Year 6

It is with great delight that we are now able to share the news that our recent visits from OFSTED have resulted in St. Anthony's receiving an OUTSTANDING judgement.  All the children have received a paper copy of the report and it can now be found on the website. Some of our favourite phrases from include...

Pupils love coming to St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School. They feel safe and happy here.

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Pupils demonstrate high levels of respect for each other. They help one another in lessons. Pupils are very keen to learn.

Leaders have implemented a strong curriculum which is broad and ambitious. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn well in this inclusive school.

Parents, pupils and staff are particularly positive about the school. They feel an integral part of a school family which sits at the heart of their local community.

We could go on so please read the final report! We all wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all the support you give to your children and for helping to make the year 6 class so very special.  We are lucky to have a class full of wonderful children and they rose to the challenge of leading our school in our long awaited inspection after 14 years! I am so proud of you all. 

Many thanks once again!!

After successfully qualifying from the South Leeds heat in October, our Y5/6 football team competed against the best teams from across the north/east/west of Leeds at the Leeds United Training Ground on Monday morning. 

The boys competed magnificently, going through to the semi finals and losing 2-0 to the eventual winners of the tournament. We are so proud of their achievements in reaching the final 4 schools from a total of over 80 schools that initially entered. 

The boys had a wonderful day which was made even sweeter when they met one or two familiar faces (Dan James, Archie Gray and Cryscensio Summerville of Leeds United took time out of their day to speak to the boys and sign shirts and memorabilia). Well done to all involved. 

Here are our two School Ambassadors. This is a privileged role in school, created this September! The School Ambassadors will be supporting Miss Leonard at high profile events eg visits by Headteachers, Parents, tours of school, attending School Council Events and key events. They will also be attending important meetings with Miss Leonard and representing our school and the views of our children across school. Well done to our School Ambassadors. 

Here are our Year 6 School Council representatives. These members have been elected by their peers, using a democratic process in line with our British Values. These children attend special meetings weekly and conduct roles around school. They represent the views of our Year 6 pupils. Congratulations on this special role during this academic year. We are very proud of you! 

This half term we have jumped straight in to our Light topic in Science. Year 6 have made their own periscopes to investigate how light can be reflected. To create our periscopes, we used a 3D net of a cuboid and two mirrors. The light reflects off one mirror, down the middle of the periscope, off the second mirror and into our eyes - this is how we see! Periscopes can be used for really exciting reasons, like on the top of a submarine! There is a periscope on our Science display, come and have a look!

As part of our Geography topic this term, Year 6 put their compass and map reading skills to the test. Using a map of the continent of Africa, a few clues and the eight compass points, Year 6 were able to locate and name all 54 countries in Africa. We have been using the eight compass points to follow and give directions, too! 

As part of our Dance curriculum, in January 2024, our Year 6 class have choreographed, planned, and performed their own Carvival Dances. They worked in groups to perform the final dance recording which they eagerly share with you all. We hope you enjoy their performance!

On 9th January 2024, Our Young Voices Choir visited Sheffield Arena to perform as part of a choir of over 4,000 children for the Young Voices concert. What an exciting evening! The children experienced performing in a life-size arena, to an audience of over 10,000 people! They experienced live performances of singing, music and dance performed live! There was a huge buzz and the children were absolutely awesome! Well done to our Young Voices Choir 2024!

Year 6 have looked at how a flat-file database can be used to organise data in records and they compared paper and computer-based databases. Using a computer-based database the children used tools within it to order and answer questions about data. They developed their search techniques to answer questions about the data and used advanced techniques to search for more than one field.

Our Year 6 class have been putting their artistic skills into action making their line prints. After careful study of a variety of famous line prints, Year 6 designed their  own with a Christmas theme. Using carboard and string, they created their line prints and then carefully formed their repeated prints with colourful paint. How fantastic! Well done!

Year 6 visited the Leeds City Museum and explored all it had to offer. What a fantastic day! Our specific focus of the day was to learn all about the journey of hip-hop through the museums special exhibition '50 Years of Kulture'. We learnt all about the five pillars of hip-hop: Emceeing, DeeJaying, B-Boy and B-Girl, Aerosol Art and Knowledge. These fundamentals were the foundation of hip-hop and are the reason why hip-hip continues to be so prominent today. We listened to different music, we read poetry and we were immersed in a fantastic graffiti-filled subway carriage from New York. 

Our History topic has covered the campaign of three British Heroes on their plight for reform. Our final British Hero was Emmeline Pankhurst, the founder and leader of the Women's Social and Political Union. Year 6 research greatly the radical actions of the Suffragettes (members of the WSPU) and continually reflected on why they were so determined to campaign for reform. Year 6 used this understanding of the societal view of women at the time to write an essay answering: 'Were the radical actions of the Suffragettes justified?'. This is an outstanding piece of work that was written with great care and attention to historical detail. Well done, Year 6!

