1. Vane Road Primary School Curriculum Evening Monday 12th September 2016 Year 6 Mr Cope & Mrs Johnson

2. Some of the topics we will cover this year include… Vikings Mayans Electricity Each topic will begin with a WOW – last week we had a visit from a Viking man and lady. We will also have a family day where you will be invited in and the children will showcase what they have learnt (date to be confirmed nearer the time).

3. How can you help your child... Daily reading Support with spellings – there are a set of spelling rules the children will be tested on as part of the SPAG SAT paper. We will cover these rules in the weekly spelling tests so the more familiar the children are with them the better! (Test Friday) Mental maths (your child needs to be confident with their tables in order to move onto written multiplication and division). Literacy and Numeracy homework sent home Thursday to be returned by Tuesday. Encourage your child to attend school everyday.

4. How can you help your child... Homework and Reading Record Book This book should go home and come back to school each day. Homework will be given to children on a Thursday and should be returned to school by Tuesday morning. Evidence shows that children who read regularly do significantly better in all aspects of life. This is why each week we insist that children read at home for at least 10 minutes per day and this must be at least 5 times per week. Please use this book to record the dates and books your child reads. Comments are always helpful too but not essential. They should read their school reading book at least three times but, if they want, they can read anything else the two other times. The children can record this themselves and it does not have to be to an adult. The children will get spellings on a Friday for a test the following week. The children should write their spellings in the homework diary as part of their process of learning them and to keep a safe record of them. The score they get in the spelling test will be recorded in this book for parents/carers interest. They will also have a times tables test and the table they are working on will be recorded in this book. Please can parents/carers sign the homework diary before Friday to confirm that the record is correct? A member of staff will also sign the homework diary on a Friday. Part of the role of this book is to encourage children to take responsibility for their own learning and so ultimately it is their responsibility to organise. They need to remember to bring it in to school, take it home, have it signed and record all the correct information.

5. How can you help your child...

6. Golden Time Golden Time is held each Friday as a reward for hard work and good behaviour throughout the week. It is not intended as a punishment for those children who miss some or all of their golden time that week. If a child does not read five times over the course of the week, does not have their diary signed or does not bring their diary in, they will miss a certain amount of their golden time (5 minutes per comment missed).

7. Healthy Homework Habits Please give your child space and time to complete their homework tasks. Getting them into the habit of regular times for doing the tasks and an appropriate space for them to do it will give them essential life skills. Help them as much as you can but don’t do it for them. Please feel free to leave a note with your child’s homework if there are any problems.

8. Maths New scheme of work implemented across the school for maths. Basic principle – there are 25 objectives and we will cover each of them in depth once by February half term. We will then spend some time revising and working on exam technique in the lead up to the SATs – this is why it is so important for children to attend school. Regular assessment will take place.

9. Changes to assessment Due to changes in assessment within the new curriculum, children will no longer be given levels at the end of year 6. At the end of the year, children will be tested in reading, maths and SPAG. Writing will be assessed internally. Rather than receiving a level, the children will receive a standardised score based on the total amount of marks they scored. Scoring 100 is deemed ‘at the expected level’ for that age group. We will cover this more in depth during the SAT meeting in February.

10. P.E. Kit Please remember that school PE kit is: white t-shirt, black shorts and black plimsoles or trainers. This should be kept in school all week in a separate bag (carrier bag). All items of clothing should be named!

11. Snacks All children are welcome to bring a piece of fruit to school to have at morning break time as a snack. Friday treat 1 item only (sensible size – NOT FOR SHARING!)

12. Mr Pavey has asked us to remind you that school uniform is: Girls: a grey skirt, trousers or pinafore, maroon cardigan, pullover or sweatshirt and a white blouse or white polo shirt. Boys: grey trousers, maroon pullover or sweatshirt and a white shirt or polo shirt. Both boys and girls are to wear black school shoes Please note that neither track suit bottoms nor trainers are appropriate. Please can you ensure that all make up, including nail varnish, is removed before coming to school. Earrings should not be worn in school and I would like you to inform me in writing if your child has recently had piercing with a date when they will be able to take them out, please. Plasters must be worn if this is the case. Children are encouraged to have their hair well brushed and clean for each day. Haircuts should be even, that is to say that lines, patterns and ‘tails’ are not appropriate for school. All hair which is long should be tied up. This is to prevent the spread of head lice. School uniform, jewellery and make up

13. Important Dates: Macmillan Big Coffee morning – Friday 30 th September. Parents/carers are welcome to join us for a coffee and cake (times and details to be confirmed). Christmas Production: Class 13 Wed 7 th December 2.00pm and Class 14 Thu 8 th December 9.15am. Parents’ Evenings – Monday 9 th January. Year 6 SATs meeting – Tuesday 7 th February 3.30pm.

14. Friends of Vane Road are always looking for willing helpers please contact the office for details Additional support is often needed throughout the school with listening to children read and other additional administrative tasks. If you have any spare time to help in any way, please can you let us know or pass you name on to the office. No experience is required (we will give you all the necessary training) but you will need to complete a DBS (old CRB) check before being able to work in school.

15. Further Meetings Hopefully, this meeting has answered many questions you have. If there are other issues you would like to discuss, please feel free to make an appointment with us. Your child’s class teacher should be your first point of contact should you have any problems throughout the year. Please feel welcome to come and discuss any matters with us as we are here to ensure that your child has a fulfilling year.

16. Thank you for coming