Category: Academic
Year 6 Investigate the Battle of Britain Through Role Play
On Thursday, Year 6 pupils had a wonderful opportunity to learn and reenact the Battle of Britain with a hands-on workshop. The Year 6 Global question this term is ‘Why do we have wars?’ and they have been looking at the causes of both world wars and debating whether they were inevitable. This workshop allowed them through role play to understand how the war impacted on civilians, especially those in London. They also learnt how the Dowding system worked taking part in the Fighter command and the Filter rooms which helped them understand how enemy craft could be detected and then intercepted.
Well done Year 6 – you really took it all on board and asked some super questions throughout the session.
Collaboration and Connection Creates Confidence
Our recent Maths Investigation Day was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to develop reasoning skills, collaborate with peers, and make connections to global topics—all while having fun! Reception explored creative ways to make numbers 1, 2, and 3 through hands-on activities like Beanbag Hoops, Animal Families, and Dot Investigators while Year 1 explored estimation and measurement by guessing and weighing dinosaur models. Year 2 linked their global topic on bees to maths by designing bee tangrams and investigating properties of 2D shapes. Year 4 tackled the Japanese puzzle game Sudoku, applying logic and perseverance to complete grids. Year 5 and 6 worked collaboratively on challenging domino puzzles, The day was filled with curiosity, problem-solving, and confident mathematical thinking!
Caterham School Early Offer Holders Catch up with Mr Jones
We were delighted to welcome Mr Ceri Jones, Headmaster of Caterham School to Copthorne today. Mr Jones came to meet and chat to Year 6 pupils who received early offers to Caterham School starting in Year 7 next September. It was a great chance for Mr Jones to get to know the pupils and their interests and the children all said how much they had enjoyed the experience. Mr Jones meets all the children joining the senior school from the Caterham Family of Schools to get to know them better ahead of their new adventures at Caterham. Whilst here, Mr Jones also met with parents for an informal chat over coffee this morning and sends his thanks to everyone who came along to what was a really enjoyable morning.
You can find out more about Early Offers to Caterham School here
Year 5 Find the Solution
This week in science, Year 5 have been looking at dissolving and what constitutes a solution. They used their powers of observation to conduct a series of experiments where they tried dissolving different substances. By observing what happened and what they were left with in their beakers, they could decide whether or not a solution had been formed.
Rocking Our Science Lessons!
This week, Year 3 have been busy investigating the different properties of rocks. They tested the hardness and permeability of various samples and even explored how rocks might react to acid rain by carefully adding vinegar with a pipette. It was a fascinating, hands-on way to discover more about the world beneath our feet!
Game On for Great Maths!
Every Friday afternoon, some children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 take part in Sumdog Club. It’s a fun and engaging way to consolidate their maths learning through exciting educational games. The children love challenging themselves, earning coins and spending them on virtual gifts as a reward for their hard work. It’s a lovely way to round off the week with lots of smiles!
Marvelous Mummification!
This week Year 3 have been learning all about the fascinating process of mummification and its importance in Ancient Egyptian culture. The children explored each stage in detail, discovering how and why the Egyptians preserved their pharaohs for the afterlife. A highlight of the lesson was when they had the chance to practise wrapping a ‘body’ in linen themselves, there was lots of laughter and excitement as they brought history to life!
Building Early Maths Confidence!
This week in Reception, our little mathematicians have been busy exploring numbers! We have been learning to find 1 more and 1 less than a given number, which is helping us to understand number patterns and relationships. We also investigated the composition of numbers 1 to 3, discovering the different ways these numbers can be made using different objects, we even started writing some number sentences. The children have loved experimenting, counting, and sharing their ideas with friends—developing confidence and curiosity in their early maths skills!
Outdoor Maths Adventures
Pupils across the school embraced the joy of learning with our much-anticipated Outdoor Maths lessons. Reception kicked off with active maths adventures, while Years 1 and 2 took part in our now-traditional Place Value Bootcamp—complete with sergeant chants, team games, and energetic challenges that brought place value to life. Years 3 and 4 embarked on a thrilling maths treasure hunt around the school grounds, solving problems to crack a riddle. Meanwhile, Years 5 and 6 tackled a spooky-themed Maths Escape Room in the Secret Garden, featuring pumpkins, bats, and a giant spider web! Working in pairs, they solved equations to unlock treasure chests and uncover hidden clues. These events are a celebration of our pupils’ hard work and enthusiasm for maths, and we’re proud to make learning both meaningful and memorable.
Sumdog Stars Shine Bright!
Congratulations to Faeqah, Vadaanya, Edward and Revan—our top scorers in the South East England Sumdog competition! We’re incredibly proud of all our pupils who took part, especially Year 3AH who ranked 11th across the entire region! A special shout-out also to Year 1JB for their fantastic effort. Well done, everyone!