This week, Year 5 and 6 were lucky to hear some folk music! These outstanding musicians took on a journey around the world explaining the history of folk music. We were taught about lots of different instruments, we were taught how to dance with the music as accompaniment and we were even taught how to sing some famous folk songs as a call and response. The children were outstanding and showed a real passion for a variety of music!

Year 6 have been developing their understanding of computer systems and how information is transferred between systems and devices. We looked at the input, output, and process aspects of a variety of different real-world systems. The children discovered how information is found on the World Wide Web, through learning how search engines work and through comparing different search engines.

Music - Our Key Stage 2 Chamber Choir

Each week, Mr Leach visits our school to teach our Key Stage 2 Chamber Choir a range of delightful songs.

Our pupils begin with vocal warm-ups before moving on to the focus songs. They also practise a range of singing techniques such as singing in rounds and using a variety of dynamics in each song. Each song recounts a tale or Bible story to further our understanding of some of the messages of Christianity.

We love taking part in these sessions and cannot wait to continue!

RE - Year 5 and 6's Trip to Leeds Grand Mosque (Autumn 1)

Today, Year 5 and 6 visited Leeds Grand Mosque to support our understanding of other cultures and faiths. As part of our RE learning, we were introduced to the Mosque and how it is used, including some of it's customs and traditions such as taking our shoes off and washing our hands before we enter.

We were then taught about Islam and some of the similarities the faith shares with Christianity and Judaism. What an enlightening opportunity for our school, we have thoroughly enjoyed our visit!

Our Year 6 class took part in Leeds City Council Level 2 Bikeability Training in the week beginning 9th October 2023 to 13th October 2023. All the children rode to an exceptional standard and made huge progress in their cycling ability and knowledge of risks. The trainers sent a follow up e-mail to comment on their exceptional behaviour and attitude: 

Dear Miss Leonard,

Our Reading Corner in Year 6 is up and running with a new makeover! Our Year 6 children have the chance to cosy up and lose themselves in a variety of books: non-fiction, fiction, adventure, mystery, suspense and educational. We are really passionate about fostering a love of reading in Year 6. Enjoy reading for pleasure, Year 6! 

On Monday, Mount St. Mary's High School welcomed us for our annual high school visit afternoon. We were treated to an afternoon of fun activities. First was rock-climbing, everyone was challenged to push their boundaries while climbing and reach for just one hand-hold more! Next, we went to Science to learn all about electro-magnets. We even created our own using wire and a nail. This tested our scientific knowledge of circuits! Finally, we learned all about human rights in a Humanities lesson (and even finished with a game of bench ball). Thank you, Mount St. Mary's! 

In Music, Year 6 have been exploring the concepts of rhythm and beat through the medium of body percussion. We examined a set piece, focusing of the beats of a bar and syncopation. This influenced our own compositions. This children found it challenging to find movements that could keep up with the tempo but they thoroughly enjoyed it! Well done!

Congratulations Alice - Our Mathlete of the Month.  She has achieved 5130 points during September by completing additional work at home! A huge well done Alice - keep up the good work!

On Saturday 30th September 2023, our Year 6 Cross Country Team took part in their first Saturday race of the season. They met at Middleton Woods to take part in a Cross Country Race against all other schools in Leeds. The children showed their determination and resilience and are looking forward to Race 2 at Cardinal Heenan High School on Saturday 14th October. Well done Year 6! 

To start our first topic in Science - Classification of Living Things and their Habitats - Year 6 had a fantastic lesson classifying sweets! We focused on the features of each sweet (colour, shape, texture and flavour) and the children thought of a variety of ways to classify them. We will be taking these classification skills and applying them to animals, plants and micro-organisms. 

Welcome back to your final year at St Anthony’s, Year 6! I am very excited to be welcoming you all through the cloakroom door very shortly and sharing an action-packed year with you!

I hope that you all have had a brilliant holiday with lots of fun and rest, and I hope you are excited about the wonderful year we are going to share together. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all and helping you shine brightly every single day!

During our time in Year 6, we will enjoy exploring lots of wonderful topics - beginning with a focus on British Heroes, this is one of my favourite History Topics to study! Our class novel ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ will be the inspiration for our first piece of writing. 

Throughout the year we will be using Google Classroom to complete our homework, but it is also a place to share what other wonderful and interesting things you have been getting up to at home! We are going to have lots of rewards and prizes for the children in Year 6 that are being kind, patient and trying their best – what should our whole class prize be? 

As we all get ready for our first day together in Year 6, please remember to:

• Come into school every day excited and ready to learn
• Remember that every day is a new challenge, and we are all here to help each other succeed
• Read every night and make sure an adult signs your planner - reading is the key to success in Year 6!
• Spellings are to be completed every week and submitted on Google Classroom
• Times tables practise is essential
• PE days will be Monday and Friday for the first half term
• Ensure you come to school in the correct uniform every day - you are now at the top of the school and, therefore, must lead the rest of the school by example
• Grow in maturity and independence – you are now entering your final year at St. Anthony’s and one of my main jobs is to ensure you are well prepared for high school. I will set you lots of challenges in school to help you develop your independence but try to do the same at home. For example: make your own pack lunch; get your uniform and school bag packed the night before; set your own alarm clock to wake up on time
• Always be positive! 

