Year 6 began their final year at Westfields with a jam-packed autumn term! With World War II as the focus of our history learning, the children were fully immersed in life in 1940s Britain. This wide-ranging topic covered the causes of the war, key events, experiences of the Blitz, propaganda, the role of women and the leadership of Winston Churchill. Central to all of this was our overarching enquiry question: how was Hampshire affected by WW2?

To deepen this learning further, the children visited the Winchester Military Museums where they greatly benefited from the experts’ knowledge and handling of artefacts. During a series of engaging workshops, the children learned about military medals, the contributions of the Gurkhas, uniforms and aspects of life on the Home Front.

The term also included an exciting Creative Day made up of three different workshops. The children got to board a train and go through the evacuation process, developed their code-breaking skills and learnt a popular dance from the era: swing! We rounded off the day with a lively afternoon tea dance which the children thoroughly enjoyed.

English learning across the term was carefully linked to the history theme. Through writing and guided reading, the children explored a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts. They stepped into the fantasy world of Narnia through our use of the text ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ and produced their own biography for a leader of their own creation.

Within maths during the autumn term, the children consolidated their knowledge of place value, reviewed their knowledge of shape and their properties and tackled increasingly challenging formal methods for all four operations, showing determination when working with long multiplication and division. These skills were then applied to real-life problem-solving involving fractions with the children demonstrating excellent perseverance and commitment.

Despite the somewhat miserable weather at times (even including snow!), the children developed their road safety knowledge through Bikeability training. This opportunity helped the children gain confidence and a clearer understanding of how to stay safe both in and out of school when riding their bikes.

Another exciting opportunity that the children took part in was an exciting STEM Workshop run by the Navy. During this session, they built and programmed their own robotic cars, experimented with Sphero balls and explored the use of drones, giving them valuable insight into applied science, engineering and technology.

Science learning began with the topic of Light where the children investigated how light travels, how it allows us to see and explored the concepts of reflection and refraction. This was followed by Evolution and Inheritance, during which the children learned about natural selection, inherited characteristics and the work of influential scientists such as Charles Darwin and Mary Anning.

Design and technology was another highlight of the term, with not one but two projects completed! Linked to the WW2 topic, the children learned about rationing and made their own Woolton Pies which were a great success. To round off the term, they designed and created moving Christmas shop windows. After developing an understanding of pulley mechanisms and using their coding skills to programme lights and motors with Crumble kits, the children combined their learning to produce impressive and creative festive window displays.

It’s been another action-packed summer term here at Westfields Junior School, full of exciting events to help our Year 6 pupils end their time with us on a real high. This term, the children have taken part in a wide range of activities including World Earth Day, a Local Area walk, SATs, Walk to School Week, Maths Day, secondary school transition visits, our Poetry Slam, District Sports and of course, the fantastic Year 6 production of The Wrong Way Round! It’s been wonderful to watch the children make the most of every opportunity and really shine during these final weeks.

English highlights:

In English, at the beginning of this term we explored the theme of ‘Awe and Wonder’. This was a chance for the children to show off all of their writing skills they have gained throughout their time at Westfields. The children wrote suspense narratives and worked on using different features to build tension. In the second half of the term, we have been delving into texts with our overarching theme of ‘Deadly Disasters’. We began by exploring ‘The Flood’. We first made predictions, put the pictures in order and then had a go at writing our own version of the story. We also developed our creative writing skills by writing descriptive narratives. Alongside this, in Guided Reading, we also followed the same theme and explored the non-fiction book ‘Natural Disasters’ and a fiction book called ‘Floodlands’. As well as this, we used our Captain Communication and Confidence skills in our annual Poetry Slam! 6JL and 6HC took second and third place in the upper school this year with their effective and enthusiastic performances!

Maths highlights:

Within our Maths learning this term, Year 6 started with revising all of their knowledge that they needed for SATS. The children worked extremely hard in lessons and extra revision sessions to recap their knowledge of the four operations, fractions, decimals, shape, algebra, statistics, BODMAS and more! After this, the children completed a range of problem-solving booklets to once again put their knowledge to the test. The children managed to find codes to unlock phones and solve ‘Who dunnits?’. For Maths Day 2025, the spotlight was on TaskMathers, where students tackled numerous timed challenges, racing against the clock. The excitement built up to a grand final which was a whole school sing-off featuring a fun and lively maths-themed song written by each class!  It was a brilliant day which celebrated the wonderful world of Maths at Westfields Junior School.

Foundation subject highlights:

In Science, we have been exploring animals, their classification and micro-organisms! We studied the Linnaeus system in detail and learned how animals are grouped. After that, we created fact files about some fascinating animals found in nature. Additionally, we carried out an experiment to observe how mould grows under various conditions – it was definitely an unforgettable experience!

