🚨🌊 Year 6 Learn About Water Safety with the Coastguard 🌊🚨

As part of Health Week, Year 6 were lucky enough to welcome a special visitor — a member of the Coastguard! They came to talk to us about the importance of water safety, and we learnt some really valuable information that could help keep us safe.

During the session, we found out that the sea can be very dangerous, even if it looks calm. The Coastguard explained how quickly conditions can change and why it is important to always be aware of the risks when visiting the beach or swimming in open water.

We learnt some key safety tips, including:

• 🌊 Always swim at lifeguarded beaches
• 🚩 Pay attention to flags and warning signs
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Never go into the water alone
• 📞 Call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard in an emergency

One of the most important things we discovered was what to do if we get into trouble in the water. The Coastguard taught us to “Float to Live” — this means leaning back, spreading your arms and legs, and staying calm until you can control your breathing.

We also talked about how to help others safely. We learnt that we should never jump into the water to rescue someone, but instead call for help and try to help from the shore if possible.

The talk was really interesting and helped us understand how to stay safe while enjoying the water. It was a great reminder that being careful and prepared can make a big difference.

Thank you to the Coastguard for teaching us such important life-saving skills! 🚤💙

🚲🍓 Year 6 Health Week Fun – Smoothie Bike Day! 🍌🥭

As part of our exciting Health Week, Year 6 had an unforgettable experience in the dance studio with a very special visitor — the smoothie bike!

Instead of using electricity, we had to pedal a bike to power the smoothie maker. It was great fun and definitely got our legs moving! Everyone took turns riding the bike as fast as they could to help blend our tasty drinks.

We made delicious smoothies using a variety of fresh fruits, including:

• 🍌 Bananas
• 🍓 Strawberries
• 🥭 Mango
• 🍈 Papaya

These were mixed with milk and ice, creating the perfect cold and refreshing drink. After working hard on the bike, it was the ideal way to cool down and stay healthy at the same time.

The activity helped us learn about:

• The importance of exercise
• How to make healthy food choices
• How energy works in a fun and practical way

Everyone had a fantastic time, and the smoothies tasted amazing — especially knowing that we powered them ourselves!

What a brilliant way to stay active and healthy — we loved Smoothie Bike Day! 💪🥤

This week in Year 6, we had a fantastic time learning how to tell the time in French! The children approached the lesson with great enthusiasm and a real willingness to have a go.

Using mini clocks, pupils practised saying different times and worked hard to build their confidence in speaking French aloud. It was wonderful to see so many children supporting one another and enjoying the challenge.

To help us remember key phrases, we also learned and sang a fun song called “Quelle heure est-il?” which quickly became a class favourite! The singing helped everyone to recall vocabulary and develop their pronunciation in an engaging way.

Overall, it was a fun and lively lesson, and we are very proud of the children’s positive attitudes and excellent effort.

✂️ Year 6 Design & Technology: Creating Our Phone Case Prototypes 📱🧵

This week in Design and Technology, Year 6 built on the fantastic sewing skills they practised earlier in the week to begin creating their mobile phone case prototypes.

Using their new knowledge, the children carefully selected appropriate stitches to construct and decorate their designs. It was great to see pupils confidently applying techniques such as the running stitch, back stitch, over stitch and blanket stitch to suit different purposes, whether for joining fabric securely or adding a decorative edge.

Working with cloth, pupils measured, cut and assembled their pieces to create a functional prototype. They showed excellent attention to detail when aligning edges and keeping their stitching neat and even. Threading needles and tying secure knots became much quicker and easier compared to earlier lessons—clear evidence of the progress they have made!

Throughout the lesson, the class demonstrated brilliant problem-solving skills 🧠, adapting their designs where needed and thinking carefully about how to make their cases both practical and visually appealing 🎨.

It was wonderful to see so much perseverance 💪 and creativity ✨, with each prototype reflecting the individuality of its designer. These skills will be continued and refined as we move towards completing our final products.