I know that you are all such hard workers and will try your best in everything that we do together in Year 6. I am looking forward to seeing you all very soon!

Miss Staunton Sykes

We are blessed to have French lessons taught weekly in Key Stage 2 by our native French speaking expert subject specialist teacher, Mademoiselle Mattias. She has raised the standard of our French teaching, using fun techniques to ensure retention of French knowledge and vocabulary. The Year 6 pupils have been playing games and using puppets for French conversation to further consolidate their learning. They could demonstrate that they are able to speak in French fluently using topics linked to body parts, clothes, places to go, activities, names, age, place they live, as well as everyday routines eg getting up, getting dressed. 

Magnifique!

On Wednesday 24th May 2023, our Netball Team played in The Well School's "Bee Netball" Tournament at Roundhay School, Leeds. We were delighted to be successful and win our way to the grand final, which will be played on Tuesday 4th July 2023. Well done girls!

During Summer 1 2023, Year 6 have designed, made and evaluated their "Steady Hand Games" using their DT and Science skills to the maximum. We are so proud of you Year 6. 

Year 6 have designed, made and evaluated periscopes as part of their Science focus on light. We are very proud of how well they have worked together and the learning in Science that has been undertaken. Congratulations Year 6!

Year 6 have been fascinated whilst studying a topic on Africa in their Geography. They have most recently been learning more and remembering more about Africa, its physical and human features, as well as key information linked to our carefully crafted knowledge organisers. When interviewed by Miss Leonard (Geography Leader) in May 2023, Grace (Year 6) stated "Geography inspires me to find out about different countries and extend my learning to new levels." Daniel (Year 6) added "Geography lessons are immersive and interesting. They keep you focussed and we love to learn even more about our Geography topics." We are so proud to have such enquiring Geographers in our midst in Year 6. Look at some of our work from our Geography books in Year 6, as well as some of the extended curriculum enrichment opportunities linking to this topic. We are very proud of our learning and are getting excited about our final Geography topic of Coasts in Summer 2!

On Friday 5th May 2023, our U11 Girl's Football Team returned victorious following a series of games against Shakespeare Primary School, Leeds. Mr Kearney was so proud of the girl's team who work as a team, applying true resilience and perseverance and rose to the challenge. Well done girls! 

On Thursday 23rd March, Year 6 participated in ‘Macbeth – A Play in a Day’ which was led by a visiting drama teacher from Splats Entertainment. What a day we all had! The children we split into four different groups and all led a different act from Macbeth with the help from another group too. The children enhanced their teamwork, co-operation, listening, communication and acting skills and were simply superb throughout the day. The day ended by all Year 6 performing the tragedy of Macbeth to Year 5 – what an achievement in one day!

Huge Congratulations:

Leeds United will be represented by St Anthony’s Primary School in the Yorkshire regional event of the Premier League Primary Stars Under-11 (U11) National Girls Football Tournament, in a bid to claim their place at the 2023 finals. Ten regional events will be staged at community facilities across the country, with hundreds of young people representing Premier League, English Football League and National League clubs hoping to win the opportunity to play at our very own Elland Road, in the playing kit of their respective professional football club. The U11 National Girls Football Tournament is one of the competition elements of the Premier League Primary Stars programme. We are so delighted that our girls can represent their local team and enjoy a day out in Sheffield tomorrow accompanied by Miss Staunton Sykes. The girls were brilliantly trained by both Miss Staunton Sykes and Mr Kearney (who is sad to miss this event due to his paternity leave but wishes the girls every success). The girls returned victorious as runners up, earning their place in the semi-finals to be played on our hallowed local grounds of Elland Road. What an honour for our girls!!!! 

Kelly Jackson-Powell, Primary Stars Team Leader, added:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the girls from St Anthony’s Primary School in Beeston, Leeds. This team progressed from the local competition which had over 60 primary schools taking part to the girls Finals Day held at West Riding County FA where they finished in the top two meaning they qualified for the Yorkshire Regional Finals to representing Leeds United.”

Year 6 have had a wonderful week planning, plotting, writing, rehearsing and performing their very own play scripts. Each group worked together extremely well and showed true creativity when thinking of their story line; every play have three scenes, the actors portrayed each character so well and suspense was built throughout leaving the audience wanting more at the end. Each play was very different and was very amusing to watch. The children brought in props from home to help bring their performance to life! We definitely have some future playwrites in Year 6, and some performers that were born for the stage! 

Our Year 6 class have been using their research of Africa to create their own African landscapes in Art. Look at their stunning artwork on display in our KS2 shared area. 

Young Voices: On Wednesday 8th February 2023, Miss Leonard and Miss Taylor had the opportunity to take a group of children to Sheffield Arena to once again enjoy the experience of performing live as an audience of over 4,000 children. This is the first time we have returned since Covid, so it was truly wonderful to experience this joy of singing together once again. The children were an absolute credit to themselves, school and their families.

