Benjamin Zephaniah Class

Welcome to The Benjamin Zephaniah Class page

Why Benjamin Zephaniah?

I have been a long-time fan of Benjamin Zephaniah. I love poetry and his style and words have always made me smile and inspired me.

Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was a British writer, dub poet, actor, musician and professor of poetry and creative writing. In his work, Zephaniah drew on his lived experiences of incarceration, racism and his Jamaican heritage.

I have always loved his work, and I was genuinely upset when he died last year.

“This planet is for everyone, borders are for no one. It's all about freedom.”

"Language is power, and in a more fundamental way, poetry is power."

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9

If you have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at c.hewitt@peaktorfederation.co.uk

Promoting Reading at Rowsley CofE Primary School

Click on the link below to add your recommended reads and find out what is recommended for you: https://padlet.com/chewitt32/rowsley-reading-padlet-vxauldbgjhxbn431

If you have a favourite novel or non-fiction book then please add it to the above padlet.

Do you love a graphic novel? I do. There has been a real surge in reading graphic novels and I think they are great in encouraging all readers.

Here is a link to a list of recommended graphic novels:

https://padlet.com/rruddick9zra/graphic-novels-73uh2srzpbia

Do you have a favourite graphic novel? Then please add it to the list.

Autumn 1 Topic - Elizabethan England

This is one of my favourite topics as I loved learning about the Tudors for my A Level History and again at university, with history being one of my majors.

We have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Haddon Hall, a Tudor property right on our doorstep, on Tuesday 24th September. You can find a copy of the letter towards the end of this page.

A copy of the topic web will be uploaded once I return to school.

Last Year's World War II Day

We had a wonderful day on our WW2 day and it was great to see that everyone made such a great effort with their costumes. During the day there were regular air-raid warnings where the children had to either take cover under the tables or in the 'air-raid shelter' (the cloakroom); a WW2 style packed lunch; measuring their rationing of sweets; a make-do and mend session with the wonderful ladies from the local craft group and a 1940s style PE lesson.

Using PADLET

We sometimes use Padlet in English. I will share your child's padlets here once we have completed some.

SATs results for those who sat the paper 2022-23

Reading 60% Expected or above (40% of which was Greater Depth)

Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling 60% Expected or above- (20% of which was Greater Depth)

Writing 60% Expected or abov

Maths 80% Expected or above- (20% of which was Greater Depth)

SATs results from 2021-2022

Reading: 84% received Expected or above

Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling: 84% Expected or above

Writing: 77% received Expected or above

Maths 62%

The percentage of children who passed all their papers either at Expected level or above was 62%.

Year 5/6 Info

Our School Day

The school day starts from 8:50am with doors closing at 9am.

The children will have morning activities from 8.50, which they are expected to access independently. Morning activities are usually English based i.e. Grammar & punctuation, spelling practice or reading but it can also be finishing off or responding to marking.

9.30-10.30 - English

10.30-10.45 - Break

10.45 -11.00 - Handwriting

11.00 - 12.00 - Maths lesson

12.00-13.00 - Lunch Time

13.00 - 13.30 - Whole Class Reading

13.30 - 14.45 - Foundation Subjects

14.45 15.00 - Daily Mile

15.00 - 15.20 - Collective Worship

15.20 - 15.30 - Story Time

15.30 - Home time

Please note that pencil cases are NOT required. ALL resources are provided for.

Please provide a labelled water bottle for your child.

Your child may bring a healthy snack into school for break time.

Woods

KS2 will be going to the woods every Wednesday afternoon. Please make sure that they bring wellies and waterproofs in a separate bag - your child MUST have trousers and a long sleeved top for the woods sessions.

P.E

P.E. will be held on a Wednesday and Friday afternoon - children MUST come in the correct school PE kit. Friday mornings will also involve swimming for all Y5. Swimming kits must be brought in on this day.

PE Kit

Navy blue/black shorts or joggers/leggings

White/Royal blue t-shirt (plain or with school logo)

Trainers

School jumper

Woodland Kit

Children must wear black/blue/grey joggers, their school long sleeved pullover. They must bring either wellies or walking boots in a separate bag. They will need a waterproof coat and waterproof trousers and, for when the weather turns colder, a hat and gloves.

Please note that the children will go to the woods in all weathers except for high wind, so they must have the correct clothing in school. The woods are very shaded, so even on a seemingly warm day, it can get chilly.

Homework

Reading

Your child will be expected to read at least 4 times a week - their reading records are collected in every Monday morning. At this stage, they are not expected to read out loud to an adult every time, but should be heard rregularaly by a grown up. Every child who has read 4 or more times in the week will earn themselves 5 dojos

Your child will come home with a reading book from our reading challenge scheme. Their reading book should be in school EVERY DAY.

Maths

Your child will be sent home with a White Rose Maths homework book. These books are expensive and your child must keep them in good order. We use the White Rose Maths scheme most days in school, so your child will be familiar with the format.

Your child should not be spending more than 40 minutes per week on their homework, once they have completed 40 minutes, they must stop even if the work is not completed.

They will be told which pages they are expected to complete each week. Please do not complete more than is expected - they will be taught specific ways to calculate questions which may be different to the way you were taught.

Maths homework will be collected in every Monday. The children will get dojos for work completed and handed in on the correct day.

Spelling

Spellings will be sent out on a Friday and tested on a Friday. They will also be available on Spelling Shed, which your child will have a log in for. Please make sure your child practices at home for their test. If you have any queries about your child's spellings, please email Miss Sutton at m.sutton@peaktorfederation.co.uk as she deals with this part of the curriculum.

In Year 5/6, I work hard to get your child ready for Secondary School where they will be expected to complete a variety of homework tasks covering all subjects of the curriculum. Getting into a good routine at this stage stands them in good stead for their future. Please encourage your child to complete their homework independently.

Y5/6 Homework Club

Homework Club will be held on a Tuesday from 3.30 to 4.00 - please keep an eye on the school board to check that it is on. This is a chance for the children to get assistance with their maths homework, or just a time to get it completed at the start of the week.

These are drop in sessions so there is no need to book and the children don't have to attend every week. It is free.

The homework is completed in a relaxed and informal setting. So far it has been well-attended and the children like getting their homework completed with my assistance and all out of the way in one go.

Some reviews:

"It's good. Brilliant. It gets your homework done so you don't have to do it in the week." (Y5 child) "I love it because it saves me tears at home." (Y6 Child)

Parents love it too - "It's brilliant, I find explaining maths difficult so it makes home-life much better if it can be done in school." (Parent of Y6 child).

"It has saved my child from getting upset about it at home. It is completed and out of the way when it is completed at homework club." (Parent of Y6 child)