Upper Key Stage Two Express 2025-2026
Family involvement is an important part of the UKS2 experience. Our Express Events give children the opportunity to share their learning with parents and carers through fun, interactive activities such as debates, cooking sessions, and performances. These events allow pupils to take the lead, demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and celebrate their achievements with the people who support them most.
Autumn 1: Moving Mechanisms
UKS2 had an exciting afternoon welcoming parents into school for their Pneumatic Prototype Express Event! As part of their project on moving mechanisms, the children used their learning to design and create working prototypes using junk modelling, plastic syringes, tubing, and balloons.
Families joined in the hands-on fun, collaborating with their children to explore how pneumatics can make models move. The event was full of problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork, as pupils tested and refined their designs while explaining their ideas to their parents.
Parent voice:
The express event was brilliant. It is amazing the school do these express events and it is nice for the parents to be involved in the children's learning. I thought it was great. - Skyla's Mum
Pupil Voice:
It was a fun event to do with your parents and the ideas everyone were so good. - Thishuni
We are so happy to bring our parents to this amazing event. I had so much fun! - Alexa
Autumn 2: Colour in Landscapes/Shang Dynasty Taoties
Our pupils had the exciting opportunity to present their artwork to parents, proudly displaying their painted landscapes and clay taoties. The landscapes demonstrated how children explored tints and shades to create depth and atmosphere, while the clay taoties reflected inspiration from traditional Chinese designs, showing skill and cultural awareness.
The exhibition was a wonderful chance for children to celebrate their creativity and hard work, while parents enjoyed seeing the impressive results of their artistic exploration. The event strengthened the partnership between home and school, giving families a glimpse into the imaginative learning taking place in the classroom and leaving everyone feeling proud of the pupils’ achievements.
Spring 1 - Art In Nature
Year 5 and 6 had a fantastic express event this afternoon, filled with creativity, collaboration and plenty of natural inspiration. Thank you to all the families who joined us to create stunning natural art installations — we were truly blown away by the imagination and care that went into every piece. Your contributions helped make the afternoon special, memorable and beautifully unique.
Working outdoors and around the school grounds, pupils collected resources responsibly, discussing colour, shape and form as they selected materials that would enhance their artwork. Parents and carers joined in the creative process, supporting children as they arranged, layered and refined their designs. The shared experience created a wonderful sense of community, with families celebrating the children’s imagination and artistic choices.
Pupil Voice - I liked that if I made a mistake, I could just rebuild it. - Child A
Pupil Voice - I really enjoyed making my star - Thishuni
Parent voice - It's lovely to see the children being able to be artistic using different items - Erin's Grandparents
Spring 2 - Still Life Drawing
Our recent UKS2 Express Event was a joyful celebration of creativity, confidence and community. Pupils spent the afternoon exploring still life drawing using a range of everyday objects collected from around the school. Items that are usually overlooked became the focus of close observation, careful sketching and thoughtful artistic choices. Children experimented with proportion, shading and texture, applying the techniques they have been developing in class and taking real pride in the progress they could see in their work.
A highlight of the event was the involvement of parents and carers. Families did not simply watch from the sidelines. They joined in fully, sketching alongside their children, asking questions, comparing approaches and sharing in the excitement of creating something new. The atmosphere in the room was warm, busy and purposeful. Pupils spoke confidently about their ideas and demonstrated the methods they had been practising, while adults encouraged them and celebrated their achievements.
The success of the afternoon extended far beyond the artwork produced. It strengthened the partnership between home and school, gave pupils a meaningful opportunity to express themselves and created a shared experience that everyone could enjoy. Events like this help pupils develop important personal qualities such as resilience, curiosity and pride in their work. They also remind us of the value of learning together as a community and the positive impact that supportive family engagement can have on children’s development.
Parents and carers joined the session, working alongside the children and sharing in the creative process. The room was filled with conversation, curiosity and a genuine sense of enjoyment as families compared techniques, discussed artistic choices and encouraged one another.
The children showcased their learning through beautifully detailed still‑life drawings, demonstrating their growing ability to observe carefully and represent what they see with increasing precision. Their work reflected both skill and pride, making the event a memorable celebration of creativity and community.
Pupil Voice - I loved the event, I wish it was longer
Pupil Voice - I really enjoyed that we got to choose which item we drew.
Parent Voice - As a parent I really love spending time with my child at school and getting know how they are, how they behave and seeing them in their environment. I appreciate the opportunity of sharing these moments with the children and of being a child again.
We had an amazing time drawing and sketching, it was great!
Parent Voice - Had a wonderful time doing the sketching with my daughter. I was able to share my interest in art and we both enjoyed the challenge!
Summer 1 -Mixed Media
Fuji and Etna enjoyed an exciting express event this afternoon, working alongside families to create vibrant, colourful collages as part of their mixed media learning this term. The creativity on display was fantastic — thank you to everyone who joined in and helped make the session such a joyful, art filled experience.
Parents and carers joined the mixed‑media collage session from the beginning, creating a warm, collaborative atmosphere as they worked alongside the children. UKS2 then explored how magazines, coloured card and textured papers could be cut, torn and rearranged to form completely new imagery.
Pupils experimented with bold combinations, layering pieces for depth and choosing colours and shapes that helped their ideas stand out. The final collages were vibrant, inventive and full of character, showing how creatively the children could transform everyday materials.
Pupil voice - I really enjoyed creating a collage, it was great to have so many different things to choose from to make our pictures out of! I really enjoyed working with mum too!
Parent voice - I really enjoyed the experience of being creative with my child. It was amazing seeing what we could produce and collage together from different materials; the gardening magazines certainly came in handy!
