blakeney. The centre itself is a converted Victorian school house with accommodation for 70 children.

6. Aylmerton Field Study Centre is a family run business who employ staff on a year round basis, so we get the same leaders every year. During the weekend, we will be developing our team building skills and covering as much of the new Geography curriculum as we possibly can, including comparing contrasting localities and developing our understanding of coastal erosion.

7. This years trip will take place from the 19th – 22nd May. Please note the change of time of year! The cost should be around £195, help may be available to those who cannot afford this (eg, those children on free school meals. We will not take children whose behaviour may put others safety and enjoyment at risk.

8. Homework will be given out on a Thursday and is to be returned on a Tuesday. Our homework policy changed last year. It now says: “We ask teachers to assign home learning where there will be benefits to children’s learning rather than to fulfil an expectation of a particular number of hours a week.” But it also says: Home learning in Year 6 may become more formalized throughout the year as we prepare children for transition to secondary school.” We will continue to have a piece of Long Term homework, be expected to read at least once a week and practice spellings. We will also give out Maths and English homework when and where appropriate.

9. You can help your child by: • Allowing them to be independent and do their own work. • Understanding if they do not want to do their work, but encourage them to do so. • Making sure they have a regular time each week to complete their work. • Making sure they have a quiet place to work.

10. Secondary School Placement 2015 - 16 Last year we sent children to 10 different schools, including Sawston and Comberton. The number of children going to St Bede’s was larger than normal.

11. Secondary School Placement 2012- 16 Over the last few years, the proportion of children going to “Other” schools has grown steadily; numbers going to Coleridge and Netherhall have fluctuated greatly.

12. Timetable for Secondary Admissions Letters with UPS number given out last week. October 31st – deadline for admission forms to be returned March 1st – parents informed via email or 2nd class post

13. Supplementary Information Forms (SIF) In most cases it is only necessary to complete the local authority’s application form. However, some schools also require the completion of a Supplementary Information Form (SIF). This is used to help the governors consider your application fully, in accordance with the school’s oversubscription criteria. In Cambridgeshire St Bede’s Inter Church School is currently the only secondary school that requires the completion of a SIF. If you wish your child to be considered under the school’s religious criteria, you must complete a SIF, (available either on our website or from the school) and return it to the school directly before the closing date of 31 October 2015.

14. Declining a school offer If you do not wish to accept the school place offered, for example if you have moved out of Cambridgeshire, or have decided to educate your child privately, you must ensure you inform the Local Authority. This can be done by completing the refusal slip attached to the offer letter and returning it to the Admissions Team. By completing the refusal slip you accept that you are withdrawing your current application and by doing so invalidating any offer of a place that has been made to you.

15. SATs SATs week is always the first full week in May, the one after the May Bank Holiday (Week beginning 11th May). Your child will sit the following tests: • One reading paper, an hour long • One Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation (SPAG) test. • Two written maths papers (both non calculator), both 40 minutes long and a 30 minute arithmetic test. Writing is assessed by teachers and moderated by the county.

16. Monday 9th May Tuesday 10th May Wednesday 11th May Thursday 12th May Friday 13th May AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM SATs Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation (45 minutes) Mathematics 1: arithmetic (30 Minutes) Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning (40 Minutes) Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning (40 Minutes) Reading (60 minutes)

17. WEEK BEGINNING 14TH NOVEMBER!! I understand that: The instructors may refuse to train my child if they deem his/her bike to be unroadworthy (instructors may make minor adjustments but won’t fix faults or replace parts), It remains my responsibility to make sure that my child does not ride an unroadworthy bike and if I am in doubt as to whether a bike is roadworthy I should seek the advice of a professional mechanic, and The instructors may at any time refuse to continue to train my child if his/her behaviouror cycling ability level is deemed to be unsuitable.(As a general rule of thumb, can they lift a hand off their handlebars to indicate and continue cycling safely) I agree for my child to wear a helmet which I will provide