© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 1





© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 2

 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 3

 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 4

 The lighting is so
poor in the back streets in the dead of
lightning lighting
night, that it takes a jagged knife of accept except whose
lightning to streak across who’s thorough
patience conscious
the sky before I can see the way ahead. conscience desert
I have to accept the fact that no dessert patients
through descent
one dares step outside except loose decent
me. So who’s going to know or care lose eliminated
illuminated
whose car this is? The police will
surely lose patience if I try to tell them
there is a killer robot on the loose. I
could easily end up
as one of the patients in the
local hospital for disturbed personalities!
Anyway, I’m only too conscious
of the fact that it’s me that thing is after,
and, in all conscience I can’t let it wreak havoc in my city. No time to
hang around and become some kind of robot dessert. Heading out to
the desert is my one chance. Through the suburbs, out
past the city limits and be as thorough as I can in planning my next
move. Put a decent mileage between me and it before that final
descent down into Death Valley. Illuminated by the
stars, the dirt road snakes away into the unknown – my only hope of not being
eliminated .
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 5
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 6
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 7
 Stepping aboard the stylish Southern Star is like walking into a stunning hotel with
its innovative approach to exploring the best the world has to give. Your tour will
encompass the beautiful wall-paintings and artefacts of ancient and vibrant
civilisations, as well as the colour of the bazaars that have bewitched travellers for
centuries. Relax as we traverse the shimmering blue waters of the Mediterranean or
idle away an hour in the mesmerising infinity pool on Deck 6. On the third day, you
will awake to the cultural charm of the most opulent palace on one of the most
unspoiled islands anywhere in the world. Here, 16th Century opulence meets 21st
Century modernity – a fascinating fusion of old and new. We wait to welcome you
on board.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 8

 Usually, when Mum or Dad ask me how school
was, I just shrug and head for the fridge. But
yesterday, I thought I’d surprise them. I said
we’d been working with man-made materials
as well as natural ones. Plastic, for instance, is
synthetic, but wood just... like... grows on trees.
We were investigating their properties: whether
you could see through them or not, or whether
they were opaque. Some materials bend easily;
others aren’t so flexible. Some metals are quite
malleable; other things snap in two if you try
to bend them. I opened the chocolate biscuits,
you know, to demonstrate. I said I hope they
had been paying attention, because I would be
making them do a quiz later.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 9

 The Case of the Kidnapped Camelopard

Having been burdened of late – a full sennight – by a bout of

the ague, I was in no measure up to snuff and prepared for
another criminal case so soon. But there was the headline:
‘Camelopard Kidnapped From Circus’. Ere rapping at my good
friend, Witson’s, door – the man’s no mooncalf, if something
of a slugabed – I hied to the apothecary, Mr Jackson.

His premises, I have to say, are an assault on the senses, with

countless grimalkins and popinjays. Even the man’s walls are
festooned with fandangles. You must understand that I was
not after any of his foul banes. My landlady insists that a
daily serving of one of her hotchpotches will cure all. And, by
Jiminy, she’s right! No, the man is a quidnunc of the highest
order and knows every detail of the city’s darker goings-on.

Passing God’s acre, I had the misfortune to bump into the one
and only (thank Zeus!) Snivelling Sid: a rapscallion at best,
but also a cutpurse straight out of bridewell. I ought to know
since I was the one to hand him over to the turnkeys. He bore
me no malice. On the contrary, well out of sight of nearby
peelers, on the pretext of asking me for a Lucifer, he passed
me a bodkin, warning of the criminal company kept by my
apothecary acquaintance lately, and the amount of pelf in his
deep pockets nowadays.
Sid doffed his cap and sauntered into the church, promising
to say an orison for me. I thanked old Sid for both bodkin and
orison and thought better of using Jackson’s front door.
The courtyard at the rear of the building proved to be quite a
revelation. Here, in fact, was the kidnapped camelopard! Will
a peterman stop at nothing these days? Jackson could hardly
deny it, threw himself at my feet like the poltroon he is, and
begged me to save him from the nubbing-cheat. As it turned
out, who should drop by but my excellent friend, Witson, out
to purchase some sugarplums for me. Needless to say, the
dorbies he always carries about his person came in rather
handy. Case solved.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 10

 dagger cats police officers pickpocket tiger poisons malaria fool
parrots baker raised mutton stews churchyard chemist library giraffe
handcuffs standard week lazy person pirate boiled sweets camel
reform school hospital match money coward went quickly thief
ornaments before jailers prayer mischievous person gossip gallows

Having been burdened of late – a full sennight ( week ) – by a bout of

the ague ( malaria ), I was in no measure up to snuff ( standard )
and prepared for another criminal case so soon. But there was the headline:
‘Camelopard ( Giraffe )Kidnapped From Circus’. Ere ( Before )
rapping at my good friend, Witson’s, door – the man’s no mooncalf
( fool ), if something of a slugabed ( lazy person ) – I hied
( went quickly ) to the apothecary ( chemist ), Mr Jackson.

His premises, I have to say, are an assault on the senses, with countless
grimalkins ( cats ) and popinjays ( parrots ). Even the
man’s walls are festooned with fandangles ( ornaments ). You must
understand that I was not after any of his foul banes ( poisons ).
My landlady insists that a daily serving of one of her hotchpotches
( mutton stews ) will cure all. And, by Jiminy, she’s right! No,
the man is a quidnunc ( gossip ) of the highest order and knows
every detail of the city’s darker goings-on.

Passing God’s acre ( churchyard ), I had the misfortune to bump

into the one and only (thank Zeus!) Snivelling Sid: a rapscallion
( mischievous person ) at best, but also a cutpurse ( pickpocket )

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 11

straight out of bridewell ( reform school ). I ought to know since I
was the one to hand him over to the turnkeys ( jailers ). He bore
me no malice. On the contrary, well out of sight of nearby peelers,
( police officers ) on the pretext of asking me for a Lucifer ( match ),
he passed me a bodkin ( dagger ), warning of the criminal company
kept by my apothecary ( chemist )acquaintance lately, and the amount of
pelf ( money ) in his deep pockets nowadays.

Sid doffed ( raised ) his cap and sauntered into the church, promising
to say an orison ( prayer ) for me. I thanked old Sid for both bodkin
( dagger ) and orison ( prayer ) and thought better of using
Jackson’s front door.

The courtyard at the rear of the building proved to be quite a revelation.

Here, in fact, was the kidnapped camelopard ( giraffe )! Will a
peterman ( thief ) stop at nothing these days? Jackson could hardly
deny it, threw himself at my feet like the poltroon ( coward ) he is,
and begged me to save him from the nubbing-cheat ( gallows ). As
it turned out, who should drop by but my excellent friend, Witson, out to
purchase some sugarplums ( boiled sweets ) for me. Needless to
say, the darbies ( handcuffs ) he always carries about his person
came in rather handy. Case solved.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 12

 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 13

  Explanation: ‘but we have no evidence’
suggests someone is to blame for a crime.

Explanation: Some guilty person left the

 gate open when it should have been

closed.

 Explanation: New training suggests Chen

can be upbeat about the future.

 Explanation: Reference to the ‘ravine’

might suggest that this is either bold or
foolish, depending on your point of
 view.

Explanation: ‘Spending an hour’ on this

 must have made him frustrated.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 14

 Explanation: This is a description of
 backbreaking work.

 Explanation: Exams are often anxious

times – even more so if you haven’t
revised._________________________

Explanation: Leaving someone out

 especially a newcomer, is thoughtless.

 Explanation: The words ‘luckily’ and ‘let

him off’ tell us that Jasper could have a
worse fate; so the judge was kind-
hearted.
________________________________
________________________________

Explanation: Meetings held in cellars

(even if they are only about stamps) are
usually undercover in the sense of
 ‘secret’.
________________________________

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 15

 “A, e, i, o, u – nobody can say I don’t know my bowels.”

bowels because it should be vowels

“What would help trees grow in the Sahara Desert is a bit more irritation.”

irritation because it should be irrigation

“It’s like an Aladdin’s cave in that second-hand shop: full of wonderful antics.”

antics because it should be antiques

“Well, when I got my test results, you could have knocked me over with a ferret.”

ferret because it should be feather

“The flooding in Somerset was so bad they had to evaporate the villages.”

evaporate because it should be evacuate

“The Loch Ness Monster is just an optical conclusion, or else a pigment of your
imagination.”

conclusion because it should be illusion

pigment because it should be figment

“If there’s a hole in the boat, then it’s lost its porpoise.”

porpoise because it should be purpose

“Some of the pheasants in medieval times had quite cruel masters.”

pheasants because it should be peasants

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 16

 I’m a doctor, so when I saw the woman faint, I bent down and took her purse.”

purse _______________ because it should be pulse _____________________

“It must have been awful in the 17th century with all that blue bonnet plague.”

blue bonnet because it should be bubonic

“If I run away to the circus, I’m going to be a jugular.”

jugular __________ because it should be juggler____________________

“The shoplifter tried to run out of the store but got stuck in the revolting doors.”

revolting ___________ because it should be revolving ________________

“A triangle has three angels, and the one with three equal sides is equatorial.”

angels_______________ because it should be angles_____________________

equatorial because it should be equilateral

“The king looked very splendid in a purple cape edged with vermin.”

vermin _____________ because it should be ermine____________________

“I decided I’d be better at painting portraits if I bought myself a new weasel.”

weasel_______________ because it should be easel _____________________

“I’d never have survived the sweltering dessert without the help of my caramel.”

dessert _____________ because it should be desert _____________________

caramel ____________ because it should be camel_______________________

“I spent some time at university doing a hysterical study of the Tudors.”

hysterical__________ because it should be historical __________________

“I got so fed up of gardening, I decided to cover the whole area in grovel.”

grovel______________ because it should be gravel______________________

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 17

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 18
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 19

 When the railways arrived,
people travelled faster and
The start of the railway age is further. The journey from
accepted as 1825 when the London to Edinburgh took
Stockton-Darlington line was 30 hours less than by coach.
opened, first for coal wagons
and then passengers.

Improved transport meant raw

materials such as coal and iron could
be delivered faster and more cheaply.
Farm machinery, for example, cost
less, which led to cheaper food.

Because the prices of food

and other goods came down,
The delivery of newspapers from demand for them increased.
London and mail up and down the This meant more people were
country was more efficient. More employed on the land and in
interest was taken in what was factories.
happening nationally and in the
laws being passed by government.

Rail tracks and stations, and railway

engineering towns, such as Crewe, York
and Doncaster, changed the landscape.
People used this cheaper mode of travel
to enjoy leisure time. As a result, seaside
towns welcomed day trippers.

The success of Stephenson’s

steam engine, ‘Rocket’ in 1829 By 1900, Britain had 22,000
(it could go 30mph), led to miles of rail track constructed
‘Railway Mania’ and many new by men known as ‘navvies’.
railway lines were built.

