News – Page 2 – Queen's Hill Primary School

Year 6 ‘The Arrival’

6th March 202528th February 2025

This week, Year 6 started their English unit based on the graphic novel, ‘The Arrival’ by Shaun Tan. A graphic novel is a story without words and it can still be just as powerful and detailed. We discussed how every illustration is included for a reason and that if you look very closely you gather a huge amount of information from a single image.

Year 6 enjoyed participating in a range of activities to find out clues about their new English book, before it was revealed to them! Children took part in a scavenger hunt, collecting the answers to questions about the characters and themes of the book. Hidden away all around the playground were pictures from the graphic novel with key information attached. They also discovered how the beautiful pictures were drawn and had a go at an art task recreating a piece in the same style. Then, they explored the theme of migration and learnt about refugees. During this time they reflected on why people might have to flee their country and what belongings might be important to bring with them. It was great to see how curious everyone was about our new topic and we look forward to seeing how they get on with their writing over the coming weeks.

Year 3 Castle Trip

15th February 2025

Year 3 had a fantastic day at Norwich Castle. They were able to consolidate and further their Ancient Egyptian knowledge. They enjoyed exploring artefacts, seeing a mummy and creating their own Egyptian jewellery.

The children were safe, ready and respectful and asked some super questions. Well done Year 3!

Year 3 and Reception Buddies

15th February 2025

Year 3 had a great afternoon with their reception buddies on Thursday.
They were able to ask about their learning this half term and then share their own fantastic Egyptian non-chronological reports. They have worked so hard on them and it was great to celebrate success!

Deserts and Valentine’s day

28th February 202514th February 2025

This week we have been learning about the Desert and the celebration of Valentine’s day. We learnt about what animals live in the desert and why it is so difficult to live there. We also learnt about how people celebrate Valentine’s day and we made cards for our loved ones.

Mayan printing

14th February 2025

This week in Art, Year 6 created brilliant Mayan prints. Inspired by the geometric shapes and repeating patterns used by the Maya people, children first made cardboard tiles and glued on their designs using string. They then painted the string on the tile and pressed down onto their piece of paper using a variety of colours. We were impressed by their creativity and concentration during this process!

Year 4 Electronic Iron Man Faces

13th February 2025

Year 4 finished the term by designing and building Iron Man faces with electronic glow in the dark eyes. They had to wire up the LED bulbs with batteries and switches using all of their knowledge about electrical circuits taught this term. We were very impressed with the final outcomes.

Mandarin in Year 6

14th February 202513th February 2025

Year 6 enjoyed playing a game in their Mandarin lesson this week and keeping score, noting down the correct Chinese characters!

Year 4 NHS Anxiety Workshop

10th February 2025

Year 4 were delighted to welcome the NHS Cambridgeshire Community Service Trust today to run a 1 hour big worries and anxiety workshop with each of our classes. It was pleasing to see the children coming away with so many new strategies to help them manage their emotions and feelings.

The Polar Regions

28th February 20257th February 2025

This week in Reception we explored the Polar Regions. We learnt about which animals live in the North or South pole and what it is like there. We spent the week playing with polar region toys, creating artwork and we watched our teachers do an experiment with string, ice and salt!

Investigating heart rate

10th February 20256th February 2025

In their learning about the circulatory system, Year 6 have been investigating the effect of exercise on their heart rate. They began by using pulse oximeters to measure their resting heart rate and then took their pulse after first walking, then jogging and then sprinting. Children then drew conclusions based on their results to see if their predictions were correct and presented their findings in a bar chart. To further develop their investigation, children conducted a second experiment to compare the change in their heart rate after holding various stationary positions. It was great to see everyone’s keen curiosity and teamwork!