Year 6 Curriculum

Year 6 brings together everything children have learned throughout primary school, focusing on mastery, independence, and preparation for secondary school. Pupils craft polished pieces of writing, solve intricate multi-step maths problems, and carry out detailed scientific investigations. They learn to evaluate information critically, debate key topics, and present their ideas clearly and confidently. By the end of the year, children are well-equipped with the skills, resilience, and confidence needed for their next educational journey.

Overview of learning

Summary of core learning objectives

Reading

Reading for pleasure is at the heart of our curriculum, nurturing curiosity, empathy, and a lifelong love for learning. Every day, teachers set aside dedicated time to read aloud to their classes, giving children the chance to immerse themselves in rich vocabulary, diverse cultures, and captivating stories purely for the joy of reading.

Fostering a Love of Books

Daily Teacher Read-Alouds: Every class ends the day with a shared class novel, picture book, or poetry collection read aloud by the teacher.

Our Library Bus:  Pupils visit our library bus which is stocked with a wide range of genres, graphic novels, non-fiction, and diverse voices.

Book Talk & Recommendations: pupils share peer reviews, swap favorite titles, and participate in school-wide reading celebrations.

Books We Are Reading in Class:
Guided Reading

At our school, shared texts are paired with the VIPERS framework to explicitly teach key reading comprehension skills, providing a clear bridge between teacher modeling and independent reading.

The VIPERS Framework with Shared Texts

At our school, shared texts are paired with the VIPERS framework to explicitly teach key reading comprehension skills, providing a clear bridge between teacher modeling and independent reading.

The VIPERS Framework with Shared Texts

Focus Area	Classroom Application
Vocabulary Word meanings & context	Unpacking ambitious vocabulary, root words, and figurative language as a group.
Inference Reading between the lines	Using visual clues and character actions to uncover unstated motives and feelings.
Prediction Anticipating outcomes	Forecasting plot developments based on text clues, layout, and prior events.
Explain Author choice & purpose	Analysing why an author chose specific words, text structures, or themes.
Retrieve Locating facts	Finding and highlighting specific details, quotes, or answers directly within the text.
Sequence / Summarise Structure & main ideas	Ordering key plot events (KS1) or synthesizing main themes and arguments (KS2).

Classroom Organisation

Texts are sgared, projected onto digital boards or displayed on large easels, allowing teachers to annotate print and model VIPERS question types in real time

Guided reading tables are equipped with VIPERS question cards, sentence stems, and tracking pointers to scaffold group discussions

Books are organised into sets aligned with specific VIPERS focus areas (e.g., non-fiction texts rich in retrieval facts vs. narrative poetry built for inference).

Multiple copies of shared texts are stored in the classroom library, enabling pupils to re-read familiar texts and practice VIPERS strategies independently.

Supporting Reading at Home

Read Together Daily: Shared reading isn't just for younger children—reading to older children or taking turns with chapters builds comprehension and connection.

Celebrate All Reading: Audiobooks, comics, non-fiction magazines, and graphic novels all count toward developing a rich reading routine.

Keep Books Accessible: Keep books near bedtime routines, in car seats, or in travel bags to make reading an easy, go-to habit.

Writing

The Fortnightly Learning Journey

Writing units at St John's run on a two-week learning cycle focused on a single stimulus text, film, or theme alongside a targeted writing genre.

• Week 1: Immersion & Guided Writing

  • Monday (Text Immersion): Oracy-rich immersion using practical hooks such as drama, art, role-play, and guided discussions.

  • Tuesday (Genre Features): Analysing exemplar texts (WAGOLLs) to unpick the specific structural and language features of the genre.

  • Wednesday (Planning): Structuring writing using planning frames and sentence rehearsal.

  • Thursday (Shared & Guided Writing): Teacher-led modeling (shared write) followed by targeted section writing with live teacher feedback.

  • Friday (Misconceptions & Continuation): Addressing class misconceptions from Thursday, co-constructing the next section, and writing independently.