Well done, Year 6—your hard work is really paying off! 👏📱

🔬 Year 6 Science at Aspire: Investigating Separating Solutions! 🧪

This week, Year 6 had an exciting opportunity to take their learning beyond the classroom by visiting the Aspire science labs 🏫. The session focused on separating mixtures, and the children worked like real scientists as they followed a carefully structured experiment.

🧂 Step 1: Making a Solution

We began by creating a salt solution, mixing four spatulas of rock salt with 20 ml of water using a measuring cylinder. The pupils then used a glass rod 🥄 to stir the mixture until the salt dissolved as much as possible.

🧃 Step 2: Filtration

Next, we explored filtration by pouring the mixture through a funnel and filter paper 🔽 into an evaporating basin. This helped remove any undissolved particles, leaving us with a clearer solution.

🔥 Step 3: Heating and Evaporation

Now for the most exciting part! The evaporating basin was placed on top of a beaker of water, which sat on gauze over a Bunsen burner 🔥. Using a blue flame, the children carefully heated the solution until almost all the liquid had evaporated.

We learned the importance of careful observation 👀—if the mixture started to split, we knew to remove the Bunsen burner and turn it off immediately for safety.

🧠 What We Learned

By the end of the session, pupils could clearly see how water can evaporate, leaving the salt behind, demonstrating how substances can be separated and recovered from a solution.

⭐ A Brilliant Experience

Throughout the lesson, Year 6 showed fantastic teamwork 🤝, responsibility ✅ and scientific curiosity 🔍. It was amazing to see them working in a real lab environment and applying their classroom learning in such a practical way.

Well done to our fantastic young scientists! 👏🧪

✂️ Year 6 Design & Technology: Mastering Our Sewing Skills! 🧵

This week in Design and Technology, Year 6 have been busy developing and refining their sewing techniques as part of our focus on mastering key practical skills.

We began by learning how to carefully thread a needle – not always as easy as it looks! Pupils showed great patience and determination as they practised this essential skill, supporting one another and celebrating their successes along the way.

Once we were ready, we moved on to practising a range of different stitches. Using binca fabric as a starting point, the children explored:

• Running stitch – creating simple, even lines
• Back stitch – producing strong, continuous seams
• Over stitch – joining edges neatly together
• Blanket stitch – adding both structure and decorative edging

Binca provided a helpful structure, making it easier for pupils to focus on the rhythm and accuracy of their stitches. As confidence grew, we progressed onto felt, which offered a new challenge due to its softer texture and closer weave.

The class demonstrated excellent perseverance throughout the lesson, carefully improving their technique and taking pride in neat, precise work. It was fantastic to see creativity starting to shine through as pupils experimented with different stitches and began thinking about how these skills could be applied to future projects.

Well done, Year 6 – a brilliant step towards becoming confident and capable designers! 👏

⚽ Year 6 Kick Off Their PSHE Journey with Blackpool FC 🌟

Year 6 have had an exciting start to their new 6-week PSHE programme in partnership with Blackpool Football Club Community Trust! ⚽👏
This engaging block of lessons is linked to the inspiring book “Unstoppable” by Dan Freedman, and pupils are already showing fantastic enthusiasm.

📚 Learning Through Unstoppable

Our PSHE sessions are centred around the powerful story of Unstoppable, which explores themes such as resilience, determination, teamwork and self-belief 💪✨
Through this book, pupils will reflect on challenges, set personal goals, and learn how to overcome obstacles—just like the characters in the story.

🧠 Developing Important Life Skills

Across the six weeks, children will:

• 🤝 Build confidence and teamwork skills
• 💬 Improve communication and decision-making
• 🎯 Set goals and explore ways to achieve them
• ❤️ Learn about wellbeing and positive mindset

The sessions combine discussion, reflection and practical activities, helping pupils to apply these important life skills both in and out of school.