To further immerse ourselves into learning about the continent of Africa, Year 6 experienced an African drumming and mask-making workshop in which we learnt all about the Ore tribe and their traditions. We learnt about how colours are used to represent different elements of life that are extremely important to them (elders, water, faith etc.), we learnt the history and traditional use of the djembe drum, and we finished the day by playing music together, practising call and response techniques, and learning some traditional African songs. It was a lot of fun and it certainly helped us to further learn about amazing Africa. 

Dance in Year 6 (Spring Term 2023):

Our Year 6 pupils are incredibly proud of their own choreography in their group inspired dances. Inspired by Brazil, its sights, sounds and geographical features, their dances represent great progress building sequentially over the half term to the final polished performance. We hope you enjoy their dances! 

During Spring 1 2023, our Year 6 class have been extending their knowledge of a key location in Africa, comparing this to the UK. They are using enquiry skills to ask and answer questions about the locations they study, in order to find out what the country is like, its main human and physical geographical features as well as key facts from each country. Superb work Year 6. 

Our Year 6 Girl's Football Team have been representing the school on Monday 23rd January 2023 as part of the Leeds United Primary League Competition. Our girls returned as winners of their heat, moving into the finals later in the term. We are so proud of you girls! Such teamwork, resilience, skill and excellence. First class result! 

On Tuesday 24th January 2023, Year 6 were so incredibly lucky to experience Africa through a virtual reality workshop provided by Miss Leonard! Expertly linking to the key knowledge within our Geography topic this half term, we went on safari! We found ourselves, suddenly surrounded by hippopotamuses, mongoose, arctic foxes and chimpanzees in the middle of the Serengeti! We were even submerged in the Indian Ocean to swim alongside turtles! What an amazing way to bring the animals of Africa to life! This learning will expand our key knowledge of key countries within Africa. Well done Year 6. 

The children in Year 6 have completed a range of pieces of writing so far this year. The pictures above show examples of diary entries linked to our class text 'The Boy at the Back of the Class', setting descriptions and examples of a balanced argument on 'whether National Service should be re-introduced or not!' 

Inspired by our fantastic class novel this half-term (Alex Rider: Stormbreaker), our Year 6 class have had the most enjoyable week thinking of their own gadget that Alex Rider could use during his spy assignments. The class then had to create an advert for their gadget to persuade spies to buy it. From multifunction pens, night-vision goggles and a rucksack that can hold just about anything - look out MI5, Year 6 are ready for the any mission!

In Year 6, we have been exploring how fractions relate to decimals and percentages. To test our understanding, we challenged ourselves to complete a domino pyramid! This required great teamwork and good conversation. Ask us what we know! 

Year 6 have spent the last few weeks carefully writing a detailed balanced argument discussing whether National Service should be reintroduced. To begin this writing journey, we learnt about the National Service that was in place from 1947 - 1963 in the UK by researching the reasons why it was introduced originally and hearing stories from those who served in the various roles. Year 6 were fantastic at thinking of the positive and negative impacts the National Service could have if reintroduced today. When writing, the class put extra effort into using a range of cohesive devices in order to produce one of their best pieces of writing. Well done Year 6, a class of superstar writers! 

Some of our Year 6 girls took part in a Netball Skills Event at Cockburn School. This was a great opportunity to learn some new skills and even put them into practice in some mini-games. As always, the whole team were engaged and so excited to be representing St Anthony's!

Over the past few weeks, Year 6 have been working hard to learn all about fractions. With true perseverance and determination, Year 6 have learnt how to simplify, compare, order, add and subtract, multiply and divide fractions! We spent a lesson practising and testing the application of the methods we have learnt, in a time pressured situation too! I could not be more proud of how you all stepped up to the challenge of fractions, well done! We are now focusing on applying this knowledge to reasoning problems, this will really test our understanding. 

Last week, Year 6 had a special visitor from the Local Council who taught us all about the importance of staying safe on the road. This does not just mean on when driving, it could be when we are cycling, walking on footpaths or when crossing roads as a pedestrian. As part of our in depth discussion, we also explored a local council's budget which is allocated to them by the government. We learnt how much it costs to introduce speed cameras, cycle lanes, road signs and zebra crossings. It was tough to decide how to spend the budget in order to keep everyone safe! 

Tied in with our History topic this half-term, Year 6 have researched, written, edited and published their own non-chronological reports on Victorian workhouses. As a class we discussed the reason why workhouses were originally set-up, how and why people would have ended up there, and what the conditions were like inside. They have all worked incredibly hard, and have learnt so much. Well done! 

On Tuesday 8th November 2022, our Year 6 school council members were very lucky to be invited to represent the voice of children within Leeds at the Leeds Summit at Leeds Civic Hall in the presence of all the Leeds Councillors. They had the opportunity to share their views, interests, ideas and speak with decision makers in the city. I was so proud of all our children. 

This week in Year 6, we have been tackling some debates! 