In 1841, Isambard Kingdom Brunel

completed the line from London to Bristol.
Since it was called the Great Western
Railway – GWR – people referred to it as
‘God’s Wonderful Railway’.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 20

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 21
 General Characteristics Other Physical Features

Spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks are all Unlike vertebrates, spiders do not have
part of a large group of animals called a skeleton inside their bodies. Instead,
‘arachnids’. Unlike insects, which have they have a hard outer shell known as
three body parts, spiders have two, have an ‘exoskeleton’. This cannot grow as
no wings or antennae, and have eight the young spider gets bigger; so it has
legs and forty-eight knees. There are to be shed by a process called ‘moulting’.
almost 40,000 different species of spider The spider crawls out and waits, in a
in the world, the biggest being the vulnerable state, while its new outer
Goliath Tarantula which can protection hardens.
catch birds.
Wolf Spiders

Wolf spiders don’t

spin webs. They are
lone hunters with
excellent eyesight,
two of its eight eyes
being quite large.

Food Spiders’ Webs

Spiders are carnivorous. Some will eat At the back of the spider’s body are
other spiders. Their legs are covered in ‘spinnerets’, which, when pressed
hairs which pick up vibrations and smells against an object, force out some silk
of possible prey nearby. Having small in liquid form. As the spider moves to
mouths, they inject poison into their another place, the liquid is drawn out
captives with their sharp fangs. This and then hardens in the air. It doesn’t
poison ‘digests’ the victim, turning their stick to its own web because of an
insides into a kind of soup, which oily substance it spreads on
the spider then feeds on. to its feet.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 22

 statement true false
Spiders are eight-legged insects. 
Ants are a type of arachnid. 
Spiders have two body parts. 
There are more than 40,000 different species of spider on 
Earth.
Vertebrates have a hard skeleton inside their bodies. 
The exoskeleton of a spider grows as it gets bigger. 
A spider has little protection the moment it crawls out of its 
exoskeleton.
A spider can smell with its legs. 
Spiders kills their prey with sharp fangs that inject poison. 
A spider’s web silk starts off in liquid form. 
The spider uses an oily substance to harden the silk threads 
for its web.
Spiders are forever getting stuck in their own webs. 
All spiders spin webs. 
Wolf spiders hunt in packs like wolves. 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 23

 Howard Carter and the Curse of the Pharaohs
Howard Carter (9 May 1874 – 2 March 1939) was an
English archaeologist and Egyptologist who gained world
fame after discovering the intact tomb of 14th century BC
pharaoh, Tutankhamun, in November 1922.
Born in Kensington, London, son of Samuel Carter,
an artist, the young Howard was encouraged to develop his
artistic talents. In 1891, the Egypt Exploration Fund, very
impressed by his recording and classifying skills, sent him to participate in the
excavation of Middle Kingdom tombs. (Although only 17, Carter was innovative in
improving the methods of copying tomb decoration.)
Between 1892 and 1899 he gained much hands-
on experience working with various established
archaeologists. At Deir el-Bahari, adjacent to the
Valley of the Kings, he recorded the wall reliefs in
the Temple of Hatshepsut.
In 1899, Carter began supervising a number of excavations at Thebes (now
known as Luxor). His reputation grew, and, in 1907, Lord Carnarvon asked him to
supervise Carnarvon's Egyptian excavations in the Valley of the Kings. After
several years of finding little, Lord Carnarvon, concerned about the cost of
funding the project, became dissatisfied with the lack of results. In 1922, he
informed Carter that he had one more season left.
On 4 November 1922, Howard Carter's excavation group found steps which
Carter hoped led to a tomb. On Carnarvon’s arrival on 26 November 1922, Carter
breached the doorway using the chisel his grandmother had given him on his 17th
birthday. Inside, were the untouched treasures of Tutankhamun, the boy king.
Newspapers at the time made exaggerated claims about the ‘curse of the
pharaohs’. Within six months, Lord Carnarvon and his dog were dead ... of natural
causes. Howard Carter, however, lived another seventeen years and died aged 64.
Despite reports, one item not found in the tomb was any inscription which said:

CURSED BE THOSE THAT DISTURB THE REST OF PHARAOH!

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 24

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 25
 Mohenjo-Daro

The Indus River flows almost 2000 miles

from its source in Tibet in the Himalayas
through modern-day Pakistan and Northern
India to the Indian Ocean.

About ninety years ago, archaeologists began to excavate the ancient

site of Mohenjo-Daro, translated as ‘Mound of the Dead’, which was
built around 2500 BC and flourished in the Indus Valley.

We think of urban planning as a modern concept, but it existed here

in the form of strong city walls containing a network of streets, the
world’s earliest example of sanitation, granaries for storing food, wells
to supply water and bathing rooms. Houses had separate living and
sleeping areas and were built with upstairs rooms and courtyards.

Unearthed seals, such as this example, showing a bull or

possibly a unicorn, were carved out of stone, and, as a
result of their durability, have told archaeologists a lot
about this early civilisation. They appear to have been pressed into
clay to create tags, similar to a label, for traded goods.

Seals typically have an image of an animal with an example of the

script of the Indus Valley language along the top. Markings like these
have been found on other objects, showing that people wrote the first
line from right to left, the second line from left to right, and so on.
Altogether, four hundred separate symbols have been found, but, as yet,
no one has successfully deciphered them. Possibly, the inscriptions are
a record of some business agreement or the identity of the supplier.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 26

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 27
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 28
 Emmeline Pankhurst

Born on the 15th July 1858 in Manchester to a family in which political

discussions were commonplace, Emmeline Goulden was unquestionably one of
the most influential figures of the 20th century.
In 1879, she married Richard Pankhurst, a lawyer
and supporter of the women's suffrage movement, i.e. the
right of women to have the vote. His death in 1898 was a
great shock to Emmeline.
In 1888, she supported a strike involving the women
who worked at the Bryant and May matches factory, where
women worked fourteen hours a day and were fined if they
dropped matches on the floor. At about the same time, she was also concerned
about conditions in Manchester’s workhouses, where poor people without work
were confined – sometimes in inhuman conditions. Her meetings, held in local
parks to draw the public’s attention to what was going on, were declared illegal.
In 1903, she helped to create the Women’s Social and Political Union
(WSPU). Her daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, were also active members. This
organisation would soon gain notoriety for its headline-grabbing activities:
politicians and the general public were often shocked when they smashed
windows, tied themselves to railings outside Parliament, and were involved in
arson attacks. In 1913, Emily Davison, a WSPU member, was killed when, in
protest against the government’s unfair treatment of women, she threw herself in
front of the King George V’s racehorse at the Epsom Derby.
It was during this period that Emmeline Pankhurst and her followers were
nicknamed the ‘suffragettes’.
It was common for suffragettes to be arrested. In prison they would go
on a hunger strike, which led to force feeding. This prompted the government to
pass what was dubbed the ‘Cat and Mouse’ Act – a law that allowed hunger-
striking prisoners to be released and then re-arrested once they grew healthy and
strong again.
In 1914, on the declaration of war, Emmeline turned her energy to
helping with the war effort. In 1918, voting rights were given to women over the
age of thirty. Emmeline died on 14th June 1928 not long after a law was passed
granting women equal voting rights with men.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 29

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 30
 THE BIRTH OF A FOREST

Barren rock is colonised Ferns and small plants Larger shrubs and small Mature forest with tree
by lichens and moss take root in soil trees begin to dominate canopy and understorey

A BALANCED SYSTEM THE FOREST ABLAZE

Ancient woods with their varied mix of trees Long before human beings came along, fires
and plant life provide a whole range of wild caused naturally by lightning and, rarely, by
mammals, birds and insects with a delicate volcanic activity, were part of the cycle of
eco-system, their lives in a state of balance. It destruction and renewal of woodland. The
is possible that seed-loving birds, squirrels risks have increased with the introduction of
and mice could, in theory, eat all the seeds of timber-cutting machinery, campfires and the
the next generation of trees, but it’s unlikely. careless discarding of matches. The carbon
In any case, these animals are, themselves, content of living trees as well as brushwood
the food of predators, such as owls and foxes. and leaf litter at ground level provide a vast
If the predators are too successful, they will supply of fuel for wildfire. The destruction of
decline in numbers because of lack of food. In wildlife and the threat to adjacent human
this way, plants and animals depend on each habitation can be immense. Tackling such
other for their survival. In creating the right infernos is like a military operation with an
environment, they are the environment. almost equal risk to the lives of fire-fighters.

FOREST FOLKLORE

The rowan tree was once used as a charm against witchcraft. On

the Isle of Man, rowan crosses, made without a knife are tied to
the tails of cows to protect them from evil. Wood from the ash
tree was used to cure warts. To bring hawthorn blossom inside
was thought to foretell a death in the family. Yew trees are often
found in graveyards because, being evergreen, they symbolise the
possibility of everlasting life. Willow has traditionally been used
to cure the sick. (Its bark contains the basic ingredient of aspirin.)

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 31

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 32
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 33
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 34
 


© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 35

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 36
 Walter Anderson was born in New Orleans on 29 September 1903 and died
in the same city on the coast of Mississippi on 30 November 1965. It was in
Ocean Springs that the family opened Shearwater Pottery – still operating
today – selling ceramics, paintings and woodcarvings. Managed by his older
brother, Peter, it may have been the case that Walter, an emerging artist, found
this highly frustrating. He referred to his work on small, decorated figures sold
to the tourist trade as the manufacture of ‘widgets’.

His frustrations, the death of his father, and recurring bouts of malaria and
fever possibly led to depression and a mental breakdown. No one can be
sure. Between 1938 and 1940, he spent some time in and out of mental
hospitals. It has been said that, on one occasion, he escaped by tying sheets
together and climbing out of the window.

He spent his later years hidden away in a wooded corner of Shearwater inside
a wooden shack which he kept padlocked. He must have been a lonely man.
When he died and family members entered his sanctuary, they must have
been amazed. Every inch of every wall and ceiling is painted in bright, jewel-like
colours. The creatures of the coast – butterflies, crickets, deer, possum,
blue jays, fish, frogs, lizards and alligators – are displayed in their habitats of
entangled branches, flowers and rivers. Today, the sight is still breathtaking.

Few visitors to Shearwater today are allowed access to the simple shack that is,
in effect, a shrine to the work of this artist. No doubt, many would love to see
inside. For there, it still stands, a doorway to the creative mind of Walter
Anderson.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 37

 statement fact opinion
Walter Anderson was born in New Orleans. 
Shearwater Pottery is still operating today. 
Walter found decorating figures for the tourist trade highly 
frustrating.
Walter suffered from recurring bouts of malaria and fever. 
The death of his father and other problems led to a mental 
breakdown.
He spent some time in and out of mental hospitals. 
He escaped from a mental hospital by climbing out of the 
window using sheets he had tied together.
He spent his later years in a wooden shack which he kept 
padlocked.
He must have been a lonely man. 
When family members entered his sanctuary, they must 
have been amazed.
The colours of the paint are jewel-like. 
The creatures of the coast are displayed in their habitats. 
The sight is breathtaking. 
Few visitors to Shearwater today are allowed access to the 
simple shack
a shrine to the work of this artist 
No doubt, many would love to see inside 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 38

 Ten of us in the class were the evacuees. I enjoyed singing ‘We’ll Meet Again’.
I loved it. I had to trudge round the hall Seemed to set off a few tears among
among all the parents. My best friend, the audience. Maybe it was Karl’s
Haaruun,
U thought I looked like a complete tuneless singing that did it. I played
and total misery. What was horrible was Winston Churchill. If Mum and Dad had
having to wear the gas mask and squeeze kept quiet about having a trick cigar at
into the cardboard Anderson Shelter. home, I might have been the Queen.

