We celebrated World Book Day at Primrose Lane with children dressing up as characters from their favourite books with some brilliant entries. At the end of the day we also spread around the school to listen to adults reading a variety of stories which was a fantastic way to end a fun day!

During science week we carried out a class swap between Year 3 and Year 6 and in the year 6 classroom the children created lava lamps in small groups, observing the different densities of water and oil and seeing how the two did not mix. We also added fizzing tablets to the mixture which caused a chemical reaction and caused the oil and water to bubble. By adding food colouring we were able to create some lovely combinations.

We also created mini volcanoes by mixing bicarbonate of soda with vinegar and food colouring. The children loved watching the reaction when the vinegar was added to the mixtures and the fizzing, colourful volcanoes that were created. Both classes worked well in small groups to share out the tasks and learnt a lot about chemical reactions.

To extend our learning on our topic of the circulatory system and as part of science week, we had a visit from a parent (Mr Gibson) who is a physician who works with patients both before and after they undergo a liver transplant. We were able to learn more about how the circulatory system works, a little bit about transplants and patients as well as Mr Gibson answering many questions about how the heart functions and how it responds to various lifestyle choices as well as learning what happens to the heart over time. We covered a whole range of other topics related to health and the human body including some unusual treatments as well as what the future may hold for certain treatments. It was a fascinating session that the children really enjoyed.

As part of our science topic on living things and their habitats we were able to dissect plants (a much less smelly and messy experience than the pig hearts last term!).

The children did brilliantly to show the skills needed to take apart the plant but not damage the key parts and were then able to identify and label them in their books.

These are the reading resources that were sent home this week for children to complete instead of their reading journal task. These are due in on Friday so any support you can provide to help your child complete these will be incredibly helpful and beneficial to their learning. A more focused task for reading is very useful at this time of year to support with SATs but also to help embed the skills we are practising in school.

• Multiple-Choice-KS2-Reading-Practice-Beginner.pdf
• Multiple-Choice-KS2-Reading-Practice-Easy.pdf
• Multiple-Choice-KS2-Reading-Practice-Expert.pdf
• Multiple-Choice-KS2-Reading-Practice-Tricky.pdf

Within the Year 6 SATs tests a significant amount of the tests are made up of content from previous year groups that children are expected to have a good knowledge and understanding of. Unfortunately due to the extensive Year 6 curriculum it is not always possible to recap all of the previous year group curriculum as well. I have attached reasoning papers and mark schemes for years 3-5 so if you have any opportunity to go through them with your child the option is there. It is hugely beneficial to recap previous knowledge to help embed it and fill gaps in understanding that may not have been covered for some time so any help with this is much appreciated. I will be giving paper copies to some children as additional homework to recap and revise at home. Thank you, Mr Keen

• Y4 Autumn Arithmetic markscheme 2022.pdf
• Y5 Spring Reasoning and problem solving markscheme v2.pdf
• Y5 Summer Reasoning and problem solving markschemeV2.pdf
• Y5 autumn-reasoning-and-problem-solving-markscheme.pdf
• Y4 Spring Reasoning and problem solving markscheme.pdf
• Y3 Spring Reasoning and problem solving markscheme.pdf
• Y4 Summer Reasoning and problem solving markscheme.pdf
• Y3 Autumn Reasoning and problem solving markscheme 2022.pdf
• Y3 Summer Reasoning and problem solving markscheme.pdf
• Y5 Spring Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf
• Y3 Spring Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf
• Y5 Autumn Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf
• Y4 Summer Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf
• Y5 Summer Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf
• Y4 Spring Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf
• Y4 Autumn Paper 2 Reasoning 2022v2.pdf
• Y3 Autumn Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf
• Y3 Summer Paper 2 Reasoning 2022.pdf

After learning about the heart and the circulatory system, this week we moved on to learning about the roles of the different components of blood. The children found out that each component plays a significant part in helping the body:Red blood cells- carry oxygen around the body. White blood cells- part of the body's immune system fighting off viruses and infections. Platelets- clot the blood when you are cut or wounded. Plasma- a yellowish liquid that contains all of the other components of blood (minerals, vitamins). The children learnt about the different components and their jobs comparing them to real-life professions (delivery person, doctor, police officer, cleaner) and then worked in groups to make their own version using household items (Cheerios, raisins, red and yellow food colouring, marshmellows- avoiding eating them in the process!). Each group spent time planning who would do what part of the process and the teamwork was excellent, the children worked well using measuring skills as well as observing the different ingredients and linking them to earlier class discussions. Whilst having fun creating their own version of blood the main focus of the lesson was to know the functions of the different components and it was a really successful learning experience.