After looking at the features of a good debate, each group in our class thought of in depth arguments for and against their point. When performing their debates to the class, everyone showed great passion and expression in their deliverance! We will use this knowledge to help form our foundation for our next writing journey, a balanced argument on whether National Service should be reintroduced. 

In Year 6 this half term, we have been exploring pitch and rhythm. By listening and analysing different songs, the children created actions to match the different pitches within the melodies. This made it easy to compare the pitches between notes. The children then showed fantastic musical ability and understanding of musical notation, and were able to play along with the melodies using out tuned bells. 

We then used cups to help us to understand rhythm! We were able to play a call and response game before learning 'The Cup Song'! Always remember 'R(hythm) H(as) Y(our) T(wo) H(ips) M(oving)'!

On Monday 17th October 2022, Mount St. Mary’s Science Department visited Year 6 and completed a heart dissection with them to consolidate their learning about the Circulatory System. Year 6 were able to name all the different parts of the heart and explain their functions. Furthermore, they learnt that the left side of the heart is thicker than the right due to the fact that it has to pump blood around the whole body, unlike the right side which just has to pump blood to the lungs. All the children were incredibly sensible throughout the lesson and, I think, we may have some future surgeons! Mr Deacon, Science Leader from Mount St Mary's High School stated: "I just wanted to say what a privilege it was to come in and work with your Year 6 today. They were impeccably well behaved and had a fantastic knowledge of the heart - enough to tackle some GCSE level questions!” I am so proud of the retention of knowledge from this topic for our Year 6 pupils. Keep up the great Science learning Year 6. 

On Friday 14th October 2022 we held our whole school Harvest Festival. Our Mini-Vinnies from Year 6 have been collecting Harvest Gifts for our Harvest Table. These will be donated to our local food bank and SVP. We thank you all so much for your generosity. In the words of St Anthony: Let your actions speak. St Anthony's acts with service and goodness and may God bless each and everyone of you. 

Our St Anthony's Cross Country Team made their first appearance at the first run of the season at Middleton Park on Saturday 1st October 2022. The weather was a little unpredictable, however it did not stop our Year 6 team running their hearts out! There were some very impressive running performances and we look forward to more races later in the season. Mr Kearney, Miss Staunton-Sykes and Mr Easton (Chair of Governors) were all there to watch, along with our dedicated parents. Thank you everyone who attended. 

On Friday 30th September 2022, our whole school held their Macmillan Coffee Morning to raise money from the charity Macmillan. Our Mini-Vinnies organised, led and served during the morning, raising an astonishing £510.00 for this charity, close to all our hearts. We thank all our Year 6 pupils, parents and the wider community who came together as a community to raise these funds. I am so proud of you all. 

Inspired by Aretha Franklin's song Respect, Year 6 discussed the different ways that we can respect others, ourselves and our environment to make our classroom a safe and positive learning environment. The class then wrote an acrostic poem to reflect what respect means to them. 

Our Year 6 pupils are part of our well renowned St Anthony's Chamber Choir. This is a highly talented group of individuals who sing in unison and perform at school and across our Diocese. We were invited to perform for Bishop Marcus at the Annual Headteacher's Mass at Leeds Cathedral on Thursday 15th September 2022. The headteachers in the congregation noted our exceptional singing and we were praised by Bishop Marcus. We sung a range of secular songs to link to the mass for the day. I am so proud of our chamber choir members. Well done St Anthony's. 

Welcome to Year 6! 

Welcome back to your final year at St Anthony’s, Year 6! I am very excited to be welcoming you all through the cloakroom door very shortly and sharing an action-packed year with you all!

I hope that you all have had a brilliant holiday with lots of fun and rest, and I hope you are excited about the wonderful year we are going to share together. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all and helping you shine brightly every single day!

During our time in Year 6, we will enjoy exploring lots of wonderful topics - beginning with a focus on the Victorians, this is one of my favourite historical periods to study and you will all learn how revolutionary the Victorians really were! Our class novel ‘Street Child’ also links to this time period and we will be writing a story opening using this as inspiration as well as creating a non-chronological report about Victorian Workhouses later in the term.

Throughout the year we will be using Google Classroom to complete our homework, but it is also a place to share what other wonderful and interesting things you have been getting up to at home! We are going to have lots of rewards and prizes for the children in Year 6 that are being kind, patient and trying their best – what should our whole class prize be? 

As we all get ready for our first day together in Year 6, please remember to:

• Come into school every day excited and ready to learn
• Remember that every day is a new challenge, and we are all here to help each other succeed
• Read every night and make sure an adult signs your planner
• Spellings are to be completed every week and submitted on Google Classroom
• Times tables practise is essential
• PE days will be Wednesday and Friday
• Ensure you come to school in the correct uniform every day - you are now at the top of the school and, therefore, must lead the rest of the school by example
• Growing in maturity and independence – you are now entering your final year at St. Anthony’s and one of my main jobs is to ensure you are well prepared for high school. I will set you lots of challenges in school to help you develop your independence but try to do the same at home. For example: make your own pack lunch; get your uniform and school bag packed the night before; set your own alarm clock to wake up on time
• Always be positive! 