I had two parts. I was in charge of the I know I’d make a great astronaut.
sound effects and the CD player. I did That’s probably why I was picked to
a pretty good job too. My timing was play the part of Neil Armstrong. A
perfect. I sort of held the whole thing pity the CD player jumped during the
together in a way. I had to stand in for fanfare when I was planting the flag
one of the rock ‘n roll dancers when on the Moon. I just improvised a bit
Anita was scared by Elvis’s wig. of moon walking. Audience loved it.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 39

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 40
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 41

 The role of the archaeologist is to examine
evidence of past civilisations. Whether they
specialise in coins, weapons or pottery, they
are essentially history detectives, gathering 
clues in order to build up a picture of how
people once lived.

It is very hard to date precisely the rise to

power of the Shang Dynasty in northern 
China. It more or less coincided with what
is referred to as the Bronze Age, when the
Chinese discovered how to make bronze out
of tin and copper. Many 4000-year-old
bronze objects have been found.

Around this period, another remarkable

development was taking place. Evidence of
the invention of writing has been provided
by the discovery of oracle bones. Similar to
Egyptian hieroglyphics, their writing was 
based on pictures that represented ideas.

The king and his priests or advisers would

have had important decisions to make. They
would use oracle bones to predict the future

or decide on a course of action. They would
consult the bones on questions of military
action, whether or not the king was likely to
have an heir, or if it was likely to be sunny.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 42

 A priest would carve the king’s question on
an oracle bone (often this would be a turtle
bone). He then heated a bronze pin and
held it against the bone, causing a series of
cracks to appear on the surface of the bone.
An oracle reader, usually a woman, would 
be called upon to interpret the pattern of
cracks and provide the king with an answer.

Much of what we know about the Shang

Dynasty comes from the archaeological
excavations of tombs. It is clear that there
was a strong belief in the power of gods,
but that the only way of communicating
with them and seeking their favour was 
indirectly through the spirits of the dead.
The graves of ancestors had, therefore, to
be well tended with the provision of food in
bronze vessels and regular ritual sacrifices.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 43

 The football team has had a successful season so far, which is, perhaps, the
reason why Mr Chowdray feels able to make some changes, naming two
new players in the line-up this afternoon. Whether this affects the shape
of the team remains to be seen. But we all know how eager David and
Bartek have been to win a place.

Our very own Harriet in Class 6B, the region’s tennis number 3, now says
she’s in better shape than ever. Following last month’s knee injury, her
recovery has been swift. Everything will depend on her state of game
fitness. There are some tough games ahead, but her trainer Mrs Jones
has high hopes.

Last week, our rugby team did not impress. The younger members of the
team had been given an opportunity to shine, but they unquestionably
missed a great opportunity as well as several tries.

Carla says she was nervous seconds before the start of the 100m free style
race for the county championship, but her butterflies soon disappeared.
Once in the water, she took the lead immediately and held on to it right to
the end. Somehow she can turn nerves into energy.

Netball captain, Janine, says that her gamble has paid off. Lagging behind
for much of the season, her decision to spend time working on a faster,
more attacking style has left opponents standing. The new approach was
risky at times, but the team’s higher position in the local league says it all.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 44

 Every Christmas, local theatres put on stage a traditional
pantomime. Whatever the subject-matter, there is a
familiarity to them each year. You can expect songs,
dancing (especially by the two people who are inside the
silly horse or cow outfit), slapstick comedy, a lot of
humour and a storyline based very loosely on a fairytale,
with plenty of extra, topical material.

Everyone at some time must have called out: ‘It’s

behind you!’ or ‘Yes, it is!’ The audience expects the
pantomime experience to be one of participation.
Booing at the wicked step-mother or the man with
the black moustache, who has just entered stage left,
is all part of the fun.

In the Middle Ages, the Mummers Play was a regular, folk

performance in villages up and down the country. But the
pantomime as we know it today has a number of different
influences, mainly from Europe. In Italy, the commedia
dell’arte was a popular form of travelling theatre. There
and later in France, professional clowns improvised comic
stories that often contained moral lessons for the gathered
crowds. Each story had the same recognisable characters
and usually contained a very messy chase scene.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 45

 Bees may be appear to be When you think of bees, you
quite insignificant but they probably think of honey. But
are an essential part of our bees provide us with much
lives. Along with other more. The marmalade on
insects, they pollinate most your breakfast toast, the
of our fruit and vegetables. fruit juice and apple you had
Without them, the world’s earlier, and the tomatoes on
farming and our supply your pizza were all brought to
of food would suffer. you courtesy of bees.

The bee you are most likely to Many wild bumblebees and
see is the honey bee, though solitary bees are disappearing
there are 260 different types at an alarming rate. Little
in the UK. These can be wonder, therefore, that
classified as either social bees researchers are trying to
or solitary bees. Solitary bees understand what is causing
tend to be smaller than honey their decline. There are a
bees and bumblebees, and number of threats: habitat
live in pairs rather than with a loss, pesticides, disease and
queen, drones and workers. climate change.

Some ornamental garden As busy as a bee, a hive of

flowers may look fantastic but activity, making a beeline, the
many have been bred in such bees knees – these are just a
a way to contain no nectar. few of common phrases in
This, of course, doesn’t apply our language. Such idioms
to all garden plants. You can alone testify to the central
help bees to survive and role bees play in our lives.
increase in number by And did you know that
observing which flowers they Dumbledore is also a Cornish
like and planting those. word for bumblebee?

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 46

 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 47

 Making Ice Cream at Home Origin of the Sandwich
Home-made ice cream contains cream, The sandwich is named after the 4th Earl
sugar and fruit. The cream can be of Sandwich, an 18th century aristocrat,
infused with vanilla flavouring. Fruit, who ordered his servant to bring him
such as raspberries or blackcurrants, meat tucked between two pieces of
are puréed before being mixed in. The bread, so that he could eat and play
result is then churned and frozen. cards at the same time.

Storing Food Safely Preparing Food Hygienically

Using your fridge properly helps to Hands have the potential for spreading
prevent food poisoning. Raw meat and germs. Always wash hands thoroughly
fish should be covered and stored on with warm, soapy water. Rinse and dry
the bottom shelf of the fridge. Any properly before starting to prepare
leftover food should first be placed in a food as well as after you’ve finished. It
sealed container. Salad and vegetables is especially important to wash your
should be stored in the drawers which hands after handling raw meat and
are usually at the bottom of the fridge. before touching ready-to-eat food.

Disgusting Cake Competition Join our Cookery Course

The Summer Challenge this year at Cooking is a great way to sharpen life-
school was better than ever. Thirteen skills (as well as your set of kitchen
contestants from Year 6 plus our brave knives!) From how to make meringues
Deputy Head stepped up to the mark in to how to eat them politely without
our Worst Cake Baker Contest. There infuriating the rest of the family with
were two rules: cakes must contain no your hideous eating habits, preparing
poisonous ingredients or anything still and serving food is part of learning all
living. Needless to say, Maxine in class about life. Acceptance on one of our
6B won with her Oozing Gastropod cookery courses will open the kitchen
Delight. The other contestants will now door to fresh opportunities. So ditch
have to have a plateful each. that old, stale life now and join us.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 48

 mid-1718 Blackbear Aryth arrives at Castle Hazard with Crow perched, as always,
on his shoulder. He overhears a conversation between Prince
Ynyr and the half-reptilian sorceress, Malsaura, planning a
conspiracy to overthrow Princess Ameira – a successful ruler –
with the aid of her all-seeing amulet. He travels to the Cave-
dwellers to ask if they will make him a sword capable of killing
the sorceress. He has almost completed his week-long journey
through the Dunes of the Scorpions when he is attacked by the
Gargantua, a giant tribe of snake worshippers, who throw him
into a deep pit to be disposed of by King Kobrah. Doors in the
walls of the pit open to reveal not one but seven other
Kobrahs. On all sides, fangs approach Aryth. But a screech
heralds the arrival of Crow, who flies down and pecks out the
eyes of King Kobrah. This causes a fighting frenzy among the
other snakes, all eager to become pack leader. Quickly, Aryth escapes with Crow
through one of the doors into a labyrinth that leads through the magma lakes to the Cave-
dwellers who make him a sword. Unfortunately, he is met at the mouth of the cave by
Prince Ynyr and Malsaura. However, the ever-watchful Princess Ameira has sent her
soldiers to protect Aryth. The Prince is captured but Malsaura disappears.

7 The sorceress appears at the mouth of the cave

4 Crow comes to Aryth’s rescue

1 Aryth overhears a conspiracy

6 The cave-dwellers make Aryth a sword

2 Aryth and Crow cross the Dunes of the Scorpions

5 Aryth escapes through a labyrinth

3 The Gargantua capture Aryth

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 49

 Green plants draw up
water and other nutrients
from the soil by means of How plants use sunlight to
their roots. They take in carbon
dioxide through their leaves. But make their food.
without the light from the sun
the leaves wouldn’t be able
to use these resources
to produce food.

Habitat is the location

of a food chain of plants
and animals: consumers, Animals are all part of a food
prey and predators. In the cycle
of life and death, animal waste chain.
and animal and plant remains
provide the nutrients that
plants need to produce
healthy growth.

Animal species have

evolved in an abundance
of different ways. Without Animals have successfully
such adaptations to particular
environments, they could not evolved to fit in with their
exist. Some examples are the
beaks and talons of hawks, environment.
the camouflage of zebras
and the gills of fish.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 50

 1

2
Bullying can happen anywhere
and to anyone – at work, in
the street, at school. It can
also take place on the internet
on social media like Facebook,
Snapchat, etc.

3
Being bullied, because it is something
that is experienced repeatedly, can lead
to depression, lack of confidence, fear,
anxiety, loneliness and poor school work .

5
– – threatening to hurt you –
– hitting – stealing your
– property – breaking your
things – spitting – pulling
hair – biting
6
report the cyberbully - 7 PLAYGROUND
block the cyberbully - remember it’s not
take a screenshot of your fault – talk to a
the bullying – teacher or parent –
talk to an adult that contact ChildLine on
you trust 0800 1111

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 51

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 52
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 53

 Sanjay has been saving Lots of people in our
his pocket money for road don’t have time
a new bicycle. to walk their dogs.

I don’t know anybody Kira always has to

who is crazier about tie her Labrador
animals than Kira. outside the bakery.

I think I could make You don’t see him

extra money as a spending so much
dog-walker. in the shopping mall.

A good mountain bike, Whoever was looking

if it’s well cared for, after the dog wasn’t
should last years. doing a good job.

Shopkeepers don’t Her favourite has got

like you taking your to be her Labrador,
dog in the shop. Blackie.

I fell off my bike There’s no point

when a dog ran in saving for something
front of me. then neglecting it.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 54

 We use materials according Melting chocolate can change
to their properties. its state back to a solid.

Electrical components will By producing their own food,

function in different ways plants are fundamental to
depending on power source. life on the planet.

Photosynthesis in plants In scientific experiments, it is

requires water, light from the essential to change one
sun and carbon dioxide. variable at a time.

Forces include gravity, air A bulb won’t light up if its

resistance, upthrust and circuit is not complete or it
magnetism. doesn’t have a battery.

Rocks are formed in a number Some light passes through

of different ways. translucent materials.