In PE this week, Mr Jackson worked with Year 6 and they produced their own version of the traditional maori war dance. The children were fully committed to the dance both physically and vocally and displayed excellent confidence and coordination when performing. The children are looking forward to being able to share these in future!

Please be aware that the photos do show images of the hearts so should only be viewed by Year 6 children and parents. Last week in Year 6 we had the fantastic opportunity to dissect pig hearts. It was an amazing experience for all of the children to take on a challenge usually conducted by secondary pupils. The whole class took part and really impressed me with their determination, maturity and their scientific observation skills throughout the process. It was very impressive how the children were able to overcome the unusual sights and unpleasant smells and carry out some fantastic learning about the various parts of the heart (aorta, veins, arteries etc) and this opportunity will hopefully be memorable for them in years to come and also builds on the knowledge they have gained in their science lessons this term.

Today we had a fantastic visit from Mr Singh, a member of the Sikh community based in Leeds at the Chapeltown Gurdwara.rnrnMr Singh gave a brilliant overview of his life as a Sikh, the history of the religion and some of the key aspects of being a Sikh including: The 5 Ks, the amazing generosity of Sikhs (particularly at the Golden Temple in India) as part of their daily life, the 3 main principles of being a Sikh (meditation, living honestly and share what you have) and Mr Singh was also happy to talk about his life as a Sikh and the welcoming nature of the religion and idea of everyone (no matter what religion) is equal. The children listened brilliantly and respectfully and asked superb questions, further developing their knowledge of the religion and hearing first hand from a Sikh as he was able to go into detail and share valuable knowledge about the topic.rnrnSome quotes from the children:rnrn"It was really nice having Mr Singh in the class and I think it made everyone want to visit a Gurdwara and he was very nice and informative"- Herbiernrn"Today I learnt that Mr Singh was very kind and no matter what to believe in yourself. He was very kind and I found what he said about his religion very interesting"- GraciernrnMr Singh's visit was a very informative experience; Sikhism is such a fascinating religion and I had loads of questions that Mr Singh answered with lots of knowledge"- Hughie
"I really enjoyed Mr Singh's visit as I learned so much about Sikhism. It was so interesting to see the 5 K's in person and learn about the commitments to their religion" Marley

"I really enjoyed the visit because you got to see the religion of Sikhism in real life instead of on a screen. It was interesting because it made me want to be a Sikh"- Chloe

On the last day of term the Year 6s had the opportunity to read the Christmas stories they had written for their Year 1 buddies. It was a really lovely occasion and both year groups enjoyed the experience very much. The Year 1s were able to take home their stories and read them with their families over Christmas.

We concluded our William Morris printing topic with some fantastic work from the Year 6s. The children used their designs from earlier in the topic to draw on to polystyrene and then use a pencil to indent their designs. The next stage was to apply printing ink to their polystyrene and their careful choices of colour, line and shape were applied to their designs. Children made decisions about how detailed their designs should be in order to reproduce when printing on to fabric and the end products were absolutely superb and the children really enjoyed the whole topic and the resulting work.

To help children learn about the distances between the planets we split into large groups so that each child could represent a planet and we then went outside and used scaled measurements to show the relative distances between the planets. The children also used different sized balls to illustrate the different sizes of the planets. Althiugh obviously still not even close to the actual distances of the planets, it was still beneficial to the children's learning to see how far away they were from both the sun and each other.

As part of our continued study of William Morris and his work, Year 6 discussed how this pioneering and inspirational artist used colour (with a specific colour palette), line, shape, space and pattern within his work. The children engaged in very thoughtful discussion and recorded their thoughts on a double page spread and then began work on continuations of William Morris's work with challenging small examples of his work. The children displayed perseverance and determination to produce their own examples of leaves, flowers and animals that they can then use when producing their own motif. Great effort Year 6!

