Latest Learning 2026-2027

16.10.26 - PSHE!

This week Violet Base have performed their assembly ‘Letters from the Lighthouse’ to their grown-ups. All 90 children took part, they showcased their collective talents in drama and oracy. A great achievement, one we are very proud of.

Over the last half-term, in PHSE, we have covered subjects such as allergies and the dangers of sharing food, how we can be an ally to our classmates and we have had some very important discussions around online safety. We encourage every family to discuss online behaviour and to be open and honest, discussing the effects of being mean online can cause significant harm to other children. We will continue as a yeargroup and school to revisit this topic many times to encourage our pupils to apply the Bankside Rule - “We choose our words carefully” to face to face interactions and online ones.

 

 

09.10.26 - Science!

This half term Violet Base have been learning all about the circulatory system including the importance of the heart. We begin each lesson with a recall activity of questions from last year, last term, last key stage and last week. 

We have been looking at the importance of the heart, drawing it in detail and labelling the parts. We have completed a representation of elements in our blood using cheerios (red blood cells), marshmallows (white blood cells), platelets (broken biscuit) and orange juice as the plasma. This has helped us understand the function of each of these elements and that the liquid plasma is essential for allowing blood to flow around the body whilst carrying the other solids. 

We have engaged in rich discussions such as:

“Is there anything alive that does not have a beating heart?”

Children gave insightful answers including: jellyfish (which have no heart) as well as plants and flowers. We also discussed various insects that have different shaped hearts.

 

02.10.26

This week, the children are embarking on their first draft of their hot task in writing. Having followed the Talk for Writing planning, we have read a model text and internalised the style, the grammar and the nuance of the piece. Then we have written a toolkit, where we break down the mechanics of each paragraph so that we can learn how to innovate our own ideas through the structure of the model text. 

Our stimulus is Letters From The Lighthouse, a fictional historical story, set in London, that begins during an air-raid. The children have immersed themselves in imagining the high street before and after the bombs have dropped. The calm before the storm, the storm itself and a final paragraph describing the spirit of the people during the aftermath. 

I look forward to sharing their writing later this term!

 

25.09.26 - Maths!

This week Bankside has moved from place value to written methods of multiplication division, addition and subtraction. With a firm base in the importance of place value, the understanding of the value of each digit, children will build on their written methods using increasingly larger numbers as they gain confidence in these areas. 

They have shown incredible progress and resilience throughout the week and long multiplication is becoming increasingly fluent. Throughout the week, using I DO, WE DO, YOU DO, we have tackled some tricky reasoning questions that include using one or more of the methods we have learnt. 

Taking pride in presentation and setting out work logically is a skill that we teach and the children are receptive and self-correcting were necessary – as we want to build self-reflection through re-direction so that they can build their own skills which will last a lifetime.

 

 

18.09.26 - Reading!

Each child in our school has a levelled reading book. In Year 6, reading fluently and with understanding is our firm goal, ensuring that each child is secondary ready. Every morning the children are engaged in reading lessons, where we read, discuss and annotate a text, discussing new vocabulary, and gaining an understanding of the motivations of characters and finding evidence in the text to support opinions.  We take time to read with each child, our teaching assistants provide extra help for target readers who need more one to one attention in order to make progress quickly. Our school environment promotes reading and a love of books. Each class has a cosy and inviting corner with books that are regularly changed, ensuring plenty of options to choose from. 

Encourage your child to visit the library on the weekends or evenings and relax with a book!

These students still love reading in Year 6!

They started their love of reading in Year 4...

 

11.09.26 - Welcome Back to School!

A warm welcome to all the children and we are so happy to see every pupil looking smart in full uniform, coming in respectfully and showing fantastic learning behaviours as we start their final preparations for secondary school. As we embark on this final year of primary school, we have ensured that we are preparing each child to do their very best and that they leave Bankside having made excellent progress from their own personal starting points. 

The classrooms have been prepared and organised to create a calm working environment. A clear system for allergies is already in place, and safeguarding of the pupils in our care is our utmost priority. Creating predictable routines and establishing a feeling of security during these early weeks will ensure we put strong roots down for success this year.