Some processes are not The movement of objects in

reversible. space depends on gravity.

Food chains are composed of Examples of soluble materials

producers and consumers. include salt and sugar.

The factors not being studied The transportation of water

in a fair test must be kept throughout a plant begins
constant. with the roots.

Some substances will dissolve Igneous rock such as basalt is

in water. created inside volcanoes.

The Moon is a satellite that Friction is the force involved

orbits the Earth. when a cyclist brakes.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 55

 Heavens Open But No Sign Of Dampened Spirits

Record Numbers Of Fans Fill The Fields

Headline Band A Well-Kept Secret

Satellites Send Saturday Songs To The World

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 56

 Carbohydrates

As far as health is concerned, the type of carbohydrate you

eat is possibly more important than the amount. There are
two basic types: simple sugars and complex starch. This is
important since all the carbohydrates we consume are
turned into glucose and carried by the bloodstream to our
cells and organs.

The healthiest sources of carbohydrate include wholemeal

bread, pasta, rice, fruit, vegetables and beans. Less
healthy examples are those that have been refined during
the factory process, such as white sugar, white bread,
cakes, fizzy drinks and sweets.




There are two basic types: simple sugars and complex starch.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 57

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 58
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 59

 I’m a single candle on a cake,
A solar trip without a break, year
Cheer me out and hear me ringing,
Fifty-two days and a new beginning.

I have a head and I have a tail -

coin Of that I am quite certain.
See me cast inside a pig or sail
Through air into a fountain.

The rich, they need this.

The poor have plenty. nothing
If you only eat this,
Your belly will be empty.

If I have it, I don’t share it.

secret If I share it, I don’t have it.
If the world knows, then it doesn’t exist.

Looking through walls

Was the maker’s intention. window
That’s why he came up
With this common invention.

I lose my head in the morning light,

pillow But get it back in the dark of night.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 60

 “Of course, it’s a free country. If the
neighbours feel it’s ok to play loud overwhelmed
music all hours of the night, well, I
suppose that’s their business.”
up
“Yes, he is my dad. No, I don’t know
why he likes wearing that Christmas
sweater in August. He says it shows optimistic
off his dance moves.”

“We are ahead in the league, and,

we have recently bought a number
of top-ranking players but I always ambitious
say we take one game at a time.”
a time
aboutthis stage
“Hello, could you possibly send the
fire brigade. Where am I? Dangling
from the window ledge. What’s annoyed
that? Hang on? Yes all right.”

“Some say that my musical will take

London by storm, that no one has
ever attempted to put six top bands
downhearted
on stage. But, hey, that’s just me.”

“Juggling three jobs, looking after

four children, elderly parents, a
houseful of cats and a parrot that’s
desperate
stopped talking to me! I’m fine!”

“Could have been worse. Lowest

marks in the entire school. Dad says
embarrassed
I could have got the lowest marks in
the entire country... I suppose.”

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 61

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 62
 Yes, I did let in that last-minute upset
goal in the hockey match, but... upset
you know... win some, lose
some.

Jerry’s always making fun of my

accent. It doesn’t bother me. angry
That’s just the way he is – a bit
of a joker.

I’m glad you liked my dad and

his talk about hairstyles of the embarrassed
50s. You’re right. He did look
great in the different wigs.

Oh, yeah, I’m looking forward

to the exam tomorrow. I’m nervous
sure I’ve done enough work,
so I should be fine.

This is a picture of me beside

a bush. Here I am standing in bored
a bush. Here, I’m quite close
to a bush. Fantastic holiday.

Spiders. They are fascinating

creatures. I can’t think why scared
anybody would be scared of
them. So many legs.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 63

 Faylinn’s Revenge

“You ready, Baalfire? We’re waitin’. Get your twinkletoes in some boots and get out here!” Even my
friend, Tom, with his failing hearing, couldn’t mistake the rasping voice of Harald Ruffsnape, as coarse
as bracken across the skin. He thumps the door in time to my name: “Vin – cent – Baal – fire!” The
goats bleat in their stall; the mice scramble in the thatch of the roof.
Opening the door, I push his hand away as he reaches out to prod me, as usual, in the shoulder.
He grins. “When you goin’ to tie a pretty ribbon in that hair of yours and be a proper girl?” I save my
reply for another day.
The evening’s entertainment is to follow the ancient creature known as Faylinn, a well-known figure.
A harmless hermit who huddles in a stinking cave on the other side of the river, she is taunted by the
local children: imitating her hobble, throwing stones, daring each other. We pray that our dreams will
contain no sight or sound of that creepy, old witch. But every night we wake up bawling like kittens in
a sack.
The sun has gone but a glimmering cut of light shows Faylinn dragging a branch behind her.
Kindling for her fire, I reckon. Her face is smoke black. We follow, but soon the fingers of darkness
begin to close around us. Stunted trees are grey ghosts crouching among the swirls of marsh gas as
she disappears into her cave. It’s a poisonous place. The air catches throats.
“That’s a filthy hole,” says Tom, giggling. “It’s filthier than the biggest pile of filth I’ve ever seen.”
This earns him a familiar slap that knocks him to the ground. The others laugh awkwardly. No one is
prepared to help him up except me. I narrow my eyes. Harald glares back. The others wait. The
moment passes.
“See that smoke whifflin’ out of the cracks in them rocks. That’s Faylinn talking with imps and
demons of all varieties. So all you pipsqueakin’ chickens, get ready with your howlin’ and hollerin’.”
A heartbeat barely passes when a burning ember comes spitting out of the cave mouth, making an

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 64

 arc through the sour air. Then another and another. Here and there, the marsh gas bursts into
flames. The treetops come alive and black shadows swoop about our heads, disturbed even more by
our screaming terror. We scramble in all directions, till we all turn to find ourselves face to face with
Faylinn. The evil grin. Three front teeth like chiselled stalactites. She points and growls something
under her breath. “Good evening, sprouts,” is all she says, but what we hear is a curse.
We run for it chased by nothing more than our own moon shadows. But no one turns to check.
Least of all Harald. Somehow, those fat knees of his carry his wheezing body a good fifty yards in front
of everybody else. Now that did us all a power of good.




© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 65

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 66
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 67

 Rajeev kicked his neighbour’s fence. He smacked the top of his head. He could see
Mrs Collins staring from her kitchen window with that look on her face. She glanced at
the broken heads of her daffodils and Reg, her Alsatian, a chain attached to its collar,
sitting a few feet away from the football in the middle of her perfect lawn.
“So what are you waiting for?” said Meena, Rajeev’s sister.
“Yeah,” said his friend, Tom. “You can climb the fence. Look! Reg isn’t going
anywhere.”
Rajeev sighed and directed Tom’s gaze to the other end of the dog’s chain.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 68

 Jason slammed the door behind him, dropped his jacket and kicked it into the
corner, threw his homework across the living-room floor and headed for the fridge. As
his mother would be home late from office, he spent the evening on the sofa with his
feet on a tower of homework books, a slowly diminishing pizza balanced on his stomach
and the TV remote in his hand. His mother found him there fast asleep at 10:30pm.
The following day meant another late shift for his mother. So, when he let himself
in, the first thing he did was retrieve the pizza box from the day before, fold his school
report inside it, and shove it to the bottom of the bin in the shed. Then he went to the
kitchen in order to cook his mother’s favourite supper.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 69

 Jess stood in the doorway of their country cottage, not quite outside in the sharp
air where, a week ago, there would have been sound of cattle waiting to be milked;
nor inside beside the familiar warmth of the stove. Mum and Dad and her brother,
Ben, loaded the van. Ben glared at her as he pushed past her for another chest full of
books. She caught his disapproval, but she didn’t care. Her friends at school had all
said that London would be an adventure and they promised to try to organise a get-
together. She sighed, unable to move. It was almost as if she were paralysed.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 70

 Amelia Earhart: first woman

to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Born – 24 July 1897

Disappeared – 2 July 1937

Amelia Earhart, an American, experienced her first close encounter with an aeroplane at the
Iowa State Fair. She was ten years old and described it as: ‘... a thing of rusty wire and wood and not
at all interesting.’
Almost ten years later, while at a stunt-flying exhibition, an airborne pilot spotted Amelia and
a friend, standing away from the rest of the crowd. He swooped down towards them, possibly
hoping to make them run, but Amelia stood her ground. Later in life, she said: ‘I did not understand it
at the time, but I believe that little red airplane [aeroplane] said something to me as it swished by.’
On 28 December 1920, pilot Frank Hawks took her up in an aeroplane for the first time. ‘By
the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly.’
As a child, Amelia stayed with her grandmother during school term. In spite of her
grandmother’s disapproval – common in those days – Amelia spent much of her time outdoors,
climbing trees, riding imaginary horses and hunting. Later, in high school, she was described as:

A.E. – the girl in brown who walks alone.

On 3 January 1921, she took her first flying lesson. She worked hard for six months and saved
enough money to buy her first, small aircraft: a two-seater biplane painted bright yellow, which she
called The Canary.
A few years later, she was invited to join two other pilots to fly across the Atlantic. They left
Newfoundland and landed in Wales 21 hours later. She became an international celebrity.
Then a new secret project presented itself – the opportunity to fly the same route completely
single-handed. The news soon got out and on 20 May, 1932, she took off for Paris, but icy conditions
and strong winds forced her to land in a farmer’s field in Londonderry, Ireland. At a time when even
a car was a novelty, one can only imagine how excited the local people must have felt to see her land
her plane.
Approaching her 40th birthday, she decided to be the first woman to fly round the world. By
29 June 1937, with her navigator, Fred Noonan, she reached New Guinea, having completed 22,000
of the 29,000 mile journey. A few days later, running into cloud and heavy rain, and with broken and
irregular radio guidance from a ship in the area, her last message was: ‘We must be on you, but we
cannot see you. Fuel is running low. Been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet.
We are running north and south.’ Nothing more was heard from her.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 71

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 72
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 73

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 74
 Chen kicked the rusty casing of an abandoned torch – some 21st century thing –
down the slope. It toppled and rolled over the disintegrating carpet, clattering
against broken seats, until it came to rest against a raised platform. It could have
been a stage. It was hard to tell. A mouldering curtain covered most of it. “What
is this place? What happened here?”
Chen almost jumped out of his skin when a shadowy figure behind him said:

“What are you doing here? How did you get into my cinema? A hundred years ago

this place belonged to my grandfather. These seats were filled with people just like

you, watching movies, eating what was called popcorn. ”


They spent some days crossing the footsore desert. Lou started grumbling
about turning back after the first hour, but she trudged along behind her
grandmother. They took turns pulling the sled piled high with their belongings.
On the fifth day, they had to bind their faces with rags against the sand-blasting
wind. Beneath the wind’s howls, Lou thought she could make out the toll of a
bell. “Keep going, Lou,” said Grandma. “Almost there.”
Then, as quickly as it had been summoned up, the wind dropped. There, on
the horizon, was an immense spike rupturing the surface. It could have been the
nose-cone of a rocket ship. But as they got closer, Lou realised it was the source
of the earlier ringing sound.
Grandma sighed, took a gulp of water from her flask and said:

“This is the steeple of the church that stood in the middle of our village, long before

the dust storms came and the place was abandoned. My old house – where your

mother was born – lies somewhere under our feet. ”

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 75

 Joni and Kazuo cautiously emerged from the shelter of their cave. For a
month, they had restricted themselves to what meagre food supplies they
had managed to carry, as well as the occasional roasted lizard – a special
treat.
The meteorite shower, at first a spectacular night-time display, had steadily
bombarded a vast area, the tremors vibrating their ribcages even in the
depths of their protective mountain.
As they walked towards the brow of the hill overlooking the city, Joni took
Kazuo’s hand. On top of the ridge, they looked down and saw...

devastation everywhere. The streets they knew so well, their old school, the

houses, the shops – everything gone. OR an amazing sight. The surrounding

area had been devastated, but, somehow, their city had been spared. What a

stroke of luck!

