St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Year 6 is an exciting time for the children as they prepare for their move up to secondary school! As the oldest pupils in the school, they are encouraged to lead by example and be inspiring role models for the younger children.

Responsibilities

Pupils in year 6 are given many opportunities to develop their independence and resilience, as well as to be a responsible citizen. Something they always look forward to is becoming a reading partner to a pupil in Reception – weekly sessions take place during which they read to their partner, as well as having opportunities to play with them and accompany them at school events. It is truly magical to see those caring and supportive bonds develop over the course of the year.

At the beginning of the academic year, year 6 pupils are voted in by members of their house in the role of house captain. The job of the house captains is to take responsibility for the leadership and organisation of their house throughout the forthcoming academic year.

All year 6 pupils enjoy the prestige of carrying out various jobs around the school, including the gathering of recycling ready for the weekly collection, helping the younger children in the dining hall at lunch time, getting out and putting away play equipment and preparing the hall for our school liturgies.

SATs

We aim to prepare our pupils to be ready for the national tests in May so that they can perform to the best of their ability. To support them, we offer a breakfast club during SATs week so that children can come to school and relax with their friends each morning. The year 6 teacher and other members of the team enjoy honing their waitering/waitressing skills!

School Trips

A visit to Lifeskills in Bristol is a must for year 6 pupils in this area! During their visit, pupils are shown in a fun and practical way that they should be taking personal responsibility for their own safety as well as learning how to assess risk and cope with difficult situations. They even get to practise making a telephone call to emergency services! Pupils always talk with great enthusiasm about what they have learnt and the invaluable skills they have acquired.

Year 6 wouldn’t be complete without a residential trip! During the summer term, pupils spend several nights in specialist hotel accommodation in Newquay and participate in a range of activities at beautiful seaside locations. The activities include a variety of land and water-based adventures at two beach centres eg. kayaking, coasteering, stand-up paddle boarding, surfing, bodyboarding, raft-building and volleyball at Swanpool Beach in Falmouth and Fistral Beach in Newquay.

Residential trips organised by the school are an invaluable part of the Curriculum. The pupils’ learning is extended beyond the classroom and the children will develop personal and social qualities, grow their self-confidence, learn new skills and most importantly, have lots of fun!