We have begun the year delving into the history of WW2, imagining what it feels like to be a child caught in an air raid! Our writing intention is a dramatic creative piece describing a busy high street during and after a Luftwaffe invasion, illuminated by a scene from “Letters from the Lighthouse.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Latest Learning 2025-2026

03.07.26 - The Golden Age of Islam!

This week we have begun our final topic of the year: The Golden Age of Islam! This is a fascinating look at an ancient culture that has a rich history and an incredible story to tell about Islamic civilisation from the 7th to the 10th century.

To being, each child was given a metre stick and we lay them across the playground  - the circular city of Baghdad had a wall around it 30 metres high to act as a defense system - with gates to the north, south, east and west.

We imagined standing at the bottom of the wall! Our first lesson has been to compare what was happening in Britain between the 7th and 10th centuries with what was happening during this Golden Age of Islam in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Spain and Uzbekistan. Understanding where in world history the Golden Age was,  is an important piece of information as so many inventions and discoveries were made during this time whilst Britain was still being invaded by Vikings and living under a feudal system and most people were illiterate. However, over the next 6 lessons, the children will discover:

• The House of Wisdom and learning for all

• The Prophet Muhammed’s teachings around the importance of education

• Advances in medical care and education

• Reasons why the Golden Age came to an end

This will support their thinking and understanding of history and encourage them to ask questions such as: Why was it the Golden Age during this time? Why was this NOT the Golden Age in Britain? What conditions do we need to live in peace and prosperity?

 

 

26.06.26 - Enterprise Week!

This week in Year 6, the innovation and entrepreneurship preparation has culminated in a successful Enterprise week. In the afternoons, we have created stalls to sell our products in order to make profit to subsidise the end of Year 6 prom. The children have created posters for their advertising as well as been given an amount of money to invest with the aim of turning a profit. They have also adapted their products to suit their audience as we catered for Years 1 and 2 first then moved up the school. We hope that we are creating lasting memorable learning experiences for all the children so they can learn, bond with each other and be inspired to be innovative!

19.06.26 - Doctor Bike!

Will the fun ever stop for Year 6? 

It appears not! This week and last, Dr Bike have been into school teaching children how to fix and maintain their own bike. This week taking groups of children with our very own Ms. Holmes overseeing, around the local area to improve proficiency and road safety awareness. They have had a fantastic time doing it. We really recommend cycling as a way of staying fit and healthy and a good way to travel to and from school.

 

12.06.26 - Nell Bank!

This week our Year 6 pupils went on a residential to Nell Bank in Ilkley. Unfortunately, the weather was extremely wet, however, we did not let that ruin our fun! We had numerous adventures, including a hike and team building activities. The children developed their independence, resilience and collaboration learning cogs throughout the experience! A huge thank you to the staff that supported this experience for our pupils.

22.05.26 - Writing!

As we are writing a narrative setting in English this week, we have immersed ourselves in the sights, sounds and smells of the Arabian Bazaar. We have enjoyed role-play, being both customers and traders, imagining how we would sell our products. We have used figurative language to describe every aspect of a day in the market place - watch this space for some good examples!

 

15.05.26 -Chess Club!

Year 5 and 6 have been invited to learn chess during their lunch hour. As a busy, inner-city school we have a lot of children on the playground and we wanted to cater for everyone's tastes. They can go out and exercise and then come back to join us for some quiet, focused fun with a friend or find new friends to play with. 

It has been a growing success, beginning with 1 or 2 children and now about 15 children are enjoying learning strategy, turn-taking, dealing with winning and losing in a safe, supportive environment. The goal is to teach explicitly the social skills needed to become confident, co-operative and social young people.

Chess has been proven to:

• Improves Memory and Cognition: Regular play enhances visual memory and overall cognitive abilities.

• Boosts Strategic Planning: It trains the brain in decision-making, requiring players to anticipate consequences and plan moves ahead.

• Increases Focus and Concentration: Chess demands deep concentration, helping players manage distractions and develop patience.