Welcome to Year 6
Our Class Teacher is Mrs Sedgwick
AUTUMN TERM 1 IN YEAR 6
Welcome to Year 6!
This term, Year 6 will be taking an exciting journey through history, geography, science, literature, art and technology. Our learning will focus on how people, places and society change over time, with many opportunities to make links between subjects and develop our understanding of the world around us.
History – The Industrial Revolution: Manchester – How a City Changed!
This term, we will explore the Industrial Revolution and discover how Manchester developed from a small market town into a major industrial city.
We will use maps, photographs, historical sources and data to investigate population growth, transport links, land use, urbanisation and migration. We will explore how factories, canals and railways transformed Manchester and consider both the positive and negative impacts of industrialisation.
We will also compare Manchester in the past with Manchester today and investigate what life was like for people living in towns and the countryside during this period.
Our key questions will include:
- What were the main changes during the Industrial Revolution?
- Why is it difficult to find out what factory conditions were really like?
- How did changes in transport affect people's lives?
- How did the Industrial Revolution change Manchester?
- How did life in towns compare with life in the countryside?
History Trip:
We will visit Quarry Bank Mill on Wednesday 21st October 2026, giving us the opportunity to experience an important part of Britain's industrial heritage and bring our learning to life.
English
Our English learning this term will be closely linked to our history topic and the Victorian period.
Our class novel will be Street Child by Berlie Doherty. Through the story, we will explore the experiences of children living during Victorian times and develop our understanding of life during the Industrial Revolution.
We will also study King Kong, using the text to develop our reading and writing skills. We will explore characters, settings, atmosphere, suspense and the author's use of language.
In reading, we will develop our ability to draw inferences, predict, summarise and evaluate language choices, supporting our ideas with evidence from the text.
In writing, we will learn to identify the audience and purpose of our writing, develop ideas from our reading and create vivid settings, characters and atmosphere. We will also learn how to use dialogue effectively.
Our main writing outcome will be to write an action-packed story ending, using descriptive language, suspense and dialogue to engage the reader.
We will also develop our spoken language skills by explaining and justifying our ideas, listening carefully to others and participating confidently in collaborative discussions.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, we will begin by revisiting and strengthening our understanding of place value, including numbers up to 10,000,000, rounding and decimals.
We will revisit multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000 and develop efficient written and mental methods for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
We will apply these skills to increasingly challenging real-life problems, developing our reasoning and problem-solving skills and using increasingly precise mathematical vocabulary to explain our thinking.
Geography
Our geography learning will focus on Manchester and the North West of England.
We will use maps and geographical data to investigate Manchester's location, population growth, transport links, land use and urbanisation. We will explore how canals and railways supported the growth of Manchester and consider how industry and migration have shaped the city.
We will make links between our geographical learning and our study of the Industrial Revolution.
Science – Living Things
In Science, we will explore Living Things and Their Habitats. We will develop our understanding of how living things can be classified and how scientists organise and describe the natural world.
We will learn about significant scientists, including Carl Linnaeus and Wangari Maathai, and consider how scientific understanding can help us to care for our environment.
Our learning will make links with Children's Rights and Sustainable Development Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
Design & Technology – Bridges
In Design & Technology, we will become engineers and explore how bridges are designed and constructed.
We will investigate different types of bridges, including beam, truss, arch and suspension bridges. We will learn how forces such as compression and tension affect structures and how different designs help bridges to support weight and span distances.
We will then design, build and test our own model bridges, evaluating and improving our designs.
Spanish – My Town
In Spanish, our topic will be “My Town.”
We will develop our vocabulary and communication skills by learning how to talk about places in a town and describe our local surroundings. We will practise listening, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish.
PSHE – My Healthy Self
Our PSHE topic is “My Healthy Self – How do my choices today shape my future health?”
We will explore how our everyday choices can affect our future health and wellbeing. We will learn how brushing our teeth, flossing and limiting sugar can protect our teeth and how to interpret food labels and make healthier choices.
We will also explore feelings, emotional regulation, growth mindset and resilience. We will consider how our past experiences can influence our emotions, how to respond positively to challenges and setbacks, and how unkind behaviour and bullying can affect self-esteem.
PE – Invasion Games
In PE, we will develop our skills through invasion games, including football and basketball.
We will work on attacking and defending skills, movement, teamwork, communication and tactics, learning how to apply our skills effectively during competitive games.
Computing
Our Computing learning will focus on online safety and computing systems and networks.
We will develop our understanding of how computer systems and networks work and explore how technology allows us to communicate and collaborate. We will also consider how to use technology safely, responsibly and respectfully.
Music
Through our work with Love Music Trust, we will develop our musical skills through learning about and playing instruments.
We will have opportunities to develop our performance skills, listen and respond to music and work collaboratively as musicians.
Art & Design – Cities and Skylines 
Our Art topic is “Cities and Skylines.”
We will develop our drawing skills by exploring buildings, streets and cityscapes. We will experiment with line, shape, perspective, proportion and detail to create our own city-inspired artwork.
We will take inspiration from the work of Stephen Wiltshire, who is renowned for his detailed drawings of cities.
Religion and Worldviews – Humanism
Our Religion and Worldviews question this term is:
“What can we learn from Humanism?”
We will explore what Humanism is and consider Humanist ideas about human origins, values, purpose and destiny.
We will investigate the importance Humanists place on culture, including art, music, cinema, comedy and architecture. We will also explore the Golden Rule and consider how similar ideas can be shared by people with both religious and non-religious worldviews.
We will learn about important figures in the history of Humanism and their contributions to Humanist thought.
Children's Rights
Throughout the term, we will continue to develop our understanding of Children's Rights.
We will explore how rights apply to our lives, our school and communities around the world, while considering the connection between rights, responsibilities and respect for others.
Autumn Term Enrichment
Quarry Bank Mill
Wednesday 21st October 2026
Our visit to Quarry Bank Mill will support our learning about the Industrial Revolution. We will explore the mill and its history, investigate working conditions and develop a deeper understanding of what life was like for people during this important period of British history.
Our Autumn Term Learning Journey
Throughout the term, we will make connections across our subjects as we explore how people, places and societies change.
From the factories and railways of Industrial Manchester to the bridges we design, the cities we draw, the stories we read and the choices we make for our future health, Year 6 will be encouraged to ask questions, think critically, solve problems and explain their ideas with confidence.
Mrs Sedgwick