 
From her cage, day after day, Morgana the chimpanzee watched with quiet
curiosity the work of the surrounding scientists. Reluctantly, they had
concluded that no amount of intelligence-enhancing exercises, games or videos
could increase her natural, mental abilities. And in the evening, her keeper,
Frank Green, had pushed paper and crayons and kids’ toys through the bars
along with her supper, in the hope that he might succeed where the scientists had
failed.
What none of the scientific team expected was to return in the morning to find
the cage empty and a note, scrawled in coloured crayons, that said:

“I’m really sorry to say I found your games quite boring. The videos were okay

but I’d seen them all before. Frank was great. I really got on with him very well,

but his choice of writing implements was pretty awful. Anyway, I hope you have

better luck with the guinea pigs. I’m off to write some Shakespeare.”

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 76

 Outrageously loud, heavy metal crescendo, a decibel louder than the wind outside.
Just my mobile under a stack of pizza boxes. Dad has sent a video message. Can I really be
bothered opening it? He’s more interested in being on a screen than talking to me.
“Vinny...” he begins. He’s whispering and glancing over his shoulder. And that’s it.
That’s all there is and the thing goes blank. Then the heavy front doors crash open.

I shake as I turn around, expecting to see Godzilla / some monster / Dad walking in. The

pizza boxes scatter as I kick them across the floor in my hurry to close the doors. I press

my back up against them and tell myself I’m spooking myself. I’ve heard the wind before.

As I’m checking all the other locks, there’s an enormous thump on the back door.
Not an out-of-hours visitor, or the wild wind. No, this is like the shoulder of a rhino, a
bunch of guys ramming it with a log, a demolition ball. Somebody wants to get inside.
Desperately. I’m thinking of the video cut short and the experiments Dad does in his
private upstairs lab. There’s a secret in this house and it’s like the people who want it...
want it now. If only the video told me a bit more. Maybe there’s another message.

I’m shaking so much I drop the phone and watch it dismantle itself, bits flying everywhere.

So much for other messages. The landline. Of course. Call the police, the fire brigade, the

army, anybody! This is a big house. My dad is an important guy. Famous. They’ll come if

I call them. If I can remember where the house phone is.

__________________________________________________________________________
_
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 77
 I’m thinking about all the rules that have surrounded my life. About not doing this,
not going there. Some questions unanswered. Rooms of the house that are locked and
stay locked. A sudden guttural howling outside. I need to do something apart from
running back and forward like some wind-up toy doing a traditional stupidity dance. Then
another crash somewhere in the house. Somebody has broken in.

Too late to get help. Got to find somewhere safe. Calm down and think. I could leave by

any one of four different doors, but who knows who or what might be waiting on the other

side of any one of them? Better to find a hiding place somewhere inside. Somewhere I can

protect myself.

There’s a familiar cry upstairs. ‘Well, Vinny Balfour,” I mutter to myself, “you may
be a thirteen-year-old, slightly weird, withdrawn, good-for-nothing, spoiled brat with poor
SATs results, who needs a haircut, a thorough wash and probably a good talking to, and
who mutters to himself, but you’d never leave without Kitty.” Got to find her and get out
of here fast. It’s a big place, this house, with stairs to match. Her cries lead me to a door
I’ve never opened before. And inside, it’s strange. I’m surrounded by rolled-up,
cobwebbed maps, an out-of-date globe, bottles of stuff, a bundle of stinking clothes in one
corner and piles of mouldering books.
The moonlight breaches the room’s one stained-glass window in an oily rainbow of
colours. They splash across the wall, throwing light along a wall of paintings of reptilian
creatures with human faces. In the middle of the room, Kitty is standing on a wooden
chest and snarling like an angry dog. Footsteps on the stairs are closing. What now?

I close the door and scratch my head. Then I realise that Kitty is standing on the answer.

Summoning what little strength a thirteen-year-old weakling has, who lives on a diet of

pizzas and cola, I push the chest up against the door. I feel safer now. But, suddenly,

something batters against the door. It is beginning to open. The chest scrapes across the

floor. Then a low, angry voice: “Vinny! What are you doing in there?”

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 78

 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 79

 Last night, 11 year-old Georgina Spent the day wading through my
Stafford, of Priory Lane, Norton, spelling list. I’ve been feeling very
sent in this wonderful photograph nervous about tomorrow’s exam.
of the double rainbow that graced Dad says the cat can spell better
the skies yesterday afternoon over than me. Thanks, Dad!!! I was
Sutton Hill. Georgina said, “I was feeling pretty miserable. It was
out walking Rinty when I looked pouring. Then I saw the rainbow.
up and there it was.” Maybe it’s a sign. Hope so.

newspaper article diary

Sunlight, though white in appearance, consists of a spectrum

of different colours. During rain, as light rays from the sun
enter each water droplet and are reflected back to your eye at
an angle of approximately 40⁰, the rays are separated into
a familiar spectrum. To view a rainbow, you must be facing
the direction of the rainfall with your back to the sun.

science book

Random flags invading the corn I would like to point out that
Oh for a rhyme for impossible fruit this is not the first time I have
Yearning for sunlight the moment we’re born raised this issue. Some light
Grass after rainfall – scent underfoot at the end of the tunnel (or,
Billowing sky shakes off its frown to use another metaphor: a
Ink of the evening after sundown rainbow after the storm)
Visiting bees circle around. would be a reply stating that
the council has a plan to
poem deal with seagulls.

letter

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 80

 






at the age of s
and songwriter. He has
referred to as one of the mo
and important influences on yo
the list of ‘100 Greatest Guitari biography
early career. Having establishe
left to form a new band with t
and the ex-drummer of the
then the second tour Kathy knew deep i
r reputatio practised, but now that the
the crowd didn’t know what to
Luke started his insistent beat.
novel a face in the surging sprawl of
was one of Mr Barzetti’s hench
followed her after all. They’
exit. Another, as big as
the bottom E string an idea. She w
piano as a reference, tune
handy guitar-tuning app is fre
Place your finger on the fifth fr
pick the open fifth string in orde instruction manual
Tightening, remember, makes t
lower. You should now hav
fret of the A string is a
Adjust the 3rd

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 81

 released lai
a timeless work of gre
some of the best-known nui
performance since the last tim
Glastonbury on the Pyramid Sta review in a magazine
appreciated by an overwhelming
udience. The highlight of the
new version of the old stan
hard to beat the energ ree deliveries on o
long ma payment options including
his week’s special offer is thi
sophisticated sunburst finish an
‘for sale’ ad rosewood fingerboard with silve
a version of the Gibson classic
readily amplified thanks to i
with unrivalled sound a
can be traced back o controlling the
3300 year old stone carvi
strong resemblance to the guit
Spanish gitarra which comes fr
dominated by the lute, but this I reference book
acoustic guitars, including the
In the 1930s, electric guitars
amplifiers to control the
increase the vo

in the middle of th
soundboard. The bridge h
this keeps the strings in a con
that when they are plucked or st
science book the strings vibrate causing a sou
which is amplified either by the
or in the case of an electric g
Whether the instrument
acoustic, what i

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 82

 Should Fizzy Drinks Be Banned?
The consumption of fizzy drinks is identified as an important health issue
in the UK. Recent research confirms that there is a link between drinking too
much sugar- and caffeine-based products and tooth decay and obesity, and
more serious conditions such as diabetes. Inevitably, this is the cause of
deterioration in the health of individuals, but also increased pressure on the
National Health Service.
Ask any school-age child or teenager why they like fizzy drinks and they
will no doubt tell you that they are delicious, refreshing and very convenient.
They are readily available from supermarkets, fast-food outlets and vending
machines. Great when you’re thirsty and in a hurry. They also give you an
immediate buzz.
It could be argued, however, that this is the result of successful
advertising and marketing campaigns on the part of the drinks manufacturers.
On the one hand, fizzy drinks are presented as a cool way to quench your thirst,
while, on the other, their calorie content causes dehydration.
The facts of the case are that these drinks have no nutritional value
whatsoever. Sugar-laden (and many sugar-free) drinks unquestionably lead to
overweight and associated heart problems, and to diabetes and related damage
to the body.
Those in favour of sweetened, carbonated drinks would maintain that
there is no harm done, that it’s just a bit of fun, and that we should not be
restricting the individual’s freedom to choose what they eat and drink. This,
admittedly, is very persuasive. With this in mind, in a world that is increasingly
health-conscious, perhaps we need to take a more persuasive approach.
An educational programme may be required. One that overturns the
teenage idea that they need the caffeine (an addictive ingredient) in ‘energy
drinks’ and convinces younger children that many of the so-called ‘fruit drinks’
contain no fruit at all. The hope would be that, with accurate, science-based
information, people would be in a position to make more informed and healthy
decisions.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 83

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 84
 




© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 85

 Headteacher: A. Dalrymple BA, PhD
Head of Governors: R. Whittaker

6 October 2015

Dear Parents / Carers,

All day on Monday 9th November, Year 6 will be participating in an exciting

Indian Experience. This is being organised by Mrs Clitheroe to launch our new,
international link with Mandir Central School in Rajasthan. Both Year 6 classes will
have an opportunity to try out some of the moves of classical Indian dance styles,
as well as more contemporary Bollywood style dances – all of which will be
demonstrated by children in our link school via Skype. This is scheduled for the
morning as there is a 4 ½ hour time difference between schools.
Lunch will consist of tasting a range of vegetarian Indian foods, provided by
Mr and Mrs Singh of the Taj Mahal Restaurant in the High Street.
The afternoon will be spent exploring some of the art forms, such as Rangoli
floor patterns, that we associate with India – examples of which we received a few
weeks ago and featured in last month’s newsletter. (These can still be viewed on
the school website.)
In order to cover the cost of the Indian food provided, we would be grateful if
you could contribute £2.50 per child. Any parents wishing to join us for this special
lunch may do so at an additional cost of £2.50 per person.
If your child has any food allergies we should be aware of, please state them
on the attached form.
Finally, any adult with a current CRB (now referred to as DBS) certificate, who
would like to volunteer to lend support on the day, should contact the school
secretary, Mrs Williams.

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Anne Dalrymple

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 86

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 87
 I am going to argue that driverless cars will be the highpoint of humanity’s
inventiveness, and will be seen by future historians as the technological marvel
of the digital age.

My point of view is that technology, wonderful as it is, can only go

so far, and that human beings have to take responsibility for their
FOR own actions. You could say: “I’ve seen the movie; it was science
fiction; and the robots took over.”

I take your point, but look at it this way. Human

beings make terrible drivers: they chat on the AGAINST
phone, light cigarettes, have rows with their kids
in the back, drink too much beer, have heart
attacks, veer left or right unexpectedly to avoid
cute baby rabbits...

