Exciting Learning in Our Class This Term!

This term has been packed with exciting learning opportunities across English, Geography, and PE. From exploring gripping stories to investigating the importance of our oceans and developing new sporting skills, pupils have been engaged, curious, and eager to learn.

English – The Mousehole Cat and The Great Storm

In English, we have been delving into the beautifully written and illustrated book The Mousehole Cat by Antonia Barber. This heartwarming tale, set in the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole, has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to develop our descriptive writing skills. One of our main focuses has been using fronted adverbials to add variety and depth to our sentences. Pupils have practised structuring their writing with phrases such as With a deafening roar, the waves crashed against the harbour wall and Under the darkened sky, the wind howled through the village streets.
We have also explored figurative language, using similes, metaphors, and personification to describe the terrifying Great Storm that threatens Mousehole. Pupils have crafted vivid descriptions, bringing the storm to life with phrases like: The sea was an angry monster, thrashing and roaring in fury and Lightning split the sky like a jagged scar. We can’t wait to bring all these skills together in our final pieces of descriptive writing!

Geography – Why Oceans Matter


Our Geography unit this term is all about Why Oceans Matter. Pupils will explore: The importance of oceans for climate, wildlife, and human life. The role of coral reefs, learning how they provide habitats for marine life and protect coastlines. The challenges of sea pollution, discussing plastic waste, oil spills, and the impact of human activity on marine ecosystems. To bring our learning to life, we will end the unit with a field trip to Polzeath Beach, where pupils will carry out a beach debris survey. This hands-on experience will help us understand the effects of pollution and consider ways we can protect our oceans.

PE – Tennis

In PE, we have been developing our tennis skills with the help of Pro 20 coaches. Pupils have been learning essential techniques, including: Correct grip and stance Forehand and backhand shots Controlled rallies and movement around the court The sessions have been a fantastic way to build coordination, agility, and teamwork. Pupils are making great progress, and we are excited to see their skills improve throughout the term! It’s been a fantastic start to the term, and we look forward to sharing more of our learning soon!

Nessa Class Explores Retro-Futurism and Street Art

Nessa Class has completed an exciting six-lesson art unit, exploring the vibrant worlds of 1960s retro-futurism and the dynamic street art of contemporary artist Teis Albers. This creative journey has allowed pupils to experiment with bold colours, textures, and layering techniques while developing their artistic skills in printmaking and drawing.

The unit began with an introduction to retro-futurism, a 1960s artistic style that imagined the future with sleek designs, bold typography, and space-age aesthetics. Pupils examined how this style influenced everything from posters to architecture, inspiring their own futuristic concepts. They then explored the work of Teis Albers, a Dutch street artist known for his use of layering, mixed media, and urban textures. His fusion of collage, graffiti, and digital art provided a fresh perspective on modern creativity.

One of the key skills pupils developed was creating printing plates using a mix of textures. They experimented with different materials to create varied surfaces, which added depth and contrast to their final prints. Through this process, they gained an understanding of relief printing and how texture can be used to create striking visual effects. Pupils also explored layering techniques, combining prints, drawings, and collage elements to build up complex and engaging compositions. This process encouraged them to think critically about composition and balance while embracing the unpredictable and expressive nature of mixed media art.

Throughout the unit, pupils refined their drawing skills, using bold lines, futuristic patterns, and abstract shapes inspired by both retro-futurism and street art. Their final pieces showcased an impressive blend of past and present artistic influences, demonstrating their creativity and skill. Well done to Nessa Class for their enthusiasm and hard work in this unit—your artwork is truly out of this world!

Nessa Class Explores the Roman Invasion of Britain

Nessa Class has been on an incredible historical journey, completing an engaging six-lesson unit all about the Roman invasion of Britain. Through research, discussions, and creative activities, pupils have explored key questions surrounding this fascinating period and developed a deeper understanding of how the Romans shaped British history.

The unit began with an investigation into Roman buildings. Pupils examined ancient ruins, mosaics, and artefacts to infer what life was like in Roman Britain. They discovered how advanced Roman engineering was, learning about structures like roads, bathhouses, and amphitheatres. These buildings demonstrated Roman power and organisation, leaving a lasting impact on British society.

Next, the class explored the reasons behind the Roman invasion. They learned that the Romans, led by Emperor Claudius in AD 43, wanted to expand their empire, gain access to valuable resources like tin and gold, and boost Claudius’ reputation as a strong leader. The pupils debated whether the invasion was justified and considered the long-term effects on Britain.