I know that you are all such hard workers and will try your best in everything that we do together in Year 6. I am looking forward to seeing you all very soon!

Miss Staunton Sykes

Dear Year 6,
On behalf of myself and the governing body we would like to thank you all for being part of the St Anthony's family.
As you leave on Friday, you will take a small piece of this school on your journey and please know that we are all immensely proud of what you have achieved while with us. Your time in primary school has been challenging and you have met it head on with resilience and determination and any high school is lucky to have you. We will miss seeing you all in and around school but am sure we will see you again soon. St Anthony’s is a bit of a magnet, drawing people back year on year. As as school we are proud to have teaching assistants, teachers and senior leaders all who started and now continue their journey here. Have a fantastic summer and a great time at high school.
Regards
Adam Easton, Chair of Governors

Well done to our Year 5 and Year 6 Netball Team! Today (21.6.22) they played in their first ever tournament and won EVERY SINGLE match - returning to school as the CHAMPIONS! We are so proud of all you have achieved and the excellent way in which you represented St. Anthony's - you are all super stars! Thank you and well done to Miss Staunton Sykes who has coached them excellently!

During our Science topic 'The Nature Library', Year 6 have been learning about the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants as well as classifying them in a number of different ways. Our favourite lesson was when we had to create our own garden centre floor plan and write a commentary for visiting customers. They all definitely look like places I would like to visit - well done, Year 6! You all showed super teamwork and communication skills during this activity. 

Throughout Spring 1, in Year 6's RE lessons, we have been using Elizabeth Wang's artwork to explore the different sections within Mass. After commenting upon our favourite pieces of art, we all created our own pieces of artwork using pastels to represent different parts of the Mass. Take a look at our wonderful creations...

This morning (5th January) our Year 6 Mini Vinnies led Collective Worship for Key Stage 1 and then for Lower Key Stage 2.  Miss Taylor was so proud of all the girls who led the worship in a very mature and respectful manner.  They spoke to the children about the meaning of Epiphany and how we can all use our gifts to make others happy and feel welcome.  Well done girls - you are amazing!

Robinwood

On Monday 13^th December, Year 6 went on their 3 day residential to Robinwood in Alston, Cumbria. It was certainly an action-packed three days during which all the children showed lots of determination, resilience and perseverance. The activities they completed included a range of teambuilding tasks as well as individual challenges. Watch the videos below to see what a wonderful time we all had…

In our English lessons this half term, Year 6 have written their own non-chronological reports about Victorian Workhouses. Within our class text (Street Child by Berlie Doherty) the main character is sent to a workhouse and this helped us to gain our background information. Furthermore, we used the internet and information books to add to our knowledge of these institutions.  Once we had collated our information, we completed our plans by organising the facts into subheadings and fact boxes. Next, we completed a first draft of our non-chronological report and focused upon making our writing cohesive by using fronted adverbials and using a range of punctuation like parenthesis and semi-colons. Finally, we edited and improved our first drafts with a focus on extending our sentences and improving vocabulary. We are all extremely proud of our writing!

On Tuesday 12th October, Year 6 participated in a road safety workshop; the theme of the session was 'Making Changes'. Firstly, the children were given a map of their local area and asked to identify key places (eg. their houses, school. supermarkets). Once these had been located, they worked together to plan the safest route to other locations in the local area. The children's final task was the most exciting: they were all given £100,000 to make the local area safer by installing a range of traffic calming measures. I was extremely impressed when listening to all the children's different ideas and was pleased to see that they all managed to remain under budget!

Between Monday 4th and Wednesday 6th October, all the children in Year 6 completed Bikeability. It was a wonderful three days which saw the children becoming more confident in riding a bike; tackling courses on the KS2 playground; and gaining confidence in riding their bikes safely on the local roads. All the instructors were extremely impressed with Year 6's listening, behaviour and cycling skills - well done everyone!

In Year 6, we have been learning about the circulatory system this half term. During our first lesson, we created a circulatory system using three children on the playground to be the lungs, heart and rest of the body whilst the rest of the class became the blood stream and travelled around them in a figure of eight. In our second lesson, we created a human heart on the playground with lots of children being the different parts of the heart (eg. atriums, ventricles, valves, veins and arteries) and the rest of the class being the blood stream. By making these lessons practical, we were all really confident in labelling the diagrams and writing an explanation text in our books afterwards to show our excellent understanding. Finally, in our most recent lesson, we all made ‘blood soup’ which helped us to understand the different components of our blood. We have created a display to show all our super science work….

In Year 6, we have been learning about The Kingdom of God in our RE lessons and reading the different parables which have taught us how the Kingdom of God grows. Year 6 have written their own parables which explain how something in their own lives has grown, just like the Kingdom of God…

In Year 6... we love to read! Next to our book corner, we have our 'Top 6 in Year 6' display. This contains a range of six highly rated books for 10 and 11 year olds at the moment. Every two weeks, the whole class vote for which pupil they believe deserves to take one of the books home. We count up the votes and the six children with the most amount of votes are allowed to select from the 'Top 6' and take a book home to read. We are all working really hard to have the chance to choose one of these thrilling reads! We can't wait to find out what the first six children thought of their books this Friday and then select new pupils to take them home! 

