Welcome back to all of our Year 6 children and their families. We have loved having everyone back in school and have been impressed at how quickly the children have settled. They are definitely ready for Year 6: they have worked really well this week, demonstrating mature attitudes to their learning. We have spent this first week or so getting to know each other and focusing on our well-being (which is so important right now). Over the coming weeks, we will be supporting the children in their learning by assessing their needs and identifying areas to focus on. We look forward to discussing how the children have settled at our upcoming parents’ evening.

A few admin points that we would like to share with you are:

PE DAYS

On PE days, the children are to come to school in their PE kit (white t-shirt; black shorts/leggings/tracksuit bottoms; trainers; and a school sweatshirt).

HOMEWORK

Homework books have been given out this week. Homework will be set on a Wednesday and we would ask the children to bring it in the following Wednesday. To ensure everybody’s safety, the children will mark their own homework. Completing this in class means that staff can identify any areas that the children might need support with. We understand that many families are still settling in to new routines with school, work etc so we know that it may be difficult for some children to complete all of the homework, at this time. If this is the case for you, please do contact your child’s class teacher for support, if you need to.

ITEMS FROM HOME

We would like to minimise the number of items moving between school and home so would ask children to only bring in the essential items (e.g. coat, water bottle, packed lunch and reading book). We have issued the children with their own set of resources so their trays are filling up very quickly and there is not a lot of room to store extra items. Also, if your child is bringing a mobile phone into school, please remind them to turn it off during the school day and store it securely in their bag or tray (also please put any smart watches onto ‘school mode’).

HOLOCAUST CENTRE VISIT

Later this term, we have a visit to the National Holocaust Centre booked. At present, we are in discussion with the centre to ensure that the visit runs smoothly and safely for everyone. It is a fantastic place for the children to learn first-hand about the holocaust, in a sensitive and age appropriate way. Please keep your eye out for the letter with the details of this.

MANDARIN

We are very fortunate that members of Tapton School staff have again offered us Mandarin lessons for our Y6 pupils. We are hoping that these lessons will commence on Mondays, in the next few weeks.

We thank you for your continued patience and support, which is very much appreciated.

With thanks,

The Year 6 Team