A new term!

Please join us on Thursday 5 September for our Open Evening. This will be a brilliant opportunity to meet the team and find out a little bit more about our pastoral and academic provision in Year 6 and the wider Prep school. Individual parent consultations will be taking place later in the term, on Tuesday 15 October.

In Year 6 children should be spending 30 minutes per subject per week on prep, set with the presentation and effort maintained as in all class work expectations. We do expect the children to maintain focus on their weekly spellings and times tables by completing any activities and strategies set. Your children should continue to read at home and bring a current reading book into school daily. We do have a variety of reading books in class and weekly library visits continue. Please do encourage your child to read a wide variety of genres to help widen their vocabulary choices.

We appreciate your continued support in allowing your children to complete their homework as independently as possible.

The pupils will be given a Prep diary, which they must bring to school each day. This is where they should record all prep and any daily notices. Prep diaries can also be used for home/school communications, and where you should sign each time you read with your child. House points awarded will be recorded here each week, and diaries will be checked by the Year 6 Team and signed off weekly.  A house point is awarded each week for correct diary use.

A Subject Topic & Skills Grid giving an overview of what the children will be covering this term will be sent on Friday 13th September.

As the children begin Year 6, parents will be giving lots of thought to their child’s educational pathway, and considering how best to prepare them for their ISEB Common Pre-Test, as well as their future Senior School. It can all feel rather daunting if this is your first time going through this stage, but we are here to help. Even if you have been through it with older children, it is important to consider each child’s unique identity when beginning to map the best path for them, and prepare them for success.

Year 6 pupils will sit mock Pre-Tests at the beginning of October, and there will be an option for them to attend one or more Reasoning Boot Camps during half term (more information to follow), before they sit the actual test, at Pennthorpe, in the last week of November.

Year 6 is the beginning of Pennthorpe’s Flourish Years, and your children will now have the chance to take on a number of leadership roles aligned with the Pennthorpe Purpose. As they progress throughout the school, the breadth of opportunities available to them increases (you can find out more here).

At morning registration, Form Tutors will complete a quick ‘wellbeing’ check with the children using our familiar emoji structure. In Year 6 your child will be assigned to a member of the Year 6 Pastoral Team who will hold regular ‘Champion’ sessions where informal discussions can take place regarding any matters relating to school and general wellbeing.

The Pennthorpe PSHEE/RSE curriculum will continue to be delivered in an age-appropriate manner during all pastoral slots on your child’s timetable. Please do contact in the first instance Form Tutors should you have any specific questions regarding curriculum content and/or feedback.

Year 6 will be covering the following topics in the Autumn Term:

Personal Identity – Who we are, personal strengths and interests, setting goals, managing setbacks, new opportunities and responsibilities.

Health and Hygiene – Making informed choices for a healthy lifestyle including nutrition, hygiene including bacteria and viruses, allergies and getting help in an emergency, vaccination and immunisation.

Our bespoke SHOOTS – Wellbeing scheme this term will focus on developing and maintaining ‘Resilience’ and ‘Positive Relationships’ exploring different types of relationships, compromise and finding positive solutions, active listening and forgiveness.

On Thursday 7 November, Year 6 will join Year 5 to test out their skills when they participate in a variety of exciting tasks and challenges during our on-site ‘Resilience Day’.

On Wednesday 25 September, Year 6 will visit Goodwood Racecourse on a Maths in Action trip, in partnership with the Racing to School charity.

Throughout the day the children will take part in different activities and complete a workbook looking at the different elements of Maths involved in the racecourse. They will have the opportunity to measure the distance around the edge of the parade ring and calculate how many horses can safely walk it at the same time, learn how far a furlong is and where the term came from, examine a jockey’s equipment and learn about the weight limitations and how handicapping races works. They will also have the opportunity to watch the first race of the day!

In Years 5 – 8 pupils must have their own fully stocked pencil case, including the following items:

• Pencils
• Rubber
• Pencil Sharpener
• Blue Fountain or Handwriting Pen (not biro)
• Purple pen (a purple biro is fine – children will use this to refine and perfect their work)
• 30cm ruler
• Coloured pencils
• Glue stick

Children should also have their charged laptop with them in school each day.

Drop off is at 8:15am on the Terrace or in the Drop off zone, for registration at 8:20am. Children arriving earlier should be booked in for breakfast from 7:30am or join our Early Birds in the Sports Hall or Courts from 8:00am. Children should not enter the Clock Block earlier than 8:15am. Core lessons begin at 8.30am.