Exactly! What about baby rabbits? A self-drive

car, fitted with cameras and sensors and satellite
navigation systems has no feelings. It won’t
cope with the unexpected, change its mind, or
be considerate to an old person thinking about
crossing the road. How will it deal with
RICK
temporary traffic lights or overnight floods?

Every year in the UK, 2000 people die in road accidents and
80,000 are seriously injured. They would be safer; they’d
park themselves and all the passengers could read or play
computer games for the whole journey. You could even go
RIHANA
to sleep.

These are important points. I know all sorts of tests can be done on
some desolate track far away from real people and the kind of everyday
hazards that drivers face, but that’s not enough. However, if it can be
proved, under normal conditions, that they’ll be safer, then ... we’ll see.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 88

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 89
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 90
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 91

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 92
Meena: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Mr Ryan.
I’m sure you’re busy.
Jac: Call me Jac. No problem. When I heard my old
school wanted to write about me, it was music to
my ears. Lots of memories, of course. Good and
bad, if you catch my drift: a roller-coaster of emotions. It all comes
flooding back. So, fire away.
Meena: Thank you, uh... Jac. When did you first know you wanted to be a
drummer?
Jac: Well, Minnie, life, as they say, is a journey, and my journey began at my
mother’s knee, when she would tap me on the head with a wooden spoon
to the rhythm of early blues songs. Dad wasn’t exactly an early bird.
More a combination of night owl and couch potato, but I was the apple of
his eye. So when I showed an interest in the drums, well, it was a chain
reaction. First, he bought me a drum stick.
Meena: Don’t you mean two drumsticks?
Jac No, Myna. I had to wait a couple of years for the other one. What you
might call a domino effect. One thing led to another. I came to a
crossroads in my life. Do I get a drum or do I go on denting the saucepans,
which, if you ask me, is a slippery slope to nowhere.
Meena: That must have been a difficult decision, Jac.
Jac: You hit the nail on the head there, Mona. I had a lot of bottled-up anger.
The only thing to do was to bite the bullet, leave home and strike out on
my own.
Meena: That must have been hard for your mother.
Jac: It surely was, Maureen. I don’t like to blow my own trumpet but there’s
no question I broke her heart.
Meena: But things turned out well in the end.
Jac: It sure did, Michael. I met the rest of the band and it was plain sailing
after that. And now, life is a breeze.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 93

 The Maths Exam

Like the sinking Titanic

My heart drowns in panic
Approaching the dark, icy room.
My lack of revision
Of basic division
Multiplies feelings of doom.

The problems with measure

Don’t give me much pleasure,
Producing pulsating reactions.
Mean, median and mode,
Like a spy’s secret code,
Are as clear as decimal fractions.

Sizing trapeziums
Should really be easy sums
But I’m growing hysterical.
My brain’s an old boot
With cube number and root.
Is this simple shape squarish or spherical?

When I’m finding the factor

Do I need a protractor
Or is that for data-analysis?
In my estimation
This shape needs translation
But oh! My mental paralysis!

But my brain stops its fluttering

When I begin muttering
The properties of quadrilaterals
As well as the geometry
Of angles and symmetry,
Isosceles and equilaterals.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 94

 Times tables, I sense,
Give me great confidence
To tackle the hard calculations.
Line graph and pie chart
Excite me and my heart
Stops its wild palpitations.

Ratio, proportions
Induce no contortions
And I feel a buzzing sensation
Of being in charge
Of sums small and large
In this trouble-free examination.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 95

 Every creak of a floorboard prodded my snoring
guard in the shoulder, but he didn’t wake up. The
sleeping pills, which earlier I had surreptitiously dropped
into his coffee were doing their work. As the candle
flame danced around the cold, stone walls of my cell, I
balanced on top of my chair on top of the table and
hauled myself up to the tiny window.
Far below was the overgrown moat of this lost and
long-abandoned castle, and, beyond, miles of dense
forest crowded in. The trees were dressed in white and
winter’s grip squeezed my fingers as I pulled myself
through the opening. It was a long climb down. The thorns of the ancient rose cut my
hands and bits of ivy broke away to prevent my escape, but no alarm had summoned my
enemy’s soldiers out of the main gate. I told myself that the northerly wind was the sweet
kiss of freedom and I struggled on.
The General’s car was parked where he always left it. I knew that, as soon as it stirred
into life, everyone would know of my escape attempt. And so it was. I hurtled into the
awaiting arms of the forest with a troop of soldiers giving chase, less than half-a-mile
behind. Skidding and lurching along the icy road, I reached the far side of the ridge. Here,
the trees thinned and a valley bathed itself in moonlight. That’s when the car slowed to a
crawl, and, out of petrol, the engine coughed its last.
My dream was not going to die. I scrambled down the gentle slope. Though the wind
howled, I could still hear the General’s voice echoing across the snowy landscape: “Run as
fast as you can! Death will catch you up!”
I smiled. Life had slapped him in the face and he did not like it. I moved on to the city
that keeps its secrets. Safe for now.
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 96
 The first contestant was one in a million.
Her voice was like a nightingale sitting on the
wing of an angel. But talent is one thing. If
she wants to do anything with it, she’ll have to
work harder than Noah works on his quiff. If
she fails in the final round, she needs to know
that future success is just a performance away.
I’d say that music is food and water to this girl.

As the great Bob Marley said: when the music

hits you, you feel no pain. But listening to the
second contestant was like listening to a poet
reciting words to his sweetheart. This guy
has a voice that could make the rocks weep
tears of joy. It’s as if he’s captured the sun’s
brilliance and worked on it and worked on it
until it is pure energy. He’s one-of-a-kind.

My choice is No. 4. I hope he’ll go through.

He has a unique sound: it’s dark chocolate with
more chocolate on top. My only concern is
that he thinks that talent is all you need. You
have to work at it. After all, what’s the use of
a camel in the snow – if you get my drift? But
for now, I’d say his music shapes the air into
exquisite sculptures.

Listening to the other judges, you’d think they

were hearing something out of the ordinary.
I’ve heard better sounds scraping jam on my
toast. Talent is a window in a palace and No.
3 has been shining it tirelessly. The rendition
of her song cleansed my dusty soul. She is the
icing on the cake, the rose among the nettles,
the honey in my porridge.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 97

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 98
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 99

 The Height of Style Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot
Luxuriate in 21st Century skyscraper Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot called Andrew
living experience in this delightful 12th for sale to kind owner as I’ve got to leave
floor apartment with panoramic views the country double-quick. He’s a beautiful
of London. Exquisite accommodation, specimen. Hand-reared, very friendly and
will talk to anybody. He has an excellent
furnished to the highest standard you
vocabulary, including: ‘peek-a-boo, what
deserve. Ideal for business or relaxing.
are you up to my lad?’ and ‘the money’s
Treat yourself to shopping frenzy only
stashed under the bed’. Quite a sense of
five minutes away at the Wherewithal humour. £5 for a quick sale, no questions
Mall. Leave your email for prices. asked.

Stanley’s Sheds SOCK HEAVEN

The Sumo is our most popular shed. Have you been standing around all
Compact on the outside, deceptively day? Is that your feet I hear
wide on the inside, you’ll find that it complaining? If so, TREAT THE FEET
is spacious enough to store a ladder, straightaway to a visit from one of our
your lawnmower and a large bag of Sock Heaven angels. Using our
spuds. We promise you will not be unique, ultra-safe, laser technology,
disappointed. Our prices include all your own personal sock angel will
screws and a box of plasters for self- produce a masterpiece in silky
assembly. Money-back guarantee if softness, made-to-measure to fit your
you’re unable to fit an average sized tootsies no matter what shape
Japanese wrestler in there as well. they are. Call now for an estimate.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 100

 










 

 
 



 









© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 101

 Night Boat From Thebes

when the sun is a sigh across the back

of a slumbering beast

shadow night limps with a bent-stick moon

slowly from the east

hovering river kings crowd the air hungry

to spear unwitting fish

a rabble of mosquitoes jostle to feast on

its human dish

the pharaoh awaits the knot of our hands

and shoulders of brother slaves

to start his blind journey to the house of

his father - our eyes must be caves

for we are on Earth to nurse his sail and

cradle his oar

our very breath belongs to he who needs

it no more

but another sapling is ready to grow in the

sand and draw tears from the sky

and dance to the tune of the slave’s lullaby

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 102

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 103
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 104
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 105

 05:00 Woken by dawn chorus and The Beak 06:30 I don’t know how Jekko learnt to talk
demanding breakfast. It seems to me and keep up with emerging news
a superhero’s assistant should be able stories. Anyway, he’s a gecko in a
to assemble its own muesli. million. He alerted me to the rumbling
05:30 Usual morning routine: checked my taking place under Snake Mountain.
sonar-disruptor, metal creepers and Could be an earth tremor. Maybe the
communication device to my personal old volcano was wakening up. Could
army of paralysing ants. be something much more sinister.
06:45 Left Hollowoak in response to ground 06:45 Landed the Repwing at the foothills
rumbling – I could feel it among the and found local people totally
roots. My treetop-hopping seems to zombified. It didn’t take much to put
get faster by the day. Reached Snake them out of action with my dream-
Mountain in seconds. I could see zapper. Maybe I’d get more sleep if I
Reptilion had his hands full, so I tried it on myself. Too much echoing
bounded up to the edge of the crater. noise in the sewers.
07:00 Switched on the receiver on the sonar 07:00 Jekko tells me it isn’t the tectonic
disruptor to analyse the sounds. plates that are at work; it’s machinery.
Whose voice should I hear but the 07:15 This is the Shrieker’s personal
Shrieker – the one creature who invitation to me. He wants to unmask
recognises the retinas of Iona me as Professor Dury. My slime
Marshall. He knows how to turn my detector shows high amounts of
own ants on me. Certain death! biridin. Better be careful. Don’t want
08:00 Our plan’s got to work. Reptilion’s to waste away. Time to change shape.
dream-zapper slows the Shrieker down 8:00 FaunaFlora works at the speed of light
just long enough to immobilise him and has him trussed up. Dream-zapper
with my metal creepers. Job done! should slow down his memory too.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 106

 Superhero database

Feature FaunaFlora Reptilion

sidekick / assistant

special abilities

special gadgets (and what

do they do?)

vehicle / means of
transport

secret headquarters

secret identity

weaknesses

arch enemy (and what are

they able to do?)