• Week 2: Application, Stamina & Publishing

  • Monday (Recap & Inspiration): Recapping the text and co-creating success criteria alongside creative stimulus activities.

  • Tuesday (Planning): Developing independent planning frames tailored to the final genre outcome.

  • Wednesday (Shared Writing): Teacher modeling focus skills and grammar targets in context.

  • Thursday (Independent Write): Extended independent writing time dedicated to building writing stamina.

  • Friday (Editing & Performing): Systematic proofreading, editing for impact, and sharing or performing finished work.

Core Non-Negotiables

Oracy & Drama: Pupils talk through their ideas and engage in role-play before putting pen to paper.

Daily Grammar Starters: Every writing session opens with a targeted Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (SPaG) starter linked directly to the genre.

Editing & Proofreading: Dedicated teaching on reviewing vocabulary choices, fixing technical errors, and revising structure.

Writing Stamina: Progressively longer independent writing opportunities to prepare children for upper Key Stage 2 demands.

Weekly Spelling & Handwriting Routine

In Year 6, pupils refine their handwriting legibility and speed to ensure fluent presentation in preparation for secondary school. Using school-adapted PlanIt Spelling resources, lessons target statutory Year 5/6 words, hyphenated compounds, ambitious synonyms, and nuanced suffix rules like -able and -ible

Transcriptions and handwriting skills are explicitly taught using the Letterjoin framework and structured weekly routines:

Monday: Spelling Lesson 1 (introducing new spelling patterns/rules).

Tuesday: Spelling Lesson 2 (Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check alongside matching games, crosswords, or word searches).

Wednesday: Letterjoin cursive handwriting lesson.

Thursday: Handwriting session directly integrating the weekly spelling words onto Letterjoin practice sheets.

Friday: Weekly spelling assessment covering 10 words from the half-term focus, followed by distribution of new spelling lists.

Year 6 Curriculum

Year 6 consolidates primary writing skills, preparing children for secondary education through complex grammatical choices, precise formal registers, and sophisticated narrative techniques.

• Persuasive & Speeches: Persuasive letters (persuading characters not to quit); formal speeches (House Captain candidate speeches, Shackleton inspiring his crew).

• Balanced Arguments: Formal balanced arguments exploring real-world and personal topics (school issues, social media usage, whether SATs should be abolished).

• Formal & Informal Letters: Formal correspondence to authority figures (Letter to the King, Letter to the Education Minister); informal blog writing (guidance for Year 5).

• Biographies & Technical Reports: In-depth biographies (Charles Darwin); scientific and fantasy non-chronological reports (animals encountered by Darwin, invented fantasy creatures).

• Recounts, Diaries & Instructions: Historical evacuee diaries; expedition logs; detailed procedural instructions (caring for fantasy animals, trip instructions).

• Narrative Writing & Dialogue: Re-writing story sections with alternative openings/settings; deliberate use of dialogue to advance action and reveal character traits

Knowledge Organisers  support pupils with information and methods they should know

Add / Subtract	Place Value	Multiply / Divide	Algebra	Decimals
Fractions	Measure	Percentages	Position	Ratio

White-Rose Home Learning - to support Maths Learning at home 

Autumn Term

Values

4 Operations A

4 Operations B

Fractins A

Fractions B

Position

Spring Term

Decimals

Percentages

Algebra

Units

Perimeter

Ratio

Summer Term

Properties of shape

Statistics

Other Subjects

In Year 6, Kapow Primary units bring together primary learning to build strong critical thinking and research skills ahead of secondary school. Science covers light reflection, evolution, circuits, and human circulation. History delves into World War II, census data, and historical figures, while Geography leads pupils through an independent fieldwork enquiry. Pupils design automata toys, study photography art, analyze song lyrics, and work with advanced coding, variables, and data simulations in Computing.

Kapow Curriculum Learning

Kapow Spiral Curriculum