Week ending 16th January 2026

This week, the children have continued to develop their writing skills, building their ideas towards writing their own narrative. They thoroughly enjoyed getting creative and designing their own character, considering their characteristics and movements, describing this to the reader through figurative language and effective vocabulary.

In Maths, they have begun learning about algebra, looking at function machines, preparing themselves for solving and understanding algebraic expressions next week. They also did themselves proud when completing an array of past SATs papers, showing off all of the skills that they have learnt so far this year.

In History and Geography, they have now got stuck into their new topics: Manchester Man and Birmingham. They are able to locate both cities on a map of the United Kingdom. Within their geography lessons, they have been learning about how and why Birmingham has changed so much in the last 200 years.

We are extremely excited for their electricity workshop next week to extend their knowledge about electricity.

Week ending 9th January 2026

It has been wonderful to welcome our Year 6 pupils back after the Christmas holidays, and what a positive start they have made to the new term. The children settled straight back into learning and it has been lovely to have them back in the classroom. In English, we introduced our new class text Paradise Sands, and the children enthusiastically explored their initial predictions by writing persuasive advertisements about what they think the story will be about, followed by a brilliant setting description of the Teller’s Palace. We will continue to focus on this exciting text over the coming weeks.

In Science, we launched our new topic on electricity, and the children thoroughly enjoyed working practically to make their own electrical circuits, showing great curiosity and teamwork. In RE, we have begun our new topic on Humanism, where the children have started to explore what Humanists believe and how these ideas influence people’s choices and values.

Week ending 18th December 2025

As we reach the end of the Christmas term, we would like to take a moment to celebrate our fantastic Year 6 children. They have worked incredibly hard this term and we could not be prouder of their effort, resilience and positive attitudes to learning.

In particular, the children have continued to apply themselves brilliantly in Maths and English. In English, they have edited and improved their newspaper reports linked to the theme of refugees and our class text Story Like the Wind. The children showed great maturity and empathy in their writing, carefully refining their work to make it more engaging, accurate and impactful.

In Maths, the focus has been on imperial and metric measures. The children have learnt how to convert between different units and have impressed us with the way they have problem-solved their way through increasingly challenging questions, demonstrating confidence and perseverance.

Alongside their hard work in the classroom, the children have also thrown themselves into a range of Christmas events throughout the week. It has been wonderful to see them enjoying these special moments together and embracing the festive spirit while continuing to represent Year 6 so positively.

Thank you for your continued support this term.
Miss Clare and Miss Scott would like to wish you and all your families a very Merry Christmas, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year. 🎄✨

Week ending 12th December 2025

Year 6 have had a wonderful and festive few weeks filled with exciting activities. In PE, the children took part in fun Christmas games, including “The Grinch”, where they used a range of tactics and teamwork to score the most points while enjoying some friendly competition.

One of the most special moments was our visit to Barnes Lodge Care Home. The children proudly shared the Christmas cards they had made and sang beautifully to the residents, spreading true Christmas joy and spirit. The residents were overjoyed, with some becoming quite emotional as they listened to the children’s lovely singing – a truly heart-warming experience for everyone involved.

Alongside this, Year 6 have continued to practise their carol in preparation for the upcoming carol concert, and we are very proud of their enthusiasm and perseverance. 

Week ending 14th November 2025

This week, we took time to reflect during our Week of Remembrance, and the children approached it with maturity, respect and thoughtfulness. We held a lovely Remembrance Service, where the children behaved impeccably and took part in a calm and reflective atmosphere, showing real understanding of the importance of remembering those who have served.

In Art, the children created some beautiful poppies, using a range of skills and techniques. Their finished work was both striking and meaningful, and it was clear how much care and effort went into each piece.

Alongside these important activities, learning in the classroom continued at pace. In Maths, the children worked incredibly hard to understand some challenging concepts, particularly multiplying and dividing fractions. They showed great perseverance and resilience, tackling tricky problems and supporting one another as their confidence grew.

We are very proud of how the children balanced reflection, creativity and hard work throughout such a busy and meaningful week.

Week ending 7th November 2025

The children have worked exceptionally hard this week, in particular by developing our language and using effective vocabulary. Miss Clare and Miss Scott have been blown away by the children's creativity in their setting description of a stormy sea and use of high-quality adjectives. They have continued to use onomatopoeia and have started to include semicolons in their written work.

In Maths, the children have persevered within their fraction unit, to master the ability to add and subtract fractions with different denominators. Despite it being a long and gruelling process, the children's resilience has shone through and can confidently now do this independently.

In music, we looked at  composing for protest, inspired by Ethel Smyth who wrote protest songs for the suffragettes. The children thoughtfully considered what they are passionate about and began to write their own pieces, fitting the words to a strong, musical beat.

Week ending 31st October 2025

What an exciting and memorable first week back it’s been for Year 6!

We began the week with our special Tie Service, a proud moment where our Year 6 pupils received their ties. This marks their role as leaders of the school — a symbol of responsibility, pride, and the special position they hold at the top of Bishop Chavasse.

In English, we introduced our new text, A Story Like the Wind. Before opening the book, the children predicted what it might be about and wrote their ideas in the style of a blurb — with some very creative results! We then began reading and were immediately drawn in by the dramatic opening scene set on a small boat in a stormy sea. Inspired by this, the children wrote powerful poems featuring onomatopoeia to capture the sounds and energy of the storm.

