A very warm welcome to Hawks, Cobras and Orcas – our Years 5 and 6 classes! These are incredibly exciting years at Oxley, as our children become the oldest pupils in school and begin to take on greater independence, responsibility and leadership. We want every child to feel happy, confident and proud to be part of Team Oxley, while making the very most of their final years with us.

Our curriculum is designed to challenge children, spark their curiosity and get them thinking deeply about the world around them. In Science, children investigate everything from forces and space to global warming, materials, the human body, life cycles and plastic pollution.

Our History and Geography learning takes us across different times and places. Children investigate whether the Vikings were raiders, traders or something else, discover what life was like in Tudor England, and explore the impact of the Second World War on people in Britain. In Geography, we’ll journey from the Alps to the desert, before considering the important question of where our energy comes from.

There are plenty of opportunities to create, design and problem-solve too. Children explore typography, maps, mixed-media landscapes and architecture in Art; build Wobble Bots and bridges in Product Design; and develop their computing skills through BBC Micro:bits, Python and spreadsheets. In French, they’ll build their vocabulary through topics including the date, weather, clothes, planets and weekends.

As our children grow, we know that learning is about much more than academic success. Through PSHE, children explore healthy relationships, money, online influences and staying safe as they grow up, helping to prepare them for the increasing independence that comes with being in Years 5 and 6.

We also want children to be active, creative and willing to try something new. Across the year, PE includes football, swimming, basketball, yoga, outdoor adventurous activities, gymnastics, cricket, rounders and athletics, while Music gives children opportunities to explore rhythm, pitch, technology, structure, form and pulse.

Our Oxley values remain at the heart of everything we do: Be kind. Be brilliant. Have an I can attitude. As the oldest children in our school, Hawks, Cobras and Orcas have a particularly special role to play. We encourage them to lead by example, champion others, have the confidence to speak up, tackle challenges positively and show our younger children what it means to be part of Team Oxley.

And there is so much more to Years 5 and 6 than what happens in the classroom! We kick off the autumn term with heaps of fun on our PGL residential, giving children the chance to challenge themselves, work as a team and make brilliant memories with their friends. Throughout the two years, there are also fantastic opportunities to work alongside children from other local schools, building new friendships and strengthening our sense of community.

As Year 6 draws towards its close, there are some very special Oxley traditions to look forward to. Our children put their entrepreneurial skills to the test during our Oxley Enterprise extravaganza, working together to create, organise and run their own fundraising ideas to help pay for their end-of-year treat. Then it’s time for them to take to the stage in our much-anticipated Year 6 production – a wonderful opportunity to perform, work together and shine!

Years 5 and 6 are about working hard, aiming high and preparing for the next step, but they are also about friendship, teamwork, responsibility and making memories. Across this two-year journey, we want children to discover new interests, take on responsibilities, challenge themselves and experience that brilliant feeling of realising just how much they are capable of.

Whether they are preparing to move into Year 6 or getting ready to take that significant next step into secondary school, we want every child to leave the year feeling proud of how far they have come – and with plenty of cherished Oxley memories to take with them.

Welcome to Hawks, Cobras and Orcas, two years of learning, laughter, challenges, opportunities, and plenty of fun. Be kind. Be brilliant. Have an I can attitude!