For our first lesson on non-chronological reports we hid the features of this genre all around the hall and then working in pairs, children had to find them and record them in their books, taking it in turns to search.

The children really enjoyed being out of their seats and engaging with the information and will hopefully remember the features due to their active learning and writing down of them. The children then looked through an example and located the features in a real non-chronological report.

In Year 6 we have been learning about the Blitz and we have then transferred that knowledge into creating skylines of London during WW2.

The children observed London skylines and landmarks from the time period as well as images of London being bombed and the impact this would have on the skyline. We looked at images that included search lights, smoke and fire. Then the children used black card to create their silhouette of the skyline and chalk to create the background with a range of colours and ideas emerging.

The results were fantastic and the children demonstrated their knowledge of colour, contrast, line and the ability to blend chalk to create the wonderful skies.

On Friday we worked in pairs and threes to be active with our maths learning. Each team was given a question at a time that they needed to solve together and explain their working out to an adult. They would then move on to another question and a different member of the team would have to explain the method ensuring no group was reliant on 1 person. Each team worked sensibly and collaboratively to solve the reasoning and problem solving questions as quickly as possible and it was brilliant to see the class having so much fun with their maths work and celebrating their successes when they got a question correct.

The class seemed to really enjoy the opportunity to work in small groups and to be a bit more active with their working out and it is definitely something we will do again in the future.

On Friday Year 6 visited Murton Park in York for a WW2 experience.

The children were absolutely fantastic in terms of how they behaved, answered questions and immersed themselves in the experience. There were brilliant costumes, on theme packed lunches and an amazing amount of knowledge demonstrated by the children that massively impressed the staff.

The children got to learn about the war and the lives of the people affected, embedding exisiting knowledge but also picking up new pieces of information as well. Furthermore they got to do realistic jobs including washing with a mangal, baking bread, churning butter, creating a rug and put out a fire as an ARP warden. It was a brilliant experience and one that the children fully engaged with and enjoyed. Well done Year 6!

After a week away at Lineham Farm the bread from our mould investigation had taken a turn for the worse. For those of you who are squeamish please don't look at the photos!

The children will continue to observe the changes in their bread and we have already had some fantastic discussions about what has caused some bread to be significantly more mouldy than others. The children's observation skills have really been developed as a result of this investigation.

Yellow group showed their impressive archery skills today, demonstrating excellent technique to hit the target more and more regularly as the session went on. Every child developed their composure and command of the bow to become more precise with their efforts.rnrnThe session culminated in a balloon challenge where we all took turns in trying to hit each other's. Even when bullseyes were hit we were often disappointed if it meant we did not hit the balloons we aimed for!

A great effort by the yellow group in muddy conditions as they supported each other on the slippery obstacle course and then guided each other through tunnels, under nets, over a-frames and in and out of a number of other challenges. Communication and description helped them through!

In the low ropes challenge they did brilliantly to navigate members of their group onto platforms using teamwork and logical thinking.

On a rainy afternoon, red group were dropped off a 15 minute drive away from Lineham Farm in the countryside and then had to find their way back home using a map and compass (and a few helpful tips from instructor Paul!). We saw a variety of plants, numerous berries and enjoyed taking in the scenery as well as just enjoying having some nice chats as we made our way through muddy puddles and country paths. We got to stop at the Emmerdale site as well!

Red group explored the Lineham Farm on Thursday morning and got to meet a variety of animals and find out how to look after them, behave with them and also how they contribute to the beauty of the area. The children also learnt about some of the other living things in and around the farm (plants, mushrooms- monera) and a whole host of other details and valuable pieces of information about the living world around us.

Blue group made some brilliant shelters (tested by water!) and produced some fantastic fires and came away from the session ready for any survival challenge that is thrown at them. They worked positively as a team and communicated well when making their shelters.

What an incredible effort from blue group today on the crate stack. A number of children in this group were uncertain about heights and after pushing themselves when climbing yesterday, they did the same again today and all got higher than they thought they might at the start. At the beginning of the week I said that the children want to leave the week without having regrets about not trying something and this group ensured today that they will end the week knowing they gave some of their toughest personal challenges a really good go and will feel proud of themselves as a result.

