Welcome to Blue Whales!

We are the brilliant class of year 5 and 6 pupils who strive to be outstanding role models for the rest of the pupils in the school. We consistently demonstrate the school values by aiming high, showing respect and being safe. We are also working hard on developing a growth mindset to support us on our learning journey.

Within Blue Whales, Mrs Cowley is the class teacher and Mrs O’Neill and Mrs H are the teaching assistants who support at different times. 

Polite reminders

Please ensure your child:

• is punctual and arrives at school at 8.35am as learning begins straight away
• has their school reading book and diary everyday 
• has a named water bottle with them daily
• has their name clearly labelled in their school uniform
• completes their weekly homework which will be set on a Friday and returns it by the following Thursday

Swimming and PE

Children will be swimming every Tuesday between 1.15pm and 1.30pm, with the first session beginning on Tuesday 19th September. Swimming lessons will take place at The Healthy Living Centre in Staveley and will run up until the end of the academic year. Children will need their swimming kit which should consist of goggles, a swimming costume/trunks and a towel and are encouraged to bring a swimming hat too. All jewellery should be removed. Children are welcome to come in their PE on a Tuesday but don't have to. 

In addition to swimming, children will have a PE session in school which will take place on a Thursday. Children must come to school in their PE kit on this day. 

Autumn learning 

For the autumn term, our learning will focus around answering the question, ‘How far have we come?' This is a historical-based enquiry where children will learn about the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings and how these time periods compare to other historical periods studied previously and to the modern day. Within this enquiry, children will be required to think and behave like a historian as they examine sources and acquire knowledge around the life of Anglo-Saxons and Vikings including the conflict between these two groups. Geography will features as an enhancer as children will explore where the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings came from, the signifcance of the places they chose to settle and how land use has changed over time. PSHE will also enhance this enquiry as children look at the feeling associated with conflict and how to manage these making comparisons to the way situations were handled then compared to now. 

Within this enquiry, children will have opportunities for experiential learning including partaking in a trip to a museum in Derby and will be given the opportunity to showcase their learning in a meaningful way by producing written pieces to be shared with the museum in Chesterfield ready for its re-opening. 

Within English, we will explore writing for a number of different purpose which will see us covering the following:

• Narratives
• Poetry
• Non-chronological reports
• Diary entries
• Newspaper reports 

Within Maths, both year 5 and year 6 will learn about: place value; addition; subtraction; multiplication; division and fractions. In addition, year 6 will also learn about converting units. Sessions will be taught to separate year groups with year 5 being taught by Miss Tate and year 6 being taught by Mrs Cowley. 

Reading

A love of reading will be fostered through the sharing of our class novel ‘The Light Jar’, which has been voted for by children, and through accessing high quality texts to enrich learning opportunities and provide children with new knowledge. A selection of teacher recommended books will also be available for children to borrow to bring home to enjoy. 

Children will be bringing home two books; one book will be matched to their reading/comprehension ability and one will be a book they have chosen to read for pleasure. The book for pleasure will be borrowed from our school library and will only be able to be swapped once it has been returned. We will aim to swap reading for pleasure books weekly as part of our visit to the in-school library. Please note, the book chosen for pleasure may be above the reading ability of your child so we would encourage you to enjoy sharing this book alongside your child. The book matched to your child's reading ability will be changed as and when your child has finished reading it. 

Within school, children will be heard read at least once per week and will have opportunities to read the book matched to their reading ability. In-school reading will be logged in children's home reading diaries. Please take opportunities to read with your child at home and log this in their reading diary. Reading diaries will be checked on a weekly basis. 

Knowledge organiser 

Below is the knowledge organiser which shows the key vocabulary and sticky knowledge which children will learn and retain as a result of our autumn enquiry.