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 107

 The Sands of Zylon 7
A silver dust cloud moving across
the far horizon heralded the approach of
a GravX Ion Disruptor. It wasn’t entirely
unexpected. The osmium-based life
forms known as Krish would have been
alerted the moment we ruptured their
robotzoid guard’s security shield. What
we didn’t expect to find was a photon-
converter among the wreckage of robotic
wiring and DNA replication. We could do some major
discolouration with that in our possession. As Z’bella, a
captured olian from the planet Garsz, pointed out by means of
her linguaphon implant, our escape plan had just turned into a
means of shutting down Tereer, the Krish’s evil empire.
Zylon 7, this artificial moon covered in silver dust,
orbited Tereer to provide the Krish with the reflected light and
energy to power their devastating voyages throughout space.
Z’bella and I – a solitary Ichobi so far from my home in the
Outer Tsapudi region and taken prisoner sixteen astral years
ago – we might now have the means of standing in their way.
The GravX pulled up in a shower of silver beside the bits
and pieces of the neutralised robotzoid guard. One of the
Krish reluctantly slid out of the transporter, his weight just a
little too much for the moon’s gravitational pull. His luminous
body quivered and his eyes spun round his head as he kicked
the guard’s metal head. We hoped that covering as much of
ourselves in the granules of silver that we shovelled every
Sagittarian day would be camouflage enough. But a trickle of
grains alerted the seven-legged Krish, who turned quickly. It
was now or never.
Z’bella plugged the photon-converter into her neuron
outlet and scanned the whole area. Light drained from Zylon
7. A freezing wind swept our dark desert. And Tereer slowly
was lost in shadow, until, moments later, as energy systems
broke down, it exploded into nothingness.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 108

 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 109

 pie-adviser
Pete’s Pie Paradise ***** 366 reviews
Review Highlights

“... stepped inside the gates of Eden ...”

***** 14 August 2015
Since the Neanderthal age, when an early caveman found that someone
had run off with his mammoth pie, brave men and women have travelled
the four corners of the Earth in search of the perfect pie. Chefs at the
beck and call of kings and queens, emperors and presidents have
laboured night and day, willing to sell their souls in exchange for the secret of ultimate
crustiness and heavenly filling. My own personal quest came to an end when I stepped inside
the gates of Eden that are the doors of Pete’s Pie Paradise. Not only are the staff charming
angels, this restaurant, like no other, is the stuff of pie dreams. Every baking product is a
masterpiece worthy of a place of honour in the country’s finest art gallery. One bite will have
you enslaved for life. Whether you choose savoury, dessert or both, you’ll find nothing better
the world over.

“... still glued in its own gravy ...”

* 23 September 2015

Picture the atmosphere inside a derelict caravan abandoned in a farmer’s

field. The cows and sheep have recently been shown the door. Add to
that a poorly-paid, depressed, overworked staff trained at the Wayward
Vagabond School for Rude Waiters, and you have an image of what
nightmare awaits you at the so-called Paradise provided by Pete. It’s possible I made the wrong
choice from the menu, but my rhubarb and squid pie came straight out of the freezer still glued
in its own gravy to the plate. When I complained, the waiter kicked it all the way back to the
kitchen and, thankfully, didn’t return until it was time to pay the bill. Mathematics was not my
strong point at school, but one and one do not make three! My wife and I scurried out as fast as
we could. Visit Pete’s Palace of Perfectly Poisonous Pies at your own peril!

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 110

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 111
 PRIMARY SOLAR Friday 20 th March 2015
SAFETY: ECLIPSE
ADVISORY
Dear Diary,
SERVICE
Miss Jones took us to catch sight
An eclipse of the sun is a natural event,
of the moon getting in the way
though a full eclipse seen from the British Isles
is quite rare. It happens when the Moon, in of the sun. It blocked the
its orbit around our planet, passes between
the Earth and the Sun. The sky darkens much sunshine and Miss told us it was,
more quickly than it does during the normal like, a normal thing that
course of an ordinary day, creating a twilight
effect. You might experience birds starting to happened now and again. It
sing as if it were dawn or early evening and got like bedtime and the birds
flowers are often seen to close. Further
background information is available from the all started twittering like it was
department’s website. time for breakfast. Miss said, if

This will be a fairly unique experience in the you look straight at it, your
lives of your pupils. Schools are encouraged
eyeballs’ll bulge or something, so
to provide adequate supervision, so that
children may witness the phenomenon in I put on the funny specs and it
safety.
was great! My friend, Toby, said
A WORD OF WARNING he wasn’t going to look stupid
Looking directly at the sun can result in wearing them, so Miss sent him
permanent damage to the eyes and reliable
protection should be worn. Pupils must be inside, because she couldn’t keep
supervised at all times. an eye on everybody, and that’s

[02/03/2015] how he lost out on the whole

amazing thing.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 112

 formal informal

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 113

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 114
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 115
 

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 116

Raw Score Scaled Score

Teacher’s Notes:

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 117

 Test A - Year 6

Although born in Iowa, William spent much of his early life in

Kansas, having to find work at the age of eleven when his father
died. Three years later, he was working as a rider for the Pony
Express: a mail service, using a relay of horseback riders, who, in Real name:
William Frederick Cody
ten days, were able to deliver messages the 3000-plus miles
Born: 26 February 1846
from the Atlantic coast of America to California on the Pacific.
in Le Claire, Iowa, USA
Between 1863 and 1865, he fought in the American Civil War. Died: 10 January 1917
Later, during what was known as the Plains Wars between the in Denver, Colorado, USA
Native Americans and the US government, he became a scout, receiving the Medal of Honour
in 1872. During this time, he had hunted bison as well (also known as buffalo) to provide
food for the army. This is how he got his nickname. (Later, he would claim to have had many
jobs, including trapper, goldminer, wagon-master, stagecoach driver and hotel manager. No
one is sure if this is true. He might have been trying to make his life sound more interesting.)

In 1883, Cody created ‘Buffalo Bill’s Wild West’, a circus-like show that toured the country.
This massively popular attraction included sharp-shooting by Annie Oakley, another celebrity
at the time; re-enactments of the Pony Express; rodeo skills; and the dramatisation of the
rescue of white settlers or wagon trains under attack by Native Americans.

It is worth noting that the Native Americans he fought during the Plains Wars – the
Lakota, members of the Sioux Nation – were also part of his Wild West show. As a frontier
scout, he had great respect for Native Americans and supported their rights. By employing
them in his show, he believed he was offering them a chance to improve their lives. He is
quoted as saying: ‘Every Indian outbreak that I have ever known has resulted from broken
promises and broken treaties by the government.’

In 1887, Buffalo Bill brought his show to Britain in order to play in front of Queen Victoria to
celebrate her Jubilee (50 years on the throne). He visited Europe several times, his final tour
reaching as far as Eastern Europe as well as many towns and cities in the UK.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 118

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 119

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 120

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 121

 Test A - Year 6

Queen Victoria ruled from 1837 until 1901. During that time, Britain
changed from being, on the whole, a rural society to the most advanced
industrialised country in the world. Huge numbers of people, who had
worked on farms or in cottage industries, such as spinning and weaving,
lace-making and furniture-making, moved to the cities to live and work.
If you were wealthy enough, you might be able to have a ride in one of
the very first cars, have your photograph taken or have electric
lights in your home. If you were poor, you would live in a single room with, possibly, ten other
family members and work very long hours in a factory.

I started at Bradford Mill when I was nine and

had to carry Benjamin, who was five then and often still
asleep. We worked from six in the morning till ten
or eleven at night.”

Charles Dickens was (and still is) a very successful writer, whose novels
describe the terrible lives of the poor in Britain. Born in 1812, he died in
1870 an internationally famous author. Throughout the world, he is
known as an outspoken critic of living conditions in Victorian society.

He wanted to see better conditions in factories, especially for children,

who, he believed, needed education to help them avoid the risks of the terrible, disease-
ridden and often criminal life of the slums.

He knew something of what life was like for poor people. When he was 12 years old, his own
father was sent to prison for six months for not paying his bills. This meant that Charles
had to find work in a dirty, noisy and dangerous factory. (Factories were known as dark
satanic mills.) He would use this experience later in his stories.

Oliver Twist was published the same year as Victoria came to the throne. It is the story of an
orphan boy who, after a difficult time in a workhouse – a prison-like home for poor people
with no work – ends up in a criminal gang learning to be a pickpocket.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 122

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 123

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 124

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 125

 Let Them Eat Cake
Test A - Year 6

A cake competition is being held at Panettone School for Girls and

Boys. Read below some of the experiences of a few of the
contestants.

Tarte Tatin. It’s French, you know.

For me, it’s – like - the major event
An inverted fruit pie without the crust
of the year. Wanna know why? I’ll tell
on top. The story goes that it was
you why. It means so much. Maybe
invented by mistake when someone
that’s why the worst time was trying
threw apples into a pan, forgetting to
to sleep the night before. I kept
put the pastry in first. Anyway, the
dreaming of silver foxes made of icing
Tatin sisters made it in the Hotel Tatin
running off with my marzipan bunnies.
southwest of Paris, in a little town
my mother comes from. She’ll be
really pleased when I tell her the
results.

I decided to make stollen. You know, I thought I’d give myself a head start.
a German Christmas cake. Dad said Panettone – it’s the name of the school.
he was looking forward to anything The judges were bound to like that
left over after my schoolmates had a connection. Cake and school – same
go at demolishing it. I had everything name! But I was getting so hungry!
ready: dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon. I When the starting buzzer went, my
turned round for the marzipan and it stomach rumbled loudly. I stared at
was gone! Well, it didn’t run off by the almonds and thought: what do I
itself, did it? It was stolen! do now? D’you know what I did?

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 126

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 127

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 128

 Test A - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 129

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 130
 I

He provided employment to improve their lives. = 1

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 131

 =1

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 132

 =1

'She'll be really pleased when I tell her the

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 133

 Scaled Score Stage

0 – 75 Emerging Below average

76 – 95 Developing range

96 – 100 Progressing Average range

101 – 112 Secure

113 – 122 Mastering Above average

123 + Exceeding range

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 134

Raw Score Scaled Score

Teacher’s Notes:

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 135

 Test B - Year 6

If we can show that we’re able to So, first thing we did was look at the
manage the project from beginning to school grounds and decide on the most
end, our headteacher has agreed to let suitable area. Here are our plans and a
Year 6 create a wildlife garden. Wow! few notes. Hope Mrs Brown’s impressed.

