September News

Year 5 have settled in well, adapting quickly to new timetables, routines and work ethic.

In maths, we began with baseline assessments for Winning With Numbers before moving on to our  place value unit. We started by revisiting 3-digit numbers and have since expanded our learning to  numbers up to one million. The children have been ordering, comparing, and rounding numbers,  applying their understanding of place value. This is a key skill we will continue to build on throughout  the year. We are really impressed with how well the class has embraced the higher level of  independence required in Year 5. I am very pleased that all the children completed their 3x timestable quiz this week, we will be moving onto our 4s.  

Our writing stimulus this term is Rock, Paper, Scissors. We immersed ourselves in the short film by  creating a news report for the class. We then used a range of techniques to describe the setting during each part of the short film. Alongside this, we have been recapping how to identify past,  present, and future tenses. A key focus this term is handwriting – ensuring everyone can write neatly  and clearly. Letter formation and fluent writing are important skills, and we practise these daily. 

Our big question in Geography is: What is life like in the Alps? We began by locating the Alps on a  map and have started a case study of Innsbruck, learning what makes this city unique. Later this  term, we’ll be working with Mr Bailey, who will use exciting technology to help us explore the Alps  in even greater detail! 

In French, we’ve started learning how to say the date, including days of the week and months of the  year. The children are enjoying practising their new vocabulary – test them at home to see what  they can recall! 

Science began with a crash landing into our topic of forces! The children designed and tested their  own parachutes, discovering that a larger surface area makes the parachute fall more slowly. Next  week, we’ll be investigating water resistance. 

It has been a busy and exciting start to Year 5. Both myself and Mrs Mallaburn are really pleased with  the children’s commitment to homework so far. Please continue to encourage regular reading at  home too – it makes a big difference! 

October News

The children have settled in brilliantly and have shown incredible enthusiasm and dedication throughout the term. Year 5 – keep up the hard work, happiness, and pride next term!

 Maths

In Maths, the children have been working incredibly hard on the four operations. We began by mastering column addition and subtraction with 4-digit numbers, before moving on to 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication. To complete our unit, we revised division and tackled 4-digit numbers divided by a 1-digit number — a real challenge that the children faced with determination!

 We’ve now started our unit on fractions, exploring equivalent fractions, fractions of amounts, and multiplying unit fractions. I am especially proud of the fantastic progress on Times Table Rock Stars — Year 5 have achieved some outstanding scores recently! Please continue to encourage your child to practise their times tables regularly, as these skills are essential for success in Maths.

 English

 I am so proud of the children’s effort and maturity in their recent English work. We have been writing non-chronological reports about the events of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, and the children have shown great enthusiasm and empathy while exploring this important historical event. Their writing has been thoughtful, detailed and they have worked hard to include parenthesis, our newly learnt skill. We look forward to finishing and publishing these pieces after half term.

 The children also shone during our trip to the building site, demonstrating curiosity and excellent behaviour throughout the visit. In addition, this term they designed some wonderful doodlers, which were a big hit with Year 1, who had a brilliant time judging them!

 Finally, Mrs Mallaburn and myself could not be prouder of the children’s wonderful Harvest Festival performance of “The King and the Seed.” They worked so hard to learn their lines, perform confidently, and show true teamwork. Their resilience and commitment really paid off — what a fantastic achievement!