🏛️ Year 6 Trip to Manchester Museum 🚌

Year 6 had an amazing day out visiting the Manchester Museum, packed full of exciting discoveries, hands-on learning and fascinating history. From ancient worlds to living creatures, there was something for everyone to enjoy – and it truly was a great day enjoyed by all! 😊

🐫 Ancient Egypt Adventure

One of the highlights of the trip was exploring the Ancient Egypt gallery. We saw real mummies, beautifully decorated coffins and artefacts that are thousands of years old! 🏺
Pupils were fascinated to learn about how the Egyptians lived, their beliefs about the afterlife, and how mummification worked. It felt like stepping back in time!

🌍 Discovering the Natural World

In the Natural World section, children explored exhibits all about habitats, animals, and our planet. 🌱🐾
They learned about biodiversity and how different species adapt to survive. There were lots of interactive displays which made learning fun and engaging!

🦖 Fossils and Dinosaurs

The fossils and dinosaurs gallery was a big hit! 🦕🦴
We saw enormous dinosaur skeletons and real fossils, giving us a glimpse into life millions of years ago. Pupils loved identifying different dinosaurs and imagining what the Earth was like in prehistoric times.

🏮 Chinese and Asian Culture

Another fascinating part of the museum focused on Chinese and wider Asian cultures. 🎎
We explored traditional clothing, art, and objects, learning about different customs and ways of life. It was a fantastic opportunity to understand and celebrate cultures from around the world.

🐸 A Visit to the Vivarium

The Vivarium was definitely one of the most exciting areas! 🦎🐍
We saw a variety of live animals, including frogs, lizards, and fish. Some were brightly coloured, while others were masters of camouflage. It was incredible to see these creatures up close!

🌟 A Day to Remember

The trip to Manchester Museum was a wonderful experience for everyone. Pupils were curious, enthusiastic, and eager to learn throughout the day.

We returned to school with lots of new knowledge, great memories, and plenty to talk about. A huge thank you to the staff and helpers who made this trip possible!

👏 Well done Year 6 – what a fantastic day! 🌟

🏃‍♂️ Sports Day Fun! 🏅

Our Year 6 Sports Day was amazing! The sun was shining and everyone was excited. ☀️

We tried lots of activities. In javelin 🏹, we aimed carefully and threw as far as we could. Speed bounce 🔄 was fast and tricky—we jumped as many times as possible!

The races 🏃‍♀️ were the best part, especially the relay. Everyone cheered loudly for their teams. 📣

We also did archery 🎯, where we focused hard and tried to hit the target—some even got the bullseye!

Overall, it was a fantastic day full of fun, teamwork, and energy. Can’t wait for next year! 🎉

❤️ Year 6 Blog: Learning About the Heart and Circulatory System 🫀

This term in Year 6, we have been learning all about the heart and the circulatory system—and it has been really interesting! 🔍✨

We started by discovering what the heart does. We learned that the heart is a strong muscle 💪 that pumps blood around our body. The circulatory system includes the heart 🫀, blood 🩸, and blood vessels 🧬, and it is responsible for carrying important things like oxygen 🌬️ and nutrients 🍎 to every part of our body.

We found out that blood travels through arteries, veins, and capillaries. The arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart ➡️🫀, while the veins bring blood back to the heart 🔄. It was amazing to learn how the body keeps everything moving without us even thinking about it! 🤯

Next, we explored how exercise 🏃‍♀️ affects our heart rate 💓. We learned that when we exercise, our muscles need more oxygen to work harder. To help with this, our heart beats faster to pump more oxygen-rich blood around the body. This is why our heart rate increases when we run, jump, or play sports! ⚽🏀

To investigate this further, we carried out our own experiment 🧪. We measured our resting heart rate 🛑💓 and then tested how it changed after different types of exercise. Some of the activities we tried included:

• Jogging on the spot 🏃
• Arm circles ⭐
•  

We carefully measured our heart rates after each activity and recorded our results 📊. Then, we compared them to see which type of exercise increased our heart rate the most.