Pick Up is at 4:00pm at the front of school, unless your child is staying for Prep when pick up will be 5:00pm at the front of school. All children must ‘blob out’ with the member of staff on duty before they leave the school site.

If you would like your child to join us for breakfast, or stay beyond 4:00pm for Hobbies or After School Supervision / Supper Club, please book this via the Portal, or contact extendedday@pennthorpe.com for assistance.

As well as your pocket-sized diary, parents can also view the Autumn Term calendar via the website and Parent Portal.

Please do have a look through and pop important dates in your diary.  Of course, sometimes plans need to be updated, and so any changes will be updated on our electronic calendar and communicated to you as soon as possible.

The key events for our Year 6 parents include:

• Parents are invited to our Prep Open Evening on Thursday 5 September between 7:00-8:30pm.
• Individual & Sibling Pupil Photographs are scheduled for Tuesday 24 September.
• Year 6’s trip ‘Racing to School’ @ Goodwood is on Wednesday 25 September.
• We will be hosting a PSHEE & RSE Tea & Talk for Years 5 – 8 Parents on Friday 4 October after drop off.
• The Year 6 children will sit their Mock Pre-Tests on Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 October.
• There will be a Pupil Wellbeing Tea & Talk for Parents on Thursday 10 October.
• Year 6 Pre-Test Subject Parents’ Evening is scheduled for Tuesday 15 October.
• Thursday 7 November is Years 5 & 6 Resilience Day.
• Our Whole School Remembrance Service will be held on Monday 11 November at 10:30am.
• The Year 6 children will sit their Pre-Tests the week beginning Monday 26 November.
• Our Carol Service in the Chapel @ Christ’s Hospital for Families of Pupils in Year 1 – 8 is on Tuesday 10 December.
• Carols Around the Tree takes places on Thursday 12 December at 4:00pm.
• Friday 13 December is the end of term with school finishing for Year 6 children at 12:00pm.

Children can wear either summer or winter uniform until half term, after which all children should switch to winter uniform.

Please make sure your child’s uniform is labelled with their name, as it does make it a lot easier to reunite lost items with their owners.

Children are expected to wear smart uniform each day:

• All children should wear their blazers coming to and from school.
• Clean black school shoes (if a child needs to wear trainers, for example where their school shoes have been misplaced, please make the form teacher aware)
• Shirts need to be long enough to tuck in.
• Earrings – one plain stud only. No hoops. The child needs to be able to take the earrings out independently for PE and Games lessons.
• No necklaces.
• Plain wristwatch, no smartwatches to be worn.
• All shoulder length hair tied up with a plain hairband or small school coloured scrunchie or headband.

Whilst the sun is shining, please apply sun cream to your child at home, before the beginning of their session as we will be outside as much as possible. We cannot provide sun cream in school so it is essential that children bring this in themselves.

All PE and Games kit should be brought in to school on a Monday morning and should be taken home for washing at the end of each week. All children require a mouthguard and shin pads for lessons, as well as competitive matches. They will not be allowed to participate in lessons or matches without these items, as this poses significant risk to the children. In Year 6 and beyond children should also have a towel in school.

The Year 6 Team will be conducting a complete kit check at the beginning of term.  This will include wellies, waterproof trousers, school play coat, water bottle and sports kit.

It is important that the children understand the importance of looking after and organising their own property. Please support this at home, by ensuring your child uses their independence and organisational skills to ensure they have what they need in school each day and take care of their belongings (especially their laptops!).

If you have any uniform requirements, please place an order via our website here. You can also book an appointment at the Uniform Shop by contacting uniform@pennthorpe.com or drop in during the times below:

• Monday 8:30am – 9:30am
• Tuesday 3:30pm – 4:30pm
• Wednesday 3:30pm – 4:30pm
• Thursday CLOSED
• Friday 8:30am – 9:30am

For the first half of the Autumn Term the girls will be switching to hockey and boys will be switching to football. A full kit list is available here, and all branded items can be ordered through Blueblood

Girls:

• Games kit
• Shin Pads
• Gum shield

Boys:

• Games kit
• Shin pads
• Boots

Please do not park in the drop-off lanes at the front of school if you are coming past the gates to drop your child into school, or collect them from one of the school buildings. These lanes are intended for dropping-off only!

Instead, please park up in the car park, or find a safe place to park on the neighbouring roads (being considerate of our neighbours, especially with regards parking near to junctions or driveways).