This half term, our core text is ‘David Attenborough’ by Maria Isobel Sanchez Vagara.  The children will continue to develop their reading and comprehension skills by making predictions based on visual images and the text, inferring and clarifying their understanding of words and phrases based on evidence from the text. They will make links with real events that have happened in the world around us and continue to develop learning behaviours such as supporting and actively listening to each other.  In writing, they will focus on writing a biography related to the core text, ensuring that they include all the structural and language features. They will also be writing a voiceover for a documentary.

This term we are reviewing pilgrimages through all the main religions prevalent in UK. As part of their homework, they may research a religion of their choice to research and explain what they know about pilgrimage to sacred places.

In maths, we will be continuing our maths topic from last half term - finding equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages. From week 2, the children will begin a new topic: Area and perimeter. We will calculate the area of different rectilinear shapes before calculating the area of compound shapes.  At the end of this half term, children will be taught about statistics. They will learn how to read, write and interpret different line graphs and tables before reading timetables. Every Monday, the children will have an arithmetic lesson, focussing on developing their fluency in place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages. Ensuring your child is fluent with their times tables up to 12 x 12 would be very helpful. There will be opportunities to apply what they have learnt on a daily basis through reasoning and problem-solving activities. 

Year 5 will continue to visit the Royal Russell School Swimming pool for Swimming lessons each Monday.

The pupils will receive a second PE lesson with a PE coach every Thursday.

Please ensure your child has the correct uniform required for both these days,. with a bottle of water to stay hydrated.

Children will build on their knowledge of animals including humans. The children will begin by  identifying the different stages in a life cycle before looking at these in more detail in later lessons. This sequence of lessons will link closely with our RSHE lessons and will build upon the knowledge children were taught last year.  The vocabulary the children will be taught in this unit is: sexual and asexual reproduction, fertilisation, gestation and puberty.

Living in the wider world (media literacy & digital resilience), mental and physical health links to wellbeing are some of the key areas of learning. The benefits of sleep and exercise will be explored. The benefits of medicines and personal hygiene are used to keep us healthy both physically and mentally, will be explored to make links. Managing information and relationships online will be linked to computing.

As part of our global theme of sustainable development we have planned a trip to the Natural History Museum to further explore the distribution of natural resources through exploring naturally occurring fresh water supplies, timber, mineral deposits and fossil fuels. Pupils will further explore the geopolitical and economical implications of such resources.

This term we continue with programming to adjust our Picoh programmes. We will also get the opportunity for cross curricular learning through DT to develop our programming abilities to create wind turbines using crumble and electrical circuits with a motor. There will be further cross curricular links with PSHE in Managing information and relationships online as this will be linked to computing.

This half term, the children will be creating their own motor operated wind turbine. They will learn about renewable energy and the importance of using natural resources for renewable energy. First, they will design their wind turbines and weekly they will add to their design. They will also create a circuit to control and operate the blades on their wind turbine.

In French we will be building on our knowledge of colour, shape and time through the topic of Le Weekend.

Music lessons follow the Charanga Music programme, and pupils will be building on their skills to singing to the correct tempo, within the same range. They will be learning the song 'Look into the Night'.

• Weekly swimming lessons will continue on Mondays

• Monday 6th May: Bank Holiday

• Friday 10th May: Maths Learning Together Morning 

• Friday 17th May: Natural History Museum Trip

• Friday 24th May: Last day of term (normal school day) 

• Monday 3rd June: Back to school 

This half term, our core book is ‘A Kind of Spark’ by Elle McNicol. The children will continue to develop their reading and comprehension skills by making predictions based on visual images and the text, inferring and clarifying their understanding of words and phrases based on evidence from the text. They will make links with real events that have happened in the world around us and continue to develop learning behaviours such as supporting and actively listening to each other. In writing, they will focus on writing a monologue in first-person, ensuring that they include all the structural and language features. They will also be writing an interview based on a key event in our core text.

In RE, the children are learning the topic of Christian beliefs, prayer, and the concept of salvation. They will be learning about worship, belief and the features and functions of a church. 