A huge well done to all the Year 6 children who applied to be a School Council representative this year. Each child stood up in front of their class and explained: why they wanted to apply as a representative; why their classmates should vote from them as well as what they will implement if they are successful. After we listened to each applicant, the class completed a ballot form and voted. We will find out who has been successful next week! 

Welcome back to your final year at St Anthony’s, Year 6! I am very excited to be welcoming you all through the cloakroom door very shortly and sharing an action-packed year with you all!

Firstly, I hope you have all had a wonderful summer with your families and friends and you all feel refreshed and ready to tackle the exciting experiences we will be sharing together, throughout this year. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all and helping you shine brightly every single day!

I am very excited to start our learning together as we will be beginning with a focus on the Victorians; this is one of my favourite historical periods to study and you will all learn how revolutionary the Victorians really were! Our class novel ‘Street Child’ also links to this time period and we will be writing a story opening using this as inspiration as well as creating a non-chronological report about Victorian Workhouses later in the term.

Coming back to school can sometimes feel a little bit daunting, with lots of remember as you get older. I have a written a list below to help familiarise yourself with some of the Year 6 expectations…

*Read every night and ensure an adult signs your planner;

*PE days will be a Monday and Tuesday;

*Spellings and spelling sentences will be set every week and will need to be uploaded on Google Classroom;

* Ensure you come to school in the correct uniform every day - you are now at the top of the school and, therefore, must lead the rest of the school by example;

*Growing in maturity and independence – you are now entering your final year at St. Anthony’s and one of my main jobs is to ensure you are well prepared for high school. I will set you lots of challenges in school to help you develop your independence but try to do the same at home. For example: make your own pack lunch; get your uniform and school bag packed the night before; set your own alarm clock to wake up on time.

Finally, there is a fully stocked reward table at the front of the Year 6 classroom and I can’t wait to give you all your reward cards! Every 10 points that you receive, you will be able to collect a piece of stationary and when you reach 100 points, you will a full collection ready for high school. Will you be the first child to receive 10 points?

I look forward to seeing you all very soon,

Mrs Nicholson 

This half term, Year 6’s PSHE lessons have focused upon ‘Weighing up risk.’ At the start of the topic, we could all name a few risks associated with taking drugs. However, after participating in mature discussions, reading different scenarios and completing a workshop with Dave from D:Side, our knowledge and understanding of medical and non-medical (legal and illegal) drugs is excellent. I have been so proud of the maturity the children have shown throughout all these lessons and their work certainly demonstrates their superb understanding now. Well done, Year 6! 

Our Year 6 class had an incredible Victorious Viking Day in June 2021. The focus of their learning was to interpret the Viking and the Anglos Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England, deepening their historical understanding. Over the Wonder Day, Year 6 were able to understand the various sources of evidence to represent the past, interpreting these using primary and secondary sources of evidence from the era. They made links between key events from the Viking and Anglo Saxon perid, offering explanations about why people in the past acted in the way they did. They deepened their knowledge of interpreting History, continuity and change, cause and consequence and the significance of the era. I was beyond impressed with the learning that took place. Great effort Year 6! Watch our video to see snapshots of our learning!

Watch our Year 6 class in action in their learning! They each demonstrate such focus in their behaviour, learning and attitudes. What a superb example to our school. True St Anthony's boys and girls in action ... keep it up Year 6. 

This half term, Year 6 have been studying Macbeth. We have all enjoyed taking it in turns to read as the different characters and have had some outstanding cackling witches in particular! In our writing, we have produced excellent newspaper articles to inform the residents of Glamis of King Duncan’s murder and showcased our understanding of showing shifts in formality by using formal conventions in the description and informal conventions in the quotations used. Finally, we ended the unit by creating poems inspired by the Three Weird Sister’s potions – they are revolting! Have a look above at some of the freeze frames created of the witches…

To commemorate Mental Health Awareness month, Year 6 have focused on the theme ‘Bringing Nature Back into our Lives.’ We began by discussing all the different feelings and emotions we can have when we begin to feel nervous or anxious and then discussed in detail about all the different ways we can help these feelings and emotions to be reduced. Many ideas already linked back to nature and the importance of getting fresh air away from our anxieties. We all created wonderful posters to evidence how people can bring nature back into their lives….

On Thursday 27^th May, members of the Year 6 football team participated in the Catenian Cup Football Competition at St Theresa’s. We are so proud of all the footballers for their superb teamwork, energy and perseverance! Well done!

