Badgers (Year 4/5) 2026 - 2027

Mrs Davies

Welcome to Badgers

Badger Class is taught by Miss Davies and is made up of a wonderful team of kind, caring and enthusiastic Year 4 and Year 5 children.

In Badger Class, we encourage one another to be the best we can be, embrace new opportunities and grow into confident, respectful and responsible global citizens. Our Christian values of Love & Kindness, Friendship, Respect, Justice, Freedom & Responsibility and Equality are at the heart of our classroom and guide the way we learn, work and care for one another.

Learning in Year 4 & Year 5

Year 4 and Year 5 are an important stage in children's learning journey. As children progress through Key Stage 2, we encourage them to become increasingly independent, confident and responsible learners, while continuing to provide the support and challenge each individual child needs.

Our classroom is a positive and ambitious learning environment where children are encouraged to ask questions, think deeply, embrace challenge and learn from mistakes. We want children to take pride in their achievements while recognising that perseverance and effort are important parts of becoming successful learners.

Different Routes, One Destination

As a mixed Year 5 and Year 6 class, our curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that every child follows a progressive and ambitious learning journey, building securely on prior learning and preparing them for what comes next.

At Bickerton, our approach is Different Routes, One Destination. Children may learn within different mixed-age class structures, but the curriculum expectations and intended outcomes for each year group remain consistent.

For our Year 5 children, this means that whether they are learning within our Year 4/5 Badger Class or our Year 5/6 Kestrel Class, they follow the same carefully sequenced Year 5 curriculum, working towards the same essential knowledge, vocabulary, skills and curriculum end points. Teachers work closely together to ensure consistency, progression and appropriate challenge across both classes.

Within Kestrel Class, Year 5 and Year 6 children also benefit from opportunities to learn together, collaborate, discuss ideas and challenge one another's thinking. Teaching is carefully planned so that each year group continues to build upon its own prior learning and work towards its age-related curriculum expectations.

Our mixed-age structure allows us to respond to children's individual strengths and needs while maintaining high expectations and ambition for everyone. The classroom a child is in does not determine the ambition of their curriculum.

Whatever route children take through our mixed-age classes, our destination remains the same: secure knowledge, strong progress, growing independence and readiness for the next stage of learning.

Bringing Learning to Life

Learning in Badger Class goes beyond simply remembering facts. We want children to question, investigate, make connections and understand why their learning matters.

Children experience practical learning, enquiry, discussion, creativity, outdoor learning, trips, visitors and opportunities to apply their knowledge in different contexts.

Through our LIVE curriculum, we encourage our Badgers to become:

L – Life-Long Learners – developing knowledge, resilience, independence and a love of learning.

I – Immersive – embracing experiences and opportunities that bring learning to life and broaden horizons.

V – Valuing Diversity – respecting different people, cultures, faiths and perspectives and understanding their place within a diverse world.

E – Enquiring Minds – asking thoughtful questions, thinking critically, solving problems and making connections.

Growing Independence and Responsibility

As children move through Key Stage 2, we expect them to take increasing responsibility for their learning, their choices and their contribution to our school community.

Children are encouraged to organise themselves, complete tasks with increasing independence, respond positively to feedback and recognise what they need to do to improve.

There are also opportunities throughout the year for children to take part in clubs, competitions, trips and special events, as well as to take on responsibilities and develop their skills as pupil leaders.

Our Christian values support children in understanding that with increasing freedom comes responsibility – towards themselves, one another, our school community and the wider world.

Homework

Homework in Badger Class is designed to reinforce key learning, develop independence and establish positive learning habits.

Each week, children are expected to:

Read regularly – Strive for 5: We encourage every child to read at home at least five times each week. Regular reading helps develop fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and, most importantly, a lifelong enjoyment of reading.
Practise multiplication tables: Children should regularly practise their times tables, working towards confident and rapid recall of multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12.
Use Times Tables Rock Stars: Regular practice supports fluency in multiplication facts. For our Year 4 children, this also helps them prepare confidently for the statutory Multiplication Tables Check.
Practise spellings: Children should regularly practise their current spelling patterns and appropriate statutory words using the spelling information and termly spelling menus provided.

Times Tables Rock Stars – Pupil Login

Short, regular practice is often more effective than completing everything at once. We particularly value families supporting children to establish routines around reading, spelling and multiplication facts.