There are now a group of future Bear Grylls at Primrose Lane after an amazing bushcraft session today. Shelters were built (and soaked), fires were lit and supplies gathered and the children now confidently know how to survive in the wild woods of Yorkshire (if supplied with marshmellows and hot chocolate!!!). All the children had the chance to light fires using tools as well as then keep a fire going for an hour using their knowledge of what a fire needs to stay alive. They also learnt about the pillars of survival and what to prioritise first if in that situation. The children worked brilliantly in teams to be successful at the various challenges thrown their way.

A brilliant effort from the whole group on the cycling activity today as every child improved their skills and came away from the session having learnt a new skill whether it be how to look after a bike a bit more confidently, how to control their bike with more precision or how to take on bumps and turns with flair and technique. There was a pump track, an obstacle course and some brilliant jumps and some amazing air-time efforts but everyone challenged themselves and supported each other through the falls and tumbles!

The children took part in a movie themed night with a fun quiz followed by putting on movie themed costumes getting some great (and some not so great!) tunes on to fill the dancefloor. There were some amazing costumes and some interesting singing in what was a really fun night for all. At the end of the night the children brilliantly shared some of their highlights for the visiting Mrs Bailey and listened beautifully to each other. It capped off a fantastic day brilliantly.

There were so many personal milestones and achievements in this session with every child pushing themselves beyond their original expectations and also pushing past their fears and anxieties about heights. One of the best things to see on the residential is when someone is convinced they can't do something but then with the support of their teammates and instructors find out that they can. Climbing nearly always includes those moments and this session was no exception.

Blue group used their communication and teamwork skills to overcome a variety of challenges and guide each other through obstacle courses requiring balancing skills and then also description as their partners were blindfolded. The whole group got muddy and dirty and one pair were even left behind in a tunnel briefly as the group again showed their teamwork and guided each other back to safety!

Yellow group had a lovely session being dropped off a distance away from the site and making their way back observing and enjoying the nature along the journey. There was even an Emmerdale celebrity spot to top off the morning!

The red team overcame nerves, anxiety and their concerns to push themselves beyond their perceived limits and reach the dizzying heights of the crate stack towers. The children were so proud of themselves for challenging and pushing their boundaries and finished the tasks full of stories of perseverance and determination as well as teamwork.

Blue group did an amazing job of hitting the target and making progress with their archery skills on Tuesday afternoon. The children showed a wonderful attitude and competed well with each other whilst also taking on board advice from the instructors around way of improving their technique. There were moments when resilience was needed and the children benefited from this challenge!

A really fantastic effort from all members of Red group who overcame anxiety, nerves and fear to climb the walls and Jacob's ladder. This activity is one where many children are apprehensive and nervous but every year children amaze us with their efforts and ability to persevere and overcome a challenge and this year was no exception with some fantastic success stories. There were also many instances of the children supporting each other when times got tough and helping each other to climb a little higher and reach their goals.

The blue group had some fantastic achievements when out riding on Tuesday. They rode the tracks expertly, trying 'The Skinny', 'The see-saw' and 'The Jumps' with confidence and always looking to challenge themselves to go higher, faster or with more precision and control.rnrnBlue groups attempts at the tricky courses in the second half of the session with several members completing the complex courses and impressing the instructor with their perseverance and determination.

On Tuesday evening the 2023 Primrose Lane-Lineham Farm talent show took place! There were a whole range of talents on show that included: magic, riddle reading, dancing, singing, improvised material and some surprise acts that amazed and amused the audience in equal measure! All the acts showed incredible bravery and courage to stand up and perform in front of their peers and entertained us all immensely throughout the evening- some children even took part in more than one act. It was a very difficult choice to decide on a winner amongst all the talent on show but the adults eventually arrived at a result. The main award went to Seb and Herbie for the Gagnam style dance, the preparation and practise that had been put in impressed the judges. Well done everyone who took part for a brilliant and fun evening.

Yellow group explored the site in and around Lineham Farm on Tuesday and listened brilliantly as they learned all about the wildlife and natural world around them. The children picked up some valuable tips about mushrooms in the wild and were able to feed the sheep and other animals on the grounds.

