History - Law and Power

This unit focuses on the power struggle between the monarchy, church and the people during the Middle Ages. Throughout this unit, the children will analyse some of the significant changes that took place during this period which helped pave the way for a fairer and more democratic Great Britain, such as Henry II's legal reforms, the sealing of the Magna Carta, and Simon de Montfort’s Parliament. They will also look at the Holy Wars and learn about Richard I and Sultan Saladin.

The children will be looking at the restraints put on the power of the monarchy by both the people and the church.

Art and Design - Architecture

This unit starts by revising what architecture means and what an architect does and goes onto an in-depth study of the Parthenon. This study allows consideration of the importance of this building both in its influence on architectural design throughout history (shown in the design of parts of St Paul’s Cathedral) and by its own chequered history, with particular reference to the debate surrounding the Parthenon marbles which currently reside in the British Museum. The children debate whether the marbles should stay in the British Museum or should be returned to Athens as well as considering the symmetrical design of the building and the sculptures which adorn it. They spend three lessons designing and making sculptures in relief, developing their own knowledge of working with clay.

Geography - Western Europe

Within this unit, children will use maps of Western Europe to identify key countries and key physical features. They will use maps to explore the location of countries such as France, Germany and the Netherlands, recognising physical features such as peninsulas, mountains, and rivers.

To conclude this unit, children will learn about France. They will locate Paris, the capital city and will look at maps of the city itself. They will identify the path of the River Seine and the River Rhone, reinforcing understanding of physical features (rivers) and human features (settlements). They will look closely at images of diverse French landscapes including the sandy beaches of Southern France, the wine regions and the Alps. They will learn that the Alps are mountains that have high altitude causing the climate of these regions to be cooler.

Science - Rocks

This unit introduces key knowledge of rocks including their appearance and simple physical properties. It introduces key substantive knowledge, particularly recognising different types of rock. The unit also introduces disciplinary geology knowledge and how geologists work to find out more about rocks on earth and beyond. Pupils will learn that a geologist is a scientist who studies rocks and will be introduced to some of the things that geologists might study, such as properties of rocks, composition of rocks, and what rocks can tell us about life on earth long ago.

When learning about how sedimentary rock forms, children will learn that fossils form when things that have lived are trapped within rock and how this process allows us to learn about plants and animals from thousands and millions of years ago. Within this unit there is an opportunity to study soil closely and to recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter (decaying things that have lived).