A highlight of our learning has been our topic on the rainforest. The children were fascinated by discovering the incredible plants, animals and habitats found within these unique environments and developed a real passion for protecting the natural world. This was brought to life during our visit to the Big Cat Sanctuary, where we learned about conservation and the importance of protecting endangered species. The trip inspired the children so much that, as part of our Agents of Change project, they decided they wanted to take action themselves. Through organising and running a cake sale, they raised an amazing £110, which was donated to support the important work of the sanctuary. We were incredibly proud of their compassion, teamwork and determination to help others.

In science, we continued our exploration of the natural world by studying animals and their habitats. We learned how animals can be classified into different groups and investigated how both natural events and human activities can affect habitats and ecosystems. The children showed great curiosity during our investigations and demonstrated a real understanding of the importance of protecting the world around us.

Our history lessons took us deep into the rainforest as we learned about the fascinating Maya civilisation. We explored their achievements, daily life, beliefs and impressive knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. To round off our learning, we enjoyed a chocolate-tasting session, discovering the important role cacao played in Maya society—a delicious way to end the topic!

In geography, we focused on woodland environments and learned about how woods are used by both wildlife and people. We had the opportunity to take our learning outside the classroom during a field trip to our local woods, where we observed the different ways the area is used and explored the features that make it such an important habitat. The children thoroughly enjoyed becoming real geographers and applying their learning in the local environment.

As if all of that wasn't enough, Sycamore Class also had the exciting opportunity to take part in a Bell Boat tournament. For many of the children, this was their first experience of the sport, but they rose to the challenge brilliantly. They demonstrated fantastic teamwork, determination and resilience, supporting one another throughout the event and making us incredibly proud with their positive attitude and sportsmanship.

The children's creativity has also shone brightly this term. Inspired by patterns found in nature, they produced some beautiful artwork, carefully observing the world around them and using it to create eye-catching designs.

In music, they developed their understanding of rhythm through body percussion, enjoying the challenge of creating and performing different patterns.

Meanwhile, in DT, the children showed impressive perseverance as they practised and improved their sewing skills to create their own book covers, producing some wonderful finished pieces.

Alongside all of this, Sycamore Class have continued to shine through their kindness, resilience and positive attitudes. Whether tackling new challenges, supporting one another or showing curiosity in every lesson, they have been wonderful ambassadors for our school.

It is hard to believe that the end of the year has arrived so quickly. The year has absolutely flown by, and it has been an enormous privilege to teach such a fantastic group of children. I am incredibly proud of everything they have achieved and of the confident, caring and thoughtful young people they have become. Their enthusiasm, humour and willingness to embrace every opportunity have made this a truly special year. I will miss them all very much as they move on to the next stage of their journey, but I know they are more than ready for the adventures ahead.

Well done, Sycamore Class—you have been amazing, and I couldn't be prouder of you all.

What a fantastic and busy term 3 and term 4 we have had! The children have worked incredibly hard across all subjects. Here’s a look back at everything we’ve been learning.

In maths, we have been exploring perimeter, calculating the lengths of rectangles and rectilinear shapes, and identifying the properties of regular and irregular polygons. They then moved on to fractions, building confidence with mixed and improper fractions and discovering how to find equivalent fractions. Alongside all this, everyone has been working hard with their times tables.

In English, we started by diving into different versions of 'The Princess and the Pea', helping us to develop our story‑retelling skills. Inspired by this, the children then innovated well‑known fairy tales and wrote their own playscripts, which they later performed with expression and enthusiasm. We then continued with poetry, focusing on the work of Michael Rosen and writing narrative poems. We explored how Rosen uses his voice, actions and expression to bring poems to life and performed our own poems using his techniques.

In term 4, we travelled back to the Anglo‑Saxon period to explore persuasive writing. The children took on the role of Anglo‑Saxon Earls and worked hard to write powerful persuasive speeches—“calls to arms”—encouraging villagers to join the fight against the Vikings.

Our science learning in term 3, explored states of matter where we created water‑cycle diagrams, thinking about how this links to climate change. In term 4, we investigated sound—learning how sounds are made, investigating sound waves, vibrations and decibels. One of the highlights was testing out cup telephones to see how sound travels along a string.

Our wider curriculum has taken us on a journey through geography and history. In term 3, we focused on rivers, learning how they are used and identifying the longest rivers in the UK before moving on to study major rivers across the world. We loved creating model rivers in trays, complete with key geographical features, and testing what happens during heavy rainfall.

In term 4, we moved on to the Anglo‑Saxons, exploring how challenging it was to invade and settle in Britain. We learnt about local Anglo‑Saxon settlements, studied the features of Anglo‑Saxon houses and compared them to Iron Age homes. We also delved into the fascinating discovery at Sutton Hoo and examined the artefacts found there. Our Anglo‑Saxon Day was a brilliant end to the unit, with the children enjoying activities such as weaving and clay modelling.

At Forest School, we continued our Anglo‑Saxon theme by building wattle‑and‑daub walls and carving runes—hands-on activities that really brought history to life.

We also celebrated World Book Day in style! The children had a wonderful time acting out scenes from their favourite stories, taking part in book swaps, and listening to stories read by different adults. The costumes were fantastic—well done to everyone who took part and helped make the day so memorable.

Well done to all the children for their hard work and enthusiasm this term. We are excited to see what adventures the next term will bring!