Oak Class 2025 - 2026

WELCOME TO OAK

Class teacher - Mr M Heathcote

Mr Parrish teaches PE on Tuesday and Thursday

Mrs Mackenzie teaches Thursday afternoon

Learning Support Assistant - Mrs K Shapland

Follow us on Twitter  @WhitegateOak

Oak class is the final chapter in your journey at Whitegate. In Oak you will have every opportunity to shine and demonstrate just how much you have grown along your Whitegate journey. You are the role models that everyone else in the school community looks to. It is you who we are looking to for how to treat each other as we would wish to be treated. I am excited for all that is in store for us this year! It will be a year of challenges and successes. A year where, together, we can strive to be the very best we can be to reach the God-given potential that we all have. I look forward to growing our confidence, maturity and most importantly, wisdom.

Our proposed plan

Our driving force for the term ahead will be the stunning text ‘Shackleton’s Journey’ by William Grill. This beautifully illustrated and detailed exploration of the last great exploration of Antarctica will provide us with ample opportunities to be descriptive and explore the history and geography of the region. Our geography will also help us to look at compass points and the reading of Ordinance Survey maps and the significance of trade. But don’t worry! We will continue to enjoy reading the gripping novel “Leila and the Blue Fox!”

After looking at ratio and proportion, our maths focus will begin with completing our look at fractions, decimals and percentages. Next, we will explore all things geometry including area, reflection and scaling. It promises to be a busy time for our maths lessons!

Within our RE, we will be exploring probably the most important question in existence: Who is Jesus? We will explore theologically and historically who this carpenter from Nazareth claimed to be and what was claimed about him and think philosophically about what this means. We will also explore the significance of the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt and how this links to Passover, the Last Supper, Eucharist and Easter. The themes of freedom will be explored in a new way through this unit.

Our science will lead us to looking at the important role of forces in our everyday lives. We will explore gravity, water and air resistance, friction and mechanisms. We will also be exploring living things and their habitats with a focus on classification, kingdoms of life, species and asexual reproduction.

Across our creative subjects, we will be completing our creations linked to Fingal’s Cave by Mendelssohn, designing and completing our art linked to activism, learning how to draw penguins, developing our catching, throwing and movement skills in dodgeball and inspired by the story of Ernest Shackleton, we will be designing and creating a sledge.

Reading

Reading is at the heart of successful learning and we will immerse ourselves in a range of quality texts over the course of the year. As Reading is a priority across all subjects, we regularly use a range of fiction and non-fiction texts in our guided and whole-class Reading lessons to help inform richer learning across the curriculum. In addition to this cross-curricular learning, a single day might also see us exploring the motivations of characters in our gripping class novels or simply allowing children time to develop a love of reading through our provision of high-quality fiction books. Wherever and whenever possible, we will prioritise developing the skills and positive attitudes towards Reading that will enable Oak class to become confident, informed and engaged learners. 

Home reading expectations are detailed below, but should your child express an interest in a particular author, series or genre, please let us know and we would be delighted to order books from our library partners free of charge.  Visits to your local library are also encouraged!

PE

PE days will be Tuesday and Wednesday. Please can children come into school on those days already dressed in their PE kits.

Homework

Please ensure your child reads at home at least 4 times per week for 15-20 minutes.  In Years 5 and 6, they are expected to record their own reading in their Home – School contact books; parents just need to sign each time. 

TT Rockstars should be practised at least 3 times per week also for a minimum of 5 minutes each time.

For Year 6, Mental Maths will be sent home twice per week; both sheets will be given out on Mondays. The first sheet will be due on Wednesday and the second on Friday.

Both Year 5 and Year 6 will also have a weekly SPaG sheet. This will be given out on Mondays and is to be returned the following Monday.

All Oak children will be given their own personal spelling lists to practise at home.  These are linked to the statutory spelling lists for each year group available at the bottom of this page. There will also be a statutory spelling list for each half term: these will be different for Year 5 and Year 6.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using the Home-School book  We love to celebrate any out of school learning or achievements by our children so please email to the office or send in anything your child would like to share with us. 

Our proposed timetable is attached below.