Year 6

As pupils enter Year 6 they encounter an academic year to two halves.

The first half of the year is focused on the final stages of 11+ and Grammar school examinations and the examination period itself. We ensure that pupils are aware that the foundations of their success is built on the journey that they have taken in the Prep and that we will find the right secondary school for them. Even if a child has chosen to go into the State sector for Year 7, we are confident that this period of reflection and preparation provides an excellent springboard for their transition into secondary school.

From the Spring Half Term, the focus becomes helping pupils to transition into Year 7. Along with giving pupils more responsibility and ownership for their learning – through project work and team building activities, we also run our 10-week transition programme based on Character Education principles, which received a special mention in our recent ISA Inspection Report.

It is important that pupils finish their journey well at Avon House and in the summer term of Year 6, opportunities are created via the summer performance, prize giving and our leavers assembly for every pupil to be celebrated. As pupils leave on the final day of term, the whole school (pupils and staff) line up to applaud and wish them a fond farewell – a true reflection of the heart of all we do at Avon House.

The Learning Journey in the Prep

In order to provide an example of how we build on pupils understanding and begin to prepare them for the demands of Year 7, here is an example of the learning journey that pupils will experience in the Prep based on the area of Working Scientifically in their Science lessons.

In year 3, are expected to make observations and collect data through experiments and investigations. These observations should be accompanied by careful scientific diagrams that are labelled using scientific vocabulary.

In Year 4, pupils are encouraged to consider what consists a fair test as they are planning their investigation or experiment. Now when pupils are collecting their data, they must take accurate measurements using a range of equipment. When this data has been collected, they must consider how best to present this information, whether that be through tables or charts.

As pupils enter Year 5, pupils must now consider what variables consist in making an investigation or experiment fair. From the results they have collated from their observations (identifying when to repeat their readings for accuracy), they must now analyse this data and begin to draw their own conclusions by identifying causal relationships linked to the scientific principles learnt in class.

Finally, in Year 6 pupils are required to pose their own questions for their investigations or experiments considering what they are hoping to prove or discover and the impact that the variables can have on creating a fair test – using scientific principles to support the decisions that they have made. When presenting their findings pupils are also encouraged to think about how they can build a degree of trust in their data, either in their oral or written presentation.