From our investigation, we discovered that more intense exercises 🔥, such as fast running, increased our heart rates much more than slower activities like arm circles. This helped us understand that the harder our muscles work 💪, the more oxygen they need 🌬️, and the faster our heart has to beat 🫀💨.

Overall, this topic has helped us understand how important the heart is ❤️ and why exercise is good for our bodies. We now know that keeping active helps keep our heart healthy and strong! 🌟

We have really enjoyed being scientists 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 and investigating how our bodies work!

📚✨ Year 6 Library Adventure ✨📚

This week, Year 6 had a fantastic trip up to the school library—and what a brilliant time we had! 🏫➡️📖

As soon as we arrived, everyone settled into the cosy reading spaces, ready to explore the wide range of books on offer. From colourful picture books 🎨📘 to exciting stories full of adventure, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

One of the highlights of our visit was sharing picture books together. 👩‍🏫👨‍🏫 Even though we are one of the oldest year groups in the school, we loved diving into these beautifully illustrated stories. The artwork helped bring the stories to life, and we enjoyed discussing the characters, themes, and hidden meanings. 🖼️💡

Reading with friends made the experience even more special. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑📚 We took turns reading aloud, listening carefully, and sharing our thoughts. There were lots of smiles 😊, laughter 😂, and thoughtful conversations along the way.

Spending time in the library reminded us how enjoyable reading can be. It’s not just about learning—it’s also about imagination, creativity, and relaxing with a good book. 🌟📖

We can’t wait for our next visit!

📌 Year 6 Top Tip: Don’t forget—picture books aren’t just for younger children. They can inspire readers of all ages! 💬✨

🪷 Buddhism

📿 In RE, we have been exploring Buddhism and asking the question: What does it mean to live a good life?
🌱 We have reflected on what it means to be truly content and how this connects to Buddhist beliefs.
🧘‍♂️ We have learned about the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, comparing these teachings to other faiths and considering how they can guide our own lives.
🤝 The children have also discussed whether a truly selfless act exists and how Buddhists aim to live selflessly in their thoughts and actions.

🎨 Year 6 Art Lesson Two: Fonts & Collage ✂️🖍️

In their second Art lesson, Year 6 focused on developing key skills for their upcoming project. We began by practising a range of font styles ✏️, exploring how lettering can help communicate messages clearly and creatively.

The children also started investigating different collaging techniques 📰, looking at how images, textures and layering can be combined effectively. These skills will be used in their main piece of work 🎨, helping them to express ideas with impact and confidence.

🎨 Year 6 Begin Their Art Activism Journey ✊🌍

Year 6 have begun an exciting new topic in Art, exploring the idea of activism 🖌️. We started by discussing what activism means and talked about the political 🏛️, social 🤝 and environmental 🌱 issues that people choose to protest about. The children shared thoughtful ideas and showed great awareness of the world around them 💭✨.

To capture their learning, the children created a double page spread 📖 highlighting some of the issues we explored. This is the first step in their journey of using art as a powerful voice 🗣️ to express opinions and inspire change 💡💚.

📚 Year 6 SATs Maths Revision in Full Swing ➕📐

Year 6 have been working incredibly hard revising for their upcoming SATs in Maths ⭐. This week, we focused on 3D shapes, an area where some children are still building confidence—particularly with understanding nets of 3D shapes 🔺⬛.

To help deepen understanding, we brought out a range of practical resources 🧩 so the children could experiment, build, and explore how different nets fold to make solid shapes 🙌. This hands-on approach encouraged great discussion 💬 and supported the children as they continue their focused revision journey 💪✨.

🌱 Our New RE Journey: What Is a Good Life?

Year 6 have started a new RE unit learning about 🧘 Buddhism, based around the big question:

❓ What do we mean by a good life?

We began by thinking about 😊 happiness and 😌 contentment. Happiness can feel exciting but doesn’t always last. Contentment is a calmer feeling—being satisfied with what we already have.