Our new Geography topic is all about Ethiopia. This week, the children learnt about the country’s location, flag and culture, and compared our school life with that of schools in Ethiopia. Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue exploring the lifestyle, geography, and challenges faced by people living there.

The absolute highlight of the week was undoubtedly our Maya Day! The children had an incredible time stepping back in history — making chocolate Maya masks, playing the traditional game Pok-a-Tok, writing in hieroglyphs, and heading to Forest School to enjoy some delicious hot chocolate. One pupil summed it up perfectly as she left school saying, “This was the best day I’ve ever had at Bishop Chavasse!”

It’s been a week full of learning, laughter and fun— a wonderful start to our second term as Year 6!

Week ending 2nd October 2025

In English, we have continued reading King Kong and begun to learn about how to write a balanced argument. We are extremely enthusiastic towards our debate topic: Should gorillas be held in captivity? The children finished the week by having a whole class debate, in which they presented their opinions and arguments, using the language that you would find within a written balanced argument. 

In Science, the children have been using plant taxonomy to group different plants. They have looked at monocots, dicots, conifers, ginkgos, ferns and moss. 

Throughout this term, we have been learning about climate change and the importance of taking action to protect our planet. This week, the children wrote persuasive letters to our local MP, Tom Tugendhat, sharing their thoughts and concerns about environmental issues in Tonbridge. They explored how small, local actions can make a big difference, suggesting ideas such as improving recycling facilities, planting more trees, and encouraging the use of sustainable transport. The children were passionate about making their voices heard and expressed a strong desire to see positive change in their community.

We are incredibly proud of their thoughtful writing, creative ideas, and commitment to building a greener future for Tonbridge!

Week ending 26th September 2025

The children have been fully immersed into their English this week, planning and then writing their own dilemma narrative, using the skills that they have learnt from our text King Kong and some other example texts that we have explored. They are now experts at including relative clauses and fronted adverbials in their writing. Our focus within this piece of extended writing has been to show how a character is feeling or acting through powerful verbs (show not tell). Miss Scott and Miss Clare are extremely proud of the writing that they have produced. Next week, we will be beginning to look at balanced arguments.

In Maths, the children have been recapping and extending their learning on factors and multiples. They have also explored rules of divisibility - how many can they remember at home? Next week, we will be exploring multiplication and division methods, ensuring we have self-checking strategies. 

In History, we have learnt more about the Maya Civilisation and the children were particularly excited by their link with chocolate. 

In RE, the children were extremely resilient when delving into the debate about Science and Religion. We explored scientific theories about creation and discussed whether they complimented or contrasted that of Genesis 1.

The children thoughtfully put together a farewell poem to wish Miss Newell luck on her next adventure in her new job. She was very touched with their artwork and poetic words.

Week ending 19th September 2025

In Maths, we have started exploring the 4 operations, starting with addition this week, and will be furthering our subtraction skills and revisiting factors and multiples next week.  

In English, we're really enjoying our text "King Kong" and have been exploring ways to effectively plan our own dilemmas, using the skills that Anthony Brown uses in his novel. Our grammar focus throughout the week has been relative clauses and modal verbs.  

Week ending 12th September 2025

We have had a superb week with lots of new learning happening across the curriculum. 

In Maths this week, we continued to focus on our place value knowledge – ordering numbers to 10,000,000, multiplying numbers by 10, 100 and 1000and rounding numbers. 

This week we have begun our Monday PE topic of fitness – the children focused on core fitness, cardio and agility. They had a rotation of activities to complete. It was great to see all the children engaged and understanding the importance of fitness for sporting games. 

The children are thoroughly enjoying our History topic: The Ancient Maya and this week learnt about where the civilisation was and when Lord Shield Jaguar ruled. They became very confident at identifying on different maps where the civilisation was, using geographical language to describe it, as well as learning about the language that they spoke.

In Geography, our topic is Climate Change - the children focussed on the energy mix in the UK and where they find different sources of energy. It links brilliantly to our art topic 'street art' that conveys important messages. 

Congratulations to Livvy and Jacob who have been chosen to be our head boy and girl and to our deputy team, Alyssa, Owen and Laurentiu. We can't wait to see you thrive this year in your new role. 

Week ending Friday 5th September 2025

It has been lovely to welcome the children back to school, this week. Our new Year 6 cohort have settled in well and have shown us they are ready for a positive year ahead, demonstrating that they will be incredible role models to the rest of the school.

This week we have focused on expectations in and out of the classroom and what their year ahead will look like. With both Miss Clare and Miss Scott, the children have created a class charter, a set of classroom expectations, to follow and they have signed this as an agreement that they will follow these rules to have a happy, positive and successful final year at primary school. 

In RE this week, we have written class prayers and created a poster relating to the fruits of the spirit. 

In English, we have set presentation expectations and will be having a big focus on handwriting, this year. The children wrote some fantastic letters to Mrs Hood regarding roles they would like to apply for - such as house captain, playground buddy etc.

We are looking forward to meeting all the parents at meet the teacher presentation evening on Wednesday 10th September, where we will discuss all things year 6 including homework, trips, swimming and PE sessions.