In History, our focus was on the influence of the Monarchy. We discussed why Parliament governs the country today instead of the King. We examined important events from the reigns of King John, King James I, Queen Anne and Queen Victoria. During each lesson, we debated who held greater power and the reasons behind it. Finally, we had to decide whether the monarchy or Parliament should be in charge of running the country.

In our final Geography unit, we looked at some ‘Deadly Disasters’! We discovered all about the different layers of the Earth and how tectonic plates can cause earthquakes, mountains and volcanoes to form. We looked at the impact that these can have on humans. It was wonderful to see some of the amazing home learning that the children created over the half term! From 3D models of the earth to some amazing volcanoes, the children’s hard work and passion for the topic was clear.

Spring Term in 2025:

Our Spring Term has been nothing short of action-packed! Year 6 students have been involved in a variety of exciting events, including World Religions Day, our Fantastic Finish, Wellbeing Week, Safer Internet Day, Westfields Has Talent, World Book Day, Potted Sports, and, of course, our residential trip to Condover Hall! The trip itself was filled with thrilling activities such as aerial trek, climbing walls, swimming pool games, buggy building, and much more. The children truly shone as they threw themselves into every aspect of life at Condover, tackling each challenge with determination and a fantastic sense of fun. It was a joy to watch them enjoying themselves to the fullest—I’m sure they’ll carry these unforgettable memories with them for years to come!

English highlights:

In English, we’ve been exploring texts set in various locations, all tied to our theme ‘Location, Location, Location.’ We started by diving into Kensuke’s Kingdom, where we followed the story of a boy stranded on an island with a mysterious man named Kensuke. As part of developing our reporting skills, Year 6 created a newspaper report about a person’s mysterious disappearance, wrote a survival guide for a desert island, and crafted a hybrid narrative about a disaster leading to the exploration of uncharted lands. It was fantastic to see how creatively the children used language to build tension and atmosphere in their writing.        

Shifting to a completely different environment, Year 6 wrote persuasive letters to convince Ernest Shackleton to allow them to join his crew in their mission to be the first team to cross Antarctica. However, after discovering the dangers and disasters that plagued his journey, the children then wrote letters of complaint about their treatment during this perilous expedition! We also studied Robert Scott and compared the two journeys.

Maths highlights:

This term, Year 6 students have focused on a range of important maths concepts. They have worked on calculating with and converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages, strengthening their skills in these areas. A key focus has been improving arithmetic skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with fractions and decimals. The class also explored algebra, learning how to solve problems involving missing numbers represented by shapes or letters. In addition, students applied their multiplication knowledge to work with ratios, including using scale factors to support their calculations.

Foundation subject highlights:

Bringing the spark into our Science learning, the children began the Spring term with a focus on electricity.   We explored the different components of a circuit, the differences between voltage and current and even designed our own buzzer games using all of the knowledge we had gained about electricity.  

Continuing with our ‘Location, Location, Location’ unit, within Geography we have learnt about our local area of Yateley. We put this into context of the UK by exploring counties, cities, land use as well as transport links and natural resources. Then, we applied our knowledge of these features to explore Yateley and compared it to the nearby town of Camberley.

Year 6 have had an incredibly busy start to their final year at Westfields with an action-packed Autumn Term. Our history topic, World War II, transported us back to 1940s Britain as we explored a wide range of fascinating themes. These included the causes of the war, major events, life during the Blitz, propaganda, the role of women, and, how the war impacted Hampshire – our overarching history enquiry question.

To deepen the children’s understanding, we enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Winchester Military Museums, where the children benefitted from the expertise of the historians working there. During the workshops, we explored a variety of topics, including military medals, the contributions of the Gurkhas, wartime uniforms, life on the Home Front, and how to effectively analyse historical sources. It was a thoroughly enriching experience that brought their learning to life!

Not only this, but the children also enjoyed a Creative Day with three different workshops. They enjoyed playing part of an evacuee, code-breaking and learning how to do dances like the Charleston. This all culminated with a tea dance in the afternoon and we cannot wait to share all of our learning with family members at our Fantastic Finish Learning Exhibition in January.

As well as this, our English learning journeys also had historical themes. Throughout the term, the children explored a range of fiction and non-fiction texts in our writing and guided reading lessons. We have discovered what life was like for a group of evacuees in ‘Carrie’s War’, delved into the magical world of ‘Narnia’ and even written our own flashbacks based on a film narrative text.

We have been really impressed with the children’s development of their mathematical knowledge over the Autumn term too. They have strengthened their understanding of place value, as well as tackled challenges with the formal methods for the four operations including persevering with long multiplication and division! The children then used these skills to solve real-life problems involving fractions. The children showed fantastic commitment when getting to grips with applying their existing knowledge.

