Dear Parents/Carers,

Year 6 is a very exciting year! Mrs Farhat, Mrs Kelliher and Mr Booth are the Year 6 class teachers supported by Ms Beaumont, HLTA.

The children in Year 6 have reached the top of St John XXIII and this is the time when pupils begin to prepare for life after leaving us. Moving from primary to secondary school means that they will be expected take a greater responsibility for their own learning and to become more independent thinkers in their lives beyond the classroom. As their teachers, it is our intention to make sure that they develop the skills required so as to support their transition into secondary school, through increasing their independence, leadership opportunities and academic success.  Learning expectations are very high as we prepare to send them off in July, ‘secondary ready’.

We look forward to communicating with you about your child’s progress, achievements and experiences at school. Forging strong relationships with families is important to us and we encourage you to discuss the needs of your children as they arise. Please feel free to talk with us after school or, for more longer conversations, please make an appointment at the office to arrange a face-to-face meeting or telephone call.

Secondary Transfer

Whether they have been with us since the Nursery, or if they joined us in their final year, it is always sad to see our pupils go. As a result, we like to do all that we can in order for them to feel supported on their forward journey.

We have excellent provisions in place for the transition into secondary school, including meetings with parents, a secondary transfer pack and workshops to support parents through the application process. It is during this time that we encourage families to visit as many schools as possible to ensure that you and your child are happy with the choices you make.

Responsibilities

As our pupils move up the school, we naturally expect them to set an example to the younger children; from a smart school uniform to being polite and helping out around the building.

To mark this duty, we entrust them with responsibilities around the school. We have a number of monitors who take charge of our facilities, looking after everything from the PE cupboard, to the tables and chairs in the hall. They play an important part in the daily running of our school!

HeadBoy and Head Girl

Every year we also face fierce competition for our Head Boy and Head Girl roles. These ambassador positions for the school are highly sought after and we have a tough decision to make every year!

Some of the main highlights in Year 6 are:

PGL

The Autumn Term residential trip to PGL. We do this early in the autumn term as we believe it gives the children the opportunity to further develop their collaboration skills. We often see the children grow in confidence and show increased levels of determination to succeed. When the children return to school they are able to use some of their new skills and apply them to their learning in the classroom.

Catholic Children’s Society Carol Service

At the end of the Autumn Term, during the season of Advent, we attend a Carol Service at Westminster Cathedral. The Catholic Children Society, a charity that we fundraise for, invite us to watch the Christmas story being brought to life as we hear about the true meaning of Christmas.

National Assessments

The summer term sees the children working towards their end of Key Stage 2 national assessments (SATs) and honing their examination skills. In 2023, SATs will be held from Monday 8 May to Thursday 11 May.

End of Year Production

Year 6 children are encouraged to take centre stage and make the end of year production a show to remember! Filling each of the main roles, it is a chance for the children to show us everything they have learnt and to celebrate their time here under the spotlight!

Leaving

The Summer Term is an exciting time for everyone at St John XXIII, but particularly for our leavers as they spend their final weeks with us. Once the children have reached the end of their time here, we like to ensure that they get the chance to say a final farewell to their peers and the school community. We celebrate the children’s spiritual growth with a Leavers Mass in our school parish and mark their time here with an achievement evening in the school hall, which is a fantastic celebration and the memories last a lifetime!

Although we say goodbye, the relationships we build with the children never end. Plenty of pupils return to complete work experience placements here and some of our current members of staff used to study here too!