The children successfully worked together to build towers of crates and face their anxieties and fears! All groups did fantastically well to work as a team to stack the crates evenly and systematically to build. It was particularly impressive to see the children supporting one another both in terms of taking the weight of the climbers and spotting them but also with moral support to help them achieve their goals and push beyond their comfort zone.

The red group showed excellent communication and teamwork skills to support each other in pairs through the activities on Tuesday morning. By working together as a pair and a team they helped each other complete the balance courses initially and then guide their partner through the nightline course while they wore a blacked out pair of goggle so had to rely on their listening and communication skills as a partnership. It was a really successful morning and the children learnt a lot about themselves and each other due to the challenging nature of the tasks.

• Lineham Farm Presentation Sept 23.ppt

Here you can find the times tables tests for all multiples and also the hot 100 documents to practise at home.

• 2 tests.doc
• Hot 100 tests.doc
• Hot 100 tests- just multiply.doc
• 12 tests.doc
• 7 tests.doc
• 4 tests.doc
• 3 tests.doc
• 8 tests.doc
• 6_x_tables_1_ (1).pdf
• 5 tests.doc
• 11 tests.doc
• 10 tests.doc
• Hot 100 tests.docx
• 2, 5, 10 test all in one.doc
• 9 tests.doc

We had a visit from the Leeds foundation to discuss making good choicse. There were a series of activities and discussions around serious issues that the children may encounter and need to make important choices about such as:

- anti-social behaviour
- positive/negative choices and their impact
- age of criminal responsibility
- legal ages for vaping and other activities
- discrimination and racism
- knife crime
- dangers of filters on photos
- when to call 101 or 999
- dangers of gangs
- social media- benefits and risks
- location services on apps
- saying no when something does not feel right

All of this was done brilliantly by the organisation and the children contributed brilliantly to the discussions and asked very thoughtful questions. We followed this up with a class discussion on any areas they were not sure of and the children benefited from the session and conversations.

In science we have been learning about how to classify living things and have been using classification keys to do so (yes/no questions to determine where the living thing should go). The children used items from their tray to gain experience of how to do it and then we went outside to look at actual living things and used scientific vocabulary to help us describe the living things (colour, texture, vertebrate/invertebrate, plant/living things).

• What-Does-This-Word-or-Phrase-Suggest-KS2-Reading-Easy.pdf
• Year-6-Reading-Skills-Poem.pdf
• Number-the-Events-KS2-Reading.pdf
• Tick-the-Word-Closest-in-Meaning-to-Reading-KS2-Tricky.pdf
• Reading_Comp_Titanic.pdf
• Y6-Jungle-Fever.pdf
• The Charge of The Light Brigade by Tennyson - Question Pack.pdf
• The Charge of The Light Brigade by Tennyson - Answers.pdf
• The Charge of The Light Brigade by Tennyson - Poem.pdf

Here you can find a series of arithmetic practise papers as well as separate sheets for different areas of the curriculum. if you wanted your child to practise something that is not here, please let me know and I can add it. There is also a PDF that shows some of the key methods based on a SATs paper and how to solve certain questions.

• Reasoning Quiz 1.pdf
• ArithmeticPaper1.pdf
• KS2 Maths Knowledge Organiser For SATs.pdf
• ArithmeticPaper3.pdf
• ArithmeticPaper2.pdf
• Fractions of amounts.rtf
• Adding and subtracting mixed numbers.rtf
• Column multiplication 1 digit.rtf
• Arithmetic methods SATs 2017.pdf
• Adding and subtracting decimals.rtf
• 2017 Paper 2- completed with errors.pdf
• 2017 Paper 3- completed with errors.pdf
• 2017 Paper 1- completed with errors.pdf

• Year Six timetable.docx

• Autumn 1 newsletter year 6.docx

Times table tests to practise at home

• 2 tests.doc
• 12 tests.doc
• 7 tests.doc
• Hot 100 tests- just multiply.doc
• 5 tests.doc
• 8 tests.doc
• 9 tests.doc
• 10 tests.doc
• Hot 100 tests.doc
• 2, 5, 10 test all in one.doc
• Hot 100 tests.docx
• 3 tests.doc
• 11 tests.doc
• 4 tests.doc
• 6_x_tables_1_ (1).pdf