In Year 6, children consolidate and extend the essential knowledge and skills developed throughout primary school, preparing them for the next stage of their education. Through carefully planned lessons and meaningful learning experiences, children build confidence in reading, writing and mathematics while deepening their understanding across the wider curriculum.

A strong focus is placed on developing rich vocabulary and subject-specific language so that children can clearly explain their thinking, articulate their ideas and make connections across different areas of learning.

Throughout the year, children will explore a range of engaging and challenging topics, including historical events and civilisations, geographical concepts, scientific investigations and the wider world. They will also have opportunities to develop their creativity through art, music, design technology and collaborative projects.

Talking to your child regularly about their learning can make a significant difference. Discussing new vocabulary, key concepts, books they are reading or topics they are exploring helps to strengthen understanding, build confidence and support them in becoming independent learners. Even short, regular conversations at home can have a lasting impact on children’s progress and readiness for secondary school.

In Year 6, children further refine the key skills that support all areas of learning as they prepare for secondary school. We aim to develop confident readers, skilled writers and resilient mathematicians through engaging lessons, purposeful tasks and consistent encouragement.

We know that children make the strongest progress when school and home work together, and the support they receive at home plays a vital role in building confidence, independence and success in the classroom.

Reading

Reading remains a priority at Phoenix and is central to learning across the curriculum. In Year 6, children develop reading fluency, comprehension and critical thinking skills through a wide range of high-quality texts.

Children are encouraged to:

• Read at home regularly (at least 3–4 times each week)
• Bring reading books and records to school daily
• Discuss what they are reading, including themes, vocabulary and author choice
• Explore a variety of genres to build depth and enjoyment in reading

We place a strong emphasis on understanding and evaluating texts, helping children to explain their ideas clearly and support them with evidence.

Even short reading sessions at home can make a significant difference. Talking about books, exploring new vocabulary and sharing opinions all help to build confidence and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Useful websites to support reading at home:

• Oxford Owl

Writing

In Year 6, children build on their writing skills by crafting more complex and purposeful pieces across a range of genres. They are encouraged to write with clarity, creativity and accuracy.

Children are supported to:

• Use a wide range of punctuation accurately
• Write in paragraphs with a clear structure
• Edit and improve their own work independently
• Develop rich vocabulary and varied sentence structures
• Write for different audiences and purposes

We celebrate children’s ideas, creativity and growing independence as writers, preparing them for the expectations of secondary school.

Maths

In maths, children continue to develop fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills through engaging and challenging learning opportunities.

At Phoenix, we follow the White Rose Maths approach, supporting children to deepen their understanding and apply their learning confidently across different contexts.

Throughout Year 6, children build confidence with:

• Number and place value, including larger numbers
• The four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)
• Fractions, decimals and percentages
• Measurement, geometry and statistics
• Mathematical reasoning and multi-step problem solving

We encourage children to apply their maths skills in everyday situations at home. Activities such as budgeting, measuring, telling the time or discussing numbers in real-life contexts can all help build confidence and reinforce learning.

At Phoenix, we believe learning goes beyond the classroom. In Year 6, children are given a wide range of opportunities to develop independence, resilience, leadership and confidence as they prepare for the transition to secondary school.

Throughout the year, children will have opportunities to:

• Take part in educational visits and welcome visitors into school
• Develop confidence through oracy, presentations and discussion
• Engage in challenging, purposeful and collaborative learning experiences
• Explore the Phoenix values through assemblies, class learning and everyday interactions
• Build independence, resilience and strong friendships as they prepare for the next stage of their education

Children also take part in:

• PE lessons and sporting opportunities
• Music and creative arts activities
• Thrive sessions and wellbeing support
• OPAL play and leadership opportunities
• Special themed weeks, celebrations and enrichment days

As part of our wider curriculum, Year 6 aim to enjoy a range of exciting visits and experiences linked to their learning throughout the year. These may include:

• Residential trips that develop independence, teamwork and resilience
• Visits to museums and cultural venues to enhance learning across subjects
• Workshops and enrichment activities linked to history, science or the arts
• Community visits and opportunities to prepare for life beyond primary school

These experiences help bring learning to life, broaden children’s horizons and create lasting memories, while supporting them in becoming confident, independent learners ready for their next journey.