In maths, the children will be building on their knowledge of fractions and decimals to link to percentages. Converting metric measurements will involve the use of place value. Converting units of time and the use of timetables will build on previous learning about time. Area and perimeter of shapes will build of their knowledge of converting metric measurements. There will also be a focus on mental calculation strategies. Ensuring you child is fluent with their times tables up to 12 x 12 would be very helpful. There will be opportunities to apply what they have learnt on a daily basis through reasoning and problem-solving activities.

Swimming will resume every Monday each week. The pupils are learning skills such as water safety; how to get in and out of the pool safely, and how to swim independently by kicking and stretching their arms out in front of them and paddling. They have begun to dive into the deep end and swim upwards also. If possible. please support your child to develop their swimming outside of the school to boost their capacity to learn how to swim during these taught sessions.

Outdoor PE sessions will be led by the PE coach who is concentrating on multi-skills activities in the field or playground when the weather is dry.

Children will build on their knowledge of forces. The children will be analysing a range of forces. They will be conducting a variety of experiments to identify the effects of a range of forces. They will be researching the contributions of various scientists who have developed theories about forces. They will be using a range of equipment to test out their predictions involving forces.

Identity is the theme for this half term. This involves finding out how different people are presented. Empathy and identity issues will be explored. Methods to challenge discrimination will be linked to topics in the Windrush focus. Ways to deal with online bullying will be explained and discussed to ensure the children stay safe online.

This term we are focussing on history through the continued topic of the Windrush. Pupils will be learning about post-war Britain and creating timelines, plotting significant events along the way. Pupils will be learning through exploring a variety of sources, such as videos, photos, letters, articles and interviews of those with links to the Windrush. Pupils will make links to their geography topic where tropical climates and biomes were explored. The push and pull factors of migration will be revised to answer questions about how the immigration from the Caribbean to London has impacted post-war to modern Britain. 

This term, pupils will continue with programming and will be learning how to use Picoh. 

Picoh is a programmable robot head. It has three motors that move its head and lips, and a screen that displays eyes. Connected to a computer Picoh can be programmed to sense, think and act. 

In art this term, pupils will create sculptures with a foil frame and papier mache, painted to look like bronze sculptures, inspired by the sculptor Basil Watson.

Our topic this half term is the weekend. Pupils will learn how to tell the time in French using quarter past, half past and quarter to. They will say and write in French what we do at the weekend using two or more sentences. When writing they will integrate conjunctions and opinions into written and spoken work to make more interesting and extended sentences. 

Through the genre of hip hop, pupils will learn how to correct music vocabulary. They will compare similarities and differences as they appraise songs. In their singing they will learn how to improvise using their voices and instruments. They will put together a simple melody using simple rhythms and perform their songs.

• Weekly swimming lessons will continue on Mondays

• PE will remain on Thursdays 

• 7th March: Year 5 Class Assembly

This half term, our core text is ‘Windrush Child’ written by the late Benjamin Zephaniah.  Pupils will be immersed in learning about the Windrush generation through English and in geography. In their writing, pupils will focus on writing a narrative in first-person.  Pupils will plan and write sections based on key moments in the text.  ensuring that they include all the structural and language features. They will edit as they go along re-reading and improving the grammatical structures within their writing.

The children will continue to develop their reading and comprehension skills by making predictions based on visual images and the text. They will also be inferring and clarifying their understanding of words and phrases based on evidence from the text. 

They will make links with real events that have happened in the world around us and continue to develop learning behaviours such as supporting and actively listening to each other. 

This term, pupils will continue learning about Sikhism through learning about celebrations and lifestyles.  They will build on their learning last term about Authority and Worship and will aim to visit the local Gurdwara to see how Sikh's worship.

In maths, the children will continue to use and apply multiplication and division facts and understanding within their learning. They will  be building on their knowledge of fractions and decimals and begin to link to percentages. They will also work on converting metric measurements which will revise and involve the use of place value. Pupils will be converting units of time using timetables and will build on previous learning about time. Pupils will move onto calculating the area and perimeter of shapes and will build of their knowledge of converting metric measurements. There will also be a focus on mental calculation strategies through the term, which will be regularly revised each week during daily and weekly arithmetic sessions. Ensuring you child is fluent with their times tables up to 12 x 12 would be very helpful. There will be opportunities to apply what they have learnt on a daily basis through reasoning and problem-solving activities.  

This