We also talked about 🧠 wants and ❤️ needs. Needs are things we must have, like food and shelter. Wants are things we would like to have. We noticed that always wanting more 🛍️ can sometimes stop us from feeling truly happy.

This links closely to Buddhist beliefs ☸️. Buddhists teach that constant wanting can lead to unhappiness, and that a good life is about understanding ourselves, being kind ✨, and finding inner peace 🕊️.

As the unit continues, we’ll explore how Buddhism encourages people to live wisely and contentedly—and what this might mean for our own lives today 🌍.

Our Angle Adventure 📐

Year 6 have started an exciting new maths topic all about angles! We have been learning what angles are, how to measure them using a protractor, and how to draw angles accurately.

We have explored different types of angles, including acute, right, obtuse, and straight angles, and have enjoyed spotting them around the classroom and in everyday objects.

The children have also been investigating angles in triangles and quadrilaterals. We discovered that:

• The angles in a triangle add up to 180°
• The angles in a quadrilateral add up to 360°

Everyone has shown great focus and perseverance while learning these new skills. We’re looking forward to using our angle knowledge to solve more challenging problems as we continue our maths journey!

📚 Year 6 Class Novel Update 📚

Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed reading Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman this term. The novel sparked lots of thoughtful discussion and encouraged pupils to think deeply about challenging choices and moral dilemmas. It prompted mature conversations and helped develop empathy and understanding. Although emotional at times, the children found it engaging and very memorable. A powerful story that led to great learning conversations in class!

🌟 Spelling Bee Success! 🐝📚

Today, our school was buzzing with excitement as children from Year 2 to Year 6 took part in our annual Spelling Bee! 🏆✨

Over the past few weeks, pupils have been working incredibly hard to learn their spellings. From tricky letter blends to confident articulation, they have shown real dedication. 💪🧠

When the moment arrived, each participant demonstrated remarkable resilience and courage. Taking the stage in front of the whole school is no small task, yet our spellers stood tall, spoke clearly, and gave it their very best. 🎤👏

We are incredibly proud of every child who took part. Their effort, determination, and enthusiasm made today a wonderful celebration of learning. 🎉📖

A huge well done to all our super spellers! 🌈⭐

We had an amazing Science Day today! 🔬✨

Our investigation question was “Does the amount of sugar in a biscuit affect how many times it can be dunked?” 🍪🫖 We planned our experiment carefully and then carried it out—managing to sneak in a biscuit tasting too! 😋 We discovered that biscuits with more sugar tended to soften and break more quickly, while biscuits with less sugar held their structure for longer and survived more dunks. ✔️

After our investigation, we headed to a workshop in the hall with Rebecca.
First, we explored circuits 💡🔋 and learned that if a circuit is broken, the lights or buzzers won’t work. Then we took on a physics challenge, using only our breath to blow a cup out of a stacked tower. 🌀🥤 Finally, we used physics again to create a mini tornado effect to lift a sunken satsuma from the bottom of a water jug all the way to the top. 🍊💧

🏃‍♂️ Parkour Session 3 – Vaulting & Safe Landings!

Today, Year 6 took part in their third exciting Parkour session, building on the skills they’ve already started to master. This week’s focus was all about vaulting and landing safely — two essential Parkour techniques that help us move confidently and in control.

🤸 Learning to Vault

We used a range of low equipment so everyone could practise safely and try out new movements at their own pace.

Pupils worked together in small groups to learn how to:

• 👀 Keep their eyes looking forward
• ✋ Use their hands to support and guide their movement
• 🦵 Swing their legs smoothly over the equipment
• 🦶 Stay light on their feet

It was brilliant to see everyone challenging themselves and celebrating each other’s progress!

🛬 Landing Safely

A key part of Parkour is making sure we land with control and care. Today we practised:

• 🦵 Bending our knees to absorb impact
• ⚖️ Keeping our balance centred
• 🤫 Landing softly and quietly
• 💪 Using our arms for extra stability

With each jump, pupils became more confident and more aware of how their bodies move.