Notes:
Mrs B suggests signs to
advise holly berries are
mildly poisonous. Yrs 3 &
4 need supervision. Same
for people observing
pond life habitat. Jonah’s
dad, Mr Eve the builder,
has offered gravel +
rubber liner for pond. In
talks with local garden
centre for free plants
past their best. Might Yr
5 make bird boxes – DT
project? Also bird
feeders? Mr Ramesh
in 5A says maybe. Katya
is writing piece for school
newsletter to encourage
parent volunteers to help
with manual work. (Baz
has already volunteered
his parents!) Miss Flint to
set up bird-box webcam.
Still to do: logs etc. for
insect hotel, material for
path, large natural rocks
for pond. Mr Jones sees
art potential.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 136

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 137

 Test B - Year 6

gravel for the pond has been delivered

gravel placed at front edge of the pond

a source of gravel has been found

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 138

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 139

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 140

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 141

 The Artist’s Garden
Test B - Year 6

FAQs
BEST-SELLING GIVERNY TOURS How long is the visit?
BOOK ONLINE NOW from £62 Average: 1 hr 15 min
depending how long
Every day from 28th March – 1st November visitors wish to admire
your personal guide is available to provide Claude Monet the view.

a tour of Monet’s beautiful garden at Giverny: the setting Is Monet’s house part
that inspired so many of his brilliant paintings. of the tour?
Guides are not allowed
 Ticket includes entrance to Monet’s home and garden inside but you can visit
 Gain an insight into the art and family life of Monet on your own.
 Admire the lily pond that inspired so many of his paintings
 Tour includes an English-speaking guide Can I bring my dog?
Dogs and other pets are
This delightful, relaxing 5-star tour will whisk you away from not permitted.
the hubbub of Paris to the peaceful village, where Monet – a
Can I bring my children?
green-fingered gardener as well as a famous painter –
Yes, if accompanied by a
created the glorious garden, which was the subject of so many responsible adult. They
of his amazing masterpieces. must remain calm and
respect the premises
Your well-informed guide will delve into the past to help you
and other visitors.
enter the picture of Monet’s life. Stand and admire his house
with its famous pink façade and green shutters. Stroll, as he Can I have a picnic in
did, among the colourful flowerbeds. Pause to absorb the the garden?
beauty of the climbing plants. Picnics are not allowed.
Witness for yourself the Japanese
Is photography
footbridge and the joyful sight of allowed?
the water-lily pond. Often referred Only from designated
to as the ‘Painter of Light’, Monet walkways.
would paint the same landscape at
Is there wheelchair
different times of day in order to
access?
capture changes in the light in the CHECK AVAILABILITY Yes, though it is not part
morning, afternoon and evening. of the guide’s role to
push the wheelchair.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
What if I cancel?
Gorgeous, unforgettable experience Garden and house were amazing Money will be refunded
like stepping into another world. but not the place for two lively six up to 30 days before the
We loved the souvenir shop. Would year-olds. Unfortunately, it poured tour, but not
recommend this... K. James, Derby that day... B. Johnson, London
afterwards.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 142

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 143

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 144

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 145

 Test B - Year 6

The Battle Against Bacteria

Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) Sir Alexander Fleming (1881 – 1955)

During the 18th century, Alexander Fleming was
smallpox replaced the a captain in the Army
plague as the biggest Medical Corps during
killer disease in the First World War,
Europe. Babies and where he witnessed how
young children were frequently soldiers died
particularly vulnerable. The pioneering from simple infections. In 1928, while
work of Jenner, however, a doctor in cleaning some Petri dishes, he noticed
Gloucestershire, changed all that. He that mould had started to grow on one
noticed that those, such as milkmaids, of them, killing some bacteria
working with cows often caught alongside it. (It was similar to the blue
cowpox – a minor illness – and became mould that grows on bread.) He named
immune to smallpox. This led him to it penicillin. It has since been used to
the idea of vaccination using cowpox treat many infections that are harmful
serum. It was a success. to humans.

Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895) Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910)

Louis Pasteur was a In 1854, Florence
French chemist who Nightingale and 38
showed that germs other nurses
present in the air led travelled to Scutari
to disease. Working to the military
for a wine company hospital to tend
whose wine was turning sour, he was those wounded in the Crimean War.
able to show that this was due to germs, Many of the soldiers were dying, not of
which were visible under a microscope. battle-inflicted injuries, but because of
His process of killing germs by boiling infections and poor sanitation. By
the wine then cooling it is what we call improving hygiene and providing the
pasteurisation. Like Jenner, he men with fresh food, she reduced the
developed vaccinations for a variety of death rate from 60% to just over 2% by
diseases and advised that surgeons’ the spring of 1855. Known as the
instruments should be boiled before ‘Lady with the Lamp’, she brought
operations. about many changes in hospitals.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 146

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 147

 Test B - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 148

 Baby birds hatching and growing (or similar) = 1

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 149

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 150
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 151
 Scaled Score Stage

0 – 75 Emerging Below average

76 – 95 Developing range

96 – 100 Progressing Average range

101 – 112 Secure

113 – 122 Mastering Above average

123 + Exceeding range

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 152

Raw Score Scaled Score

Teacher’s Notes:

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 153

 Test C - Year 6

Originally called the Amazon, In January 1884, Arthur

but renamed in 1868 by a new Conan Doyle, the creator of
owner, the Mary Celeste was a Sherlock Holmes, wrote a
type of merchant ship known short story inspired by the
as a brigantine, built to Mary Celeste incident. In his
transport goods across the story, he called the ship the
Atlantic. It was launched in Marie Celeste. Passengers
1861. In 1872, it was found off started a mutiny against the
the Azores Islands (500 miles captain and abandoned the
from Portugal) with no one on vessel on their way to Africa.
board and its cargo untouched. Doyle did not think the
The investigation that followed newspapers would treat his
came up with no explanation. story as fact.

As captain of the vessel that discovered the Mary Celeste on

December 4, in the year of our Lord 1872, I would, in sound
mind and body, make the following statement. For it is my
intention to dispel the myths and falsehoods that have been
written in the newspapers and spread by word of mouth in
every tavern in the country.

The facts are these:

When we boarded the brigantine – records show that it had
set sail from New York on its way to Genoa – there was no
one on board and one lifeboat was missing. Its cargo of fuel
remained quite undisturbed and all personal belongings were
left on board.
The ship’s condition was poor – sails were damaged and the
glass cover of the ship’s compass broken.

When I sent the first mate, Mr Deveau, to the captain’s cabin,

he noted that navigational instruments were missing and the
last log entry was 9 days before. There were ample provisions
in the store and no sign that there had been a fire or that any
violence had taken place. David Morehouse (captain)

Over the years, the mystery of the abandoned ship has led to a range of far-fetched explanations:
undersea earthquakes, pirates, poison by fumes from the cargo, attack by giant squid, and even
alien abduction have all been suggested to explain the desertion of the Mary Celeste.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 154

 Test C - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 155

 Test C - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 156

 Test C - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 157

 Test C - Year 6

Vessels Rush To Aid Of Sea Colossus FACT FILE:

Launched – Belfast,
Floating Palace Entire World 31st May 1911.
Thought Stunned 20 lifeboats for a full
Unsinkable capacity of 3300
Carpathia To The persons.
World’s Most Rescue Of Ill- Maiden voyage –
Famous Missing Fated Ship
Southampton to New
York, 10th April 1912.
The deadliest disaster during peacetime took place 2224 passengers and
last night. The largest ship of all time, the Titanic, said crew.
to be indestructible, took 1341 lost souls to their watery Captain – Edward
grave when it struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage to Smith.
New York. At 11:40 pm on 14th
In the capable hands of the highly experienced April 1912 struck
Captain Edward Smith, catastrophe crippled the queen iceberg 375 miles
south of
of the seas just before midnight, en route to New York.
Newfoundland.
Ten millionaires were among its illustrious passengers
as well as hundreds of emigrants from Europe, seeking a
In 1985, using the
new life in the land of opportunity. Needless to say, the
latest, undersea
icy depths off the coast of Newfoundland, in equal
robotic technology, a
measure, showed rich and poor no mercy. In an ironic
joint American-French
twist of fate, the naval architect, Thomas Andrews, who expedition found the
designed the Titanic, went down with his own creation. disintegrating hulk of
At the time of writing, the Carpathia, responding to the Titanic. Previous
mayday calls, has rescued over 700 passengers from researchers had
lifeboats. God willing, more will be found. returned with only
More news will be released as the facts are reliably tantalising hints of its
confirmed. Presently, we are receiving reports, both presence. Led by Dr
alarming and reassuring: initial optimism is giving way Robert Ballard, this
to despair with the sinister news we have been receiving new team found the
wreckage at a depth
since midnight.
of over 12,000 feet.

Startled by the very strangeness of the shivering motion, I sprang to the floor... No
confusion, no noise of any kind, one could believe no danger imminent. Looking out into
the companionway, I saw heads appearing asking questions... All sepulchrally still, no
excitement... On either side stand quietly, bravely, the stewards, all equipped with the
white, ghostly life-preservers... The awful goodbyes ... brave American men saw us to the
lifeboat, made no effort to save themselves, but stepped back on deck. Later they went to
an honoured grave. [Extract from A. Gracie, The Truth About the Titanic (Amberley, 1912)]

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 158

 Test C - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 159

 Test C - Year 6

statement fact opinion

the Carpathia has rescued over 700
passengers from lifeboats
More news will be released as the facts are
reliably confirmed
we are receiving conflicting reports, both
alarming and reassuring

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 160

 Test C - Year 6

What other phrase is used to describe what remained of the ship.

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 161

 Test C - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 162

 narrow escape
Test C - Year 6

Hi to all beautiful and intelligent followers of my SUMMER TORTURE blog.

Before today’s update, a word of explanation about the slideshow you can
see going by above. Mum is hiding because her hair’s in a mess. That’s Dad
doing his admiral bit on the narrowboat he’s imprisoned us in this summer.
He calls it an ‘escape from the humdrum routine of city life’. Next to that is
Spider the dog. He can’t help being that scruffy. My brother, the evil one,
known from now on as Darth, is the one on the right. It’s a drawing I did
when he was looking his best. Spider is my bodyguard. Chases any vicious
ducks threatening to nibble my toes.

We’ve just taken ages to go through Bath Deep Lock – to get from one level
up to a higher level on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Dad says it’s 19 feet
5 inches deep. I sat on the roof of the boat. The walls of the lock were
slimy but fascinating. Baby frogs, newts and other unidentifiable creatures
were clinging to the stone. So now we’re leaving busy Bath and heading into
the wilderness – not a shop window in sight. I thought I saw a shop through
the trees but it could have been a mirage.

Dad keeps telling me stuff to take my mind off civilisation, such as:
 The Kennet and Avon Canal was built around 1800 and took 16
years. (So a bit older than Grandad!)
 It fell into disuse when they built the Great Western Railway. (Do
I have enough money for a train ticket?)
 A few miles ahead is the staircase of 29 locks at Devizes – one after
another. (My friends, Millie and Radhika, have gone to an Italian
villa with an infinity pool!)
© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 163
 Test C - Year 6

We stopped to collect pine cones for a fire to brew up some tea.

I hate tea [see previous blogs], but the pine cones smelled nice.

Mum said if Darth and I stopped pestering each other, she might take us
on our bikes to a Thai restaurant tomorrow night. Darth isn’t going if they
don’t do chips.

Walking to a visitor centre for an ice cream, they were almost my last
moments on Earth, thanks to the reckless steering of a short-sighted,
99-year-old cyclist. Darth was chased by a Canada Goose, who eventually
cornered his raspberry and vanilla. When we got back, Dad had got out his
guitar. And was playing it. Outside! On the towpath! In public! Spider,
being a music-lover, jumped overboard and thrashed around in an adjacent
reed bed and howled. (Spider is a menace to wildlife and a destroyer of
peace and quiet, though not the only one. The other plays a guitar! Loudly!)

Midnight Blog:
We have survived death by 29 locks. But only just. We went for supper at
a nearby pub called ‘The Angry Goose’. But Mum is not talking to Dad, I
have blisters from turning the windlass *, Darth had to run for his life when
he found his old friend, the Canada Goose, waiting for him outside the pub,
and Dad is not talking to anybody because he was outvoted on the question
of whether we continued on our canal trip to Teddington. That’s 107 miles
at 4 mph. How many bad-hair days and blisters would that have been?
RESULT! That’s what I call a NARROW ESCAPE!

Here is my version of the pub sign.

Please leave your comments.

Thank you.
Sacha

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 164

 Test C - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 165

 Test C - Year 6

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 166

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 167
 (award 1 mark for two correct)

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 168

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 169
 Scaled Score Stage

0 – 75 Emerging Below average

76 – 95 Developing range

96 – 100 Progressing Average range

101 – 112 Secure

113 – 122 Mastering Above average

123 + Exceeding range

© Copyright HeadStart Primary Ltd 170