One of the most exciting lessons focused on how the Britons responded to the invasion. Pupils learned about key resistance leaders, including the brave warrior queen Boudicca. They explored how different Celtic tribes either fought fiercely against the Romans or chose to cooperate. The class discussed the strengths and weaknesses of these different responses and considered what they would have done in the Britons’ position.

A highlight of the unit was studying why the Roman army was so successful. Pupils investigated Roman military tactics, armour, and weapons. They discovered how discipline, training, and clever battle formations like the testudo (tortoise) formation helped the Romans defeat their enemies. The class also examined how Roman roads allowed troops to move quickly across the country, ensuring control over Britain.

To tie everything together, Nessa Class put their learning into action in English lessons by writing a discussion text on whether the Celtic tribes should accept Roman rule. Pupils considered both sides of the argument, weighing up the benefits of Roman roads, trade, and new technologies against the loss of Celtic traditions and independence. Their writing showcased strong reasoning skills, with some pupils arguing that embracing Roman rule would bring stability and progress, while others passionately defended the Celts’ right to resist.

This unit has been a fantastic opportunity for pupils to develop their historical thinking skills, debate important issues, and engage with the past in a meaningful way. Nessa Class should be very proud of their hard work and enthusiasm – well done, everyone!

Spring 1

English

'My fine fellow...you see but you do not observe,'' replied Sherlock.

We have entered into a mystery. Mrs Pengelly's golden stapler has gone missing. To solve this hideous crime the great Sherlock Holmes has been sent for. Pupils have learnt how to structure a mystery story - littering it with clues: real and red herrings. Pupils have focused on their rules of speech as well as fronted adverbials. When learning the story pupils used their inference skills to make assumptions based upon the facts within the writing. After pupils learnt the story we innovated it by changing the crime and the setting. Taking inspiration from recent local events pupils decided to write their story using Reverend Robin as a character and the local church as a setting.

Maths

Years 3 and 4 have started this term by learning about division techniques. year 3 started with partitioning and the application of their times tables facts. Year 4 have been using formal written methods (bus stop method). This key piece of learning is foundational to a strong mathematician. Year 5 have started the term with multiplying fractions. They have taken this in their stride and are all pushing for the mastery level in this area. Year 6 have continued their learning with ratio and angles. The pace of learning is fast but they are more than up for the challenge.

Topic

What have the Romans ever done for us? We are looking at the legacy of the Roman empire. Did you know the Romans invented concrete. We have looked the the buildings, engineering and academic influence of the ancient Romans. Pupils have looked at the role of empires in history and compared the achievements of the Romans to the Vikings. Who do you think would prevail in a battle? 

Blackbeard story

In Nessa class we have begun to learn a new story. It is an exciting Pirate tale featuring Blackbeard and Davey Swift. The two brothers are locked in a battle. The story climaxes with Blackbeard setting alight his ship to intimidate his enemy. Pupils have been learning and applying the rules of speech - inventing their own conversations between the pirates. Year 5 and 6 pupils will need to use pirate slang to enliven their speech. This week we have also been focusing on character descriptions. We will use a range of sentence structures to describe the character's appearance and mannerisms.

Next week, pupils will be acting out sections of the story before writing an innovation of our class text. It will be fantastic to see which direction their Pirate Tales take.

Maths

In KS2 we are kicking off with place value. Pupils are learning to read number lines with a million, partition numbers flexibly, understand the value of a digit within a number and round to the nearest 10, 100, 1000, 10,000.

We are also focusing on our Times Tables Space Race. Pupils have helped to create our display where they are each represented by a space rocket and they must learn there times tables to move onto the next planet. Ask you astronaut which planet they are on.

English

We are leaning to use sentence structures for the first three weeks of this term. We have 5 structures to learn: Verb starters, Conjunction starters, Adverb Starters, Sentence of Three and Embedded clauses. We are learning to use these structures, punctuate them properly and mix them together. Years 5 and 6 are taking these structures and creating an emotion,

Wider Curriculum
This term our topic is: Would you rather love in the Stone Age, Bronze Age or Iron Age? We are focusing on being historians and looking at sources. How do we know how early humans live? How do historians make inferences? In music we are learning to play the recorder. We have so far Jazzed up Hot Cross Bun! There will be a performance at the Harvest Festival.