Core Subjects

• Autumn (Destination: India): Pupils explore stories and traditions from India, including a Book Week workshop with author Chitra Soundar to inspire their own folktales and mythological writing. 
• Spring (Destination: Ancient Rome): Using the gripping book Escape from Pompeii, pupils develop their speaking and writing skills by taking on the role of news reporters, delivering dramatic live commentaries on the unfolding history.
• Summer (Destination: Anglo-Saxon Britain): Pupils delve into the world of Beowulf, using the story’s characters and conflicts as inspiration for persuasive writing and spoken presentations.

Year 5 pupils explore a range of classic and contemporary texts while developing their skills as thoughtful readers, confident writers and persuasive speakers.

• Classic & Contemporary Fiction: Pupils explore how authors engage and inspire their readers through texts such as Nina Bawden’s Carrie’s War. In the Spring Term, they study Jenny McLachlan’s The Land of Roar, with a visit from the author helping to inspire their own imaginative world-building.

• Poetry & Speeches: Children learn to write and film persuasive speeches using digital media. We also explore classic nonsense poetry like Lewis Carroll’s The Jabberwocky and record our own performances.

• Summer Perspectives: We look at themes of belonging and identity through Benjamin Zephaniah’s Windrush Child and the poetry of John Agard, stepping into the shoes of historical figures to write moving letters and collaborate on debate speeche

Year 3 is a wonderful stepping stone where the children start moving from using hands-on counting objects to playing with bigger, abstract numbers.

• Number Magic: We focus on getting comfortable with numbers up to 1,000, mastering place value and learning formal written methods for addition and subtraction.

• Tables & Fractions: We move into the 3, 4, and 8 times tables and introduce the concept of fractions - learning how to spot, compare, and work with them.

• Shapes & Sizes: Geometry comes to life as we discover right angles, symmetry and shape properties. We also get practical with lengths, weights, capacity, and reading the clock, demonstrating how maths is all around us!

Year 5 is all about spotting how different areas of maths connect and using those links to solve clever logic problems.

• The Power of a Million: Pupils stretch their minds to handle numbers up to 1,000,000, fine-tuning their mental maths shortcuts alongside formal written methods.

• The Big Trio: We introduce the brilliant teamwork between fractions, decimals and percentages, showing the children how to swap smoothly between them.

• Mapping & Measuring: Geometry goes 2D as we classify angles, calculate the area of complex shapes and play with coordinates. We also move into volume and capacity - putting analytical skills to the test.

Year 3 science encourages pupils to explore, question and investigate the world around them through hands-on learning and outdoor experiences.

• Engineering & Innovation: Pupils build LEGO sail cars inspired by The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, exploring how forces and movement can be used to solve real-world challenges.
• Animals & Adaptation: Through the study of animal teeth, pupils investigate how different species are adapted to their diets and environments.
• Light & Electricity: Pupils learn how simple electrical circuits work, applying their knowledge to projects such as lighting a model lighthouse.
• Bede's on the Beach: Fortnightly visits to the local shoreline provide opportunities to observe seasonal changes, investigate coastal habitats and explore the variety of life found in rock pools.

Year 5 science develops pupils' understanding of the physical world through investigation and experimentation.

• Properties of Materials: Pupils explore the properties of a range of materials, investigating characteristics such as hardness, strength, flexibility and magnetic behaviour.
• Changing Materials: Through practical enquiry, pupils learn about reversible and irreversible changes, as well as changes of state.
• Forces in Action: Pupils investigate different types of forces, exploring how they affect movement and how they can be measured.

Year 6 science combines practical investigation with real-world learning, helping pupils develop a deeper understanding of both the physical world and the human body.

• Electricity & Circuits: Pupils explore conductors and insulators through a range of practical investigations, designing and building their own switches using materials such as cardboard, split pins and paper clips.
• Circuit Design: By creating models with illuminated components, pupils develop their understanding of series and parallel circuits and how electricity flows.