The Year 6 children have completed lots of physical challenges this term. Many of the children have improved their understanding of road safety on their Bikeability courses. The children have learnt a lot about staying safe whether that is in water or out on the roads.

In our Science lessons, the Year 6 children began with learning a focus all about light. They explored how light travels, how it enables us to see as well as the scientific concepts of refraction and reflection. Following on from this, they explored the ‘Theory of Evolution’ through their topic Evolution and Inheritance. During this topic the children learnt about natural selection, inheritance of genes within families and studied the work of famous scientists such as Charles Darwin and Mary Anning.

Not only this but the children also completed not one, but two DT projects! Linking with their history topic the children learnt about rationing and made some delicious Woolton Pies! Then, to end our busy term, they made moving Christmas shop windows. After learning about pulley mechanisms and using coding knowledge to programme lights and motors on Crumble kits, the children combined all of this knowledge to create fantastic Christmas themed window displays as well as all of the other usual Christmas excitement including our Extravaganza and Carol Service at St Swithun’s Church.

Once again, our summer term was filled with lots of fun activities to finish the children’s time at Westfields Junior School on a high! This term we have had World Earth Day, our Local Area walk, SATs, Walk to School week, Maths Day, transition visits with the secondary schools, Poetry Slam, District Sports and last but not least, our Year 6 production of ‘Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies’! The children have certainly enjoyed all of these special days immensely and it has been a joy to see them thrive throughout the term.

English highlights:
In English, at the beginning of this term we explored the theme of ‘Awe and Wonder’. This was a chance for the children to show off all of their writing skills they have gained throughout their time at Westfields. The children wrote suspense narratives and worked on using different features to build tension. In the second half of the term, we have been delving into texts with our overarching theme of ‘Deadly Disasters’. We began by exploring ‘The Flood’. We first made predictions, put the pictures in order and then had a go at writing our own version of the story. We also developed our creative writing skills by writing descriptive narratives. Alongside this, in Guided Reading, we also followed the same theme and explored the non-fiction book ‘Natural Disasters’ and a fiction book called ‘Floodlands’. As well as this, we used our Captain Communication and Confidence skills in our annual Poetry Slam! 6HC and 6ZN took first and second place in the upper school this year with their effective and enthusiastic performances!

Maths highlights:
Within our Maths learning this term, Year 6 started with revising all of their knowledge that they needed for SATS. The children worked extremely hard in lessons and extra revision sessions to recap their knowledge of the four operations, fractions, decimals, shape, algebra, statistics, BODMAs and more! After this, the children completed a range of problem-solving booklets to once again put their knowledge to the test. The children managed to find codes to unlock phones and solve ‘who dunnits’. We also had our first ever Maths Day! The children explored how Maths is all around us. They completed a Maths trail, listened to a maths based story and used Maths to draw impossible objects. We also made Maths based board games which were then shared across the whole federation!  It was a brilliant day which celebrated the wonderful world of Maths at Westfields Junior School.

Foundation subject highlights:
In Science, we have been focusing on animals, how they are classified and micro-organisms! We have learnt all about the Linnaeus system and how animals can be classified. Then we wrote a whole fact file on some rather unique animals that we have in our natural world. As well as this, we conducted our own experiment to see how mould can grow in different conditions – it was certainly a memorable experiment!

In History, we learnt all about the power of the Monarchy, discussing why Parliament runs our country instead of the King. We looked at key moments from the reign of King John, King James I, Queen Anne and Queen Victoria. In each lesson, we discussed who had more power and why. In the end, we had to decide whether or not the monarchy or Parliament should run the country.

In our final Geography unit, we looked at some ‘Deadly Disasters’! We discovered all about the different layers of the Earth and how tectonic plates can cause earthquakes, mountains and volcanoes to form. We looked at the impact that these can have on humans. It was wonderful to see some of the amazing home learning that the children created over the half term! From 3D models of the earth to some amazing volcanoes, the children’s hard work and passion for the topic was clear.

To say our Spring Term was jam-packed would be an understatement! In Year 6, we have participated in a wide-range of special events such as: World Religions Day, our Fantastic Finish, Wellbeing Week, Safer Internet Day, Westfields Has Talent, World Book Day, Potted Sports and not to mention our residential trip to Condover Hall! We had an adrenaline filled week with ziplining, climbing walls, games in the swimming pool, rocket launching and so much more! The children were a credit to our school as they immersed themselves into life at Condover and approached every task with determination and a great sense of fun! It was wonderful to see the children having the time of their lives – hopefully they made memories to last a life time!  