Our Whole School Science Week was amazing and a super way to start our Summer Term. Year 6 were so excited. All learning was focussed around prior topics, and Science topics missed due to lockdowns. The first hand experiences, visits, experiments and content were all carefully planned and crafted to ensure Science knowledge is secure. This involved visits by Mount St Mary's, Sublime Science, Mad Science as well as many creative activites and experiments from our very own Science lead, Mrs Nicholson! What an amazing week we had. I am so proud of you all Year 6. Miss Leonard and the Year 6 team.

During Spring 2, Year 6 read BarrowQuest (a non-linear story) and were all hooked by the different challenges the main character (Lin) faced! After we finished this, we created our own Quest Map and were all assigned a different chapter to write. We understood the importance of ensuring each chapter contained a dangerous element that our main character must face as well as showing courage and including a magical element or a puzzle too. Furthermore, we tried hard to include dialogue which advanced the action whilst also using informal conventions within this speech. The final drafts are found in the Year 6 shared area and classroom, come and have a read!

In our History work this half term, Year 6 are studying the Ancient Greeks. This week we looked at the fascinating comparison between life in Athens and Sparta. In our groups, we all took on the role of a panel member: host, Athenian, Spartan or a visitor. We worked together to create questions and responses from each panel member and then acted them out in front of our class mates.

Hello Year 6,

Happy World Book Day. The theme of our World Book Day this year is "share a story". All our staff in school have made two very special stories for you to share together with your families. We are watching them both today at school, but you might want to share this with your families too.

Keep sharing your love for reading as this is one of the most important gifts we can give our children.

God bless and enjoy,

Miss Leonard

I wish to thank Mr and Mrs Easton for their kind assistance making this reading compilation in partnership with us. 

On Friday 12^th February, St. Anthony’s celebrated the life of Captain Sir Tom Moore and completed activities throughout the day which were inspired by him and his amazing outlook on life. We started the day by writing poems about him and then all the Year 6 children could select tasks (relating to all areas of the curriculum) to work on independently or with their siblings. Mrs Nicholson really enjoyed looking through all the work we submitted onto Google Classroom, these included: artwork of Captain Tom, fact files, rainbows, 100 mathematical calculations, science experiments linked to the number 100 as well as finding out what Beeston was like 100 years and researching Edward Jenner and the first ever vaccine for smallpox. What a wonderful way to end the half term.

On Friday 22^nd January, Year 6 continued with their Circulatory System work and investigated what the different components are within our blood. Working at home did not stop the children getting hands-on with his investigation and, earlier in the week, they bought the ingredients for Blood Soup! We used orange juice to represent the plasma in our blood; strawberry/raspberry jelly cubes for our red blood cells; white marshmallows to represent our white blood cells and dried long grain rice for our platelets. After making the Blood Soup, the children used the internet to research the functions of the different components and presented their work in a variety of creative way. Well done, Year 6 – super science! 

On Wednesday 9^th December, Year 6 led their own beautiful Collective Worship for the Year 5 children. The previous week, in our RE lessons, all the children had planned a Collective Worship with a theme around the 3^rd Sunday of Advent and Joy. They all planned under the key headings: Gather, Listen, Respond and Go Forth. All the children had wonderful ideas and we collated them all in order to create our final plan. Then, we were all given different roles: preparing the PowerPoint Presentation, writing bidding prayers, creating a ‘Go Forth’ poem, managing the music and reading during the Collective Worship. Although Year 5 were the only class who could be present, Mrs Nicholson emailed all the other teachers the PowerPoint and they celebrated it in their classrooms with their children. Well done Year 6!

Year 6 had a wonderful Advent Wonder Day on Monday 30^th November. To begin the day, we all researched an inspirational person who has stood up for justice and identified our favourite quote. We wrote these down to create our ‘Justice Advent Calendar.’ We will read a different quote each morning and afternoon when we say our prayers throughout Advent. Afterwards, we learnt about the symbolism associated with the Advent Wreath and made our own Advent Promises. After playtime, we created our Jesse Tree – instead of placing baubles on our Christmas Tree we have coloured and laminated different Old Testament stories and characters to tell the story from Creation to Jesus’ birth. Finally, we created our own beautiful Advent artwork using pastels.

In Year 6, we have all worked incredibly hard to improve our writing this year. We have written a wide range of genres and thought carefully about who our audience is and what the purpose of the text is. Whenever we have started a new genre, we always read an example and annotate the different features as well as conducting research (if it is non-fiction) or reading more examples (if it is fiction). Once we have learnt new grammar and punctuation linked to the genre, we will then complete a first draft. Afterwards, Mrs Nicholson or our writing partners will assess our work and we use green pen to make improvements. Finally, we complete a final draft which could be chosen for display. Have a look at the photographs above of our Quest chapters, Nelson Mandela biographies and Macbeth diary entries…

On Tuesday 19th November, our Year 6 children celebrated their sacrament of Confirmation at a liturgy at St Anthony's Church. We were blessed to have Bishop Marcus leading our liturgy and confirming each of our children in a most special moment in their journey of faith. Miss Leonard, Mr Whittle, Miss Taylor and Father Whitwell were all with our children to be a part of this very special next step in their journey of faith. 

God bless you all Year 6.