Year 6 - Looking Back and Forth - Friday 23rd January 2026

Y6 – Friday 23rd January 2026 – Looking Back & Forth in Year 6

Looking back:

An incredible week in which our pupils have created some amazing pieces of work – our English has seen us complete our endurance narratives and the pupils have opted to share their favourite sentences with you, please see these below and enjoy chatting with your child about their writing.  We’ve been watching footage of Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition and this has really inspired us. Maths has seen us begin a favourite topic of algebra – we’ve looked at function machines to begin and will really get our teeth into this next week.

Adaptations have been a focus in science and North America continues to be a study for geography.  We continue to work towards supporting pupils with managing online information carefully and safely as part of our IT focus and Blooket has been really fun and enjoyable – see our photos (from Monday) for some images of these challenges.

We rounded off the week with a gymnastics session (again, photos to follow on Monday) and seeing our fabulous buddies.

 Year 6 – Pupils’ Highlights:

  • LM Algebra for maths
  • PB PE
  • EJ Buddies
  • TB Knitting club
  • IHA Blooket
  • HN Writing our stories
  • GH The Disco
  • RW Writing in English
  • LT Hearing the pupils read their writing
  • SF Reading and sharing the crew’s stories

Pupils’ Favourite Sentences from our endurance narratives based on ‘Shackleton’s Journey’ by William Grill

  • We have not moved for months but are clamped between two pieces of ice – like a lion biting its prey. HH
  • The golden sunrise cracks the horizon and causes the ice to shimmer and shine – we cannot even take a minute to look at this breath-taking, beautiful panorama as we are straight back to sawing the glaciers. LM
  • If there is anyone to get you out of a wretched situation – it’s Shackleton. ML
  • We sit here, on deck, on February 24th 1915, ten interminable months into our lengthy, longed expedition. IHA
  • The big fireball in the sky climbs up like a dandelion harvested from its garden. LL
  • I am really homesick, I miss my family, my children, my life.
  • William is that you? I have been found……..by Ernest Holness….. RW
  • We are now swiftly gliding at the end of the jigsaw of ice of the Weddell Sea. MS
  • This beautiful barren location has still got many secrets to uncover. JR
  • Slowly, the golden sunset appears behind the clouds, casting gloomy silhouettes into the almost unbreakable islands of ice. AT
  • This carried on for 48 hours till darkness cloaked the ship in an eerie navy-purple – we realise it is pointless. IB
  • I secure my equipment in a tall cabinet and hasten on deck to see the most complex cog-work of ice collide into the hull of the boat – shifting the layout of the fantastical view. FH
  • No movement since January. Only freezing, bitter temperatures. EL
  • Standing on deck, waiting for a good idea to enter my head, I am looking at the cold landscape. HN
  • Shackleton’s given up on moving the ship but not the journey…… (JB)
  • I dart to my porthole, only to see that what used to be a calm ocean of blue is now and elaborate pattern of interconnecting lines. GH
  • Shackleton is questioning the crew, asking if they know if he was on board and how did he survive that long…..
  • Endurance seems insignificant – the blanket of ice holder her like a dog with a bone. TB
  • The crew’s spirits plunge into the deepest hole. SL

Family discussion questions:

  • What have you learned about sharing and/storing information online?
  • What are function machines?
  • What are peppered moths?

Looking forward:

  • We are looking forward to taking our Shackleton work in a different direction, then really getting to grips with algebra. Our studies of America and adaptation will continue.
  • Thursday – our school book fair arrives for the week
  • Friday – SATs meeting after school – 3:40pm (for approximately 40 minutes)

Year 6 Homework

(This is available to download for Mrs T and Mrs C from the website.  If you require a copy of Miss Atkins’ homework, please ask one of your Year 6 adults)

Mrs Timmins

Spelling Shed – online and paper task

Miss Atkins

Arithmetic Sheet:  set – 27.01.26;  due – 29.01.26