English highlights:
In English, we have been delving into texts with different locations matching in with our overarching theme ‘Location, Location, Location’. We began by exploring Kensuke’s Kingdom and learnt about a boy who was stranded at sea on an island with a mysterious man, Kensuke. Developing our reporting skills, Year 6 wrote a a newspaper report based around the disappearance of a person in mysterious circumstances, a survival guide for a desert island and a hybrid narrative about a disaster leading to an exploration of unknown lands. It was brilliant to see how creative the children where when selecting their language to create tension and atmosphere.

Moving onto a completely different environment, Year 6 wrote persuasive letters to convince Ernest Shackleton to allow them to join his crew that were hoping to complete their mission in being the first team to cross Antarctica. However, after learning that his journey was full of peril and disaster, the children wrote letters of complaint about their treatment whilst on this dangerous journey! We also learnt about Robert Scott and compared the two journeys. The children could then write a eulogy for either Shackleton or Scott to commemorate their achievements. The children certainly enjoyed learning about both of these intrepid explorers and their writing incorporated so many elements to make it effective!

Maths highlights:
Within our Maths learning this term, Year 6 have delved into calculating with and converting between fractions, decimals and percentages. We have worked hard to strengthen our arithmetic skills and strengthen our addition, subtraction, multiplication and division between fractions and decimals. Following on from this we explored problem solving with algebra and learnt how to find missing numbers that are represented with shapes or letters. We have also applied our knowledge of multiplication to support us in calculating with ratios, including using scale factors.

Foundation subject highlights:
Bringing the spark into our Science learning, the children began the Spring term with a focus on electricity.   We explored the different components of a circuit, the differences between voltage and current and even designed our own buzzer games using all of the knowledge we had gained about electricity. Next, we explored the human body, including our main organs and systems that keep us alive. We also focused on staying healthy and things that could harm our bodies such as having a poor diet, not exercising and the impact of drugs.

Continuing with our ‘Location, Location, Location’ unit, within Geography we have learnt about our local area of Yateley. We put this into context of the UK by exploring counties, cities, land use as well as transport links and natural resources. Then, we applied our knowledge of these features to explore Yateley and compared it to the nearby town of Camberley. During our learning, we visited Yateley High Street and mapped its features as well as completed surveys into what new and exciting features could be brought to Yateley to develop the town further.

Year 6 certainly started off their final year at Westfields with an incredibly busy Autumn Term. Our history topic of World War II meant we immersed ourselves into the 1940s Britain. Our jam-packed topic explored: the causes of the war, major events, living through the Blitz, propaganda, the role of women, and most importantly how it impacted Hampshire. (which was our overarching history enquiry question).

To deeper the children’s learning we also went on a fabulous trip to the Winchester Military Museums where the children benefitted from the knowledge of the historians who work there. During the workshops the children learnt about medals, the contributions of the Gurkhas, military uniforms, the Home Front and effectively using historical sources.

Not only this, but the children also enjoyed a Creative Day with three different workshops. They enjoyed making promotional Home Front videos on iMovie, code-breaking and learning how to do dances like the Charleston. This all culminated with a tea dance in the afternoon.

As well as this, our English learning journeys also had a History theme. Throughout the term, the children explored a range of fiction and non-fiction texts in our writing and guided reading lessons. We have discovered what life was like for a group of evacuees in ‘Carrie’s war’, delved into the magical world of ‘Narnia’ and even written our own flashbacks based on a film narrative text.

We have been really impressed with the children’s development of their maths knowledge over the Autumn term too. They have strengthened their understanding of place value, as well as tackled challenges with the formal methods for the four operations including persevering with long multiplication and division! The children then used these skills to solve real-life problems involving fractions. The children showed fantastic commitment when getting to grips with applying their existing knowledge.

The Year 6 children have completed lots of physical challenges this term. Using our Sports Premium Funding, some of the children have further developed their swimming strokes during our weekly swimming lessons at Yateley School as well as improved their understanding of road safety on their Bikeability courses. The children have learnt a lot about staying safe whether that is in water or out on the roads. Also, around the theme of keeping safe – the children enjoyed a workshop from Hampshire Fire Service. They learnt all about the fire triangle, how fires can spread and how to keep safe at home by ensuring they minimise any fire hazards.

In their Science lessons, the Year 6 children began with learning about light. They explored how light travels, how it enables us to see as well as the scientific concepts of refraction and reflection. Following on from this, they explored the ‘Theory of Evolution’ through their topic Evolution and Inheritance. During this topic the children learnt about natural selection, inheritance of genes within families and studied the work of famous scientists such as Charles Darwin and Mary Anning.

Not only this but the children also completed not one, but two DT projects! Linking with their history topic the children learnt about rationing and made some delicious Woolton Pies! Then, to end our busy term, they made moving Christmas shop windows. After learning about pulley mechanisms and using coding knowledge to programme lights and motors on Crumble kits, the children combined all of this knowledge to create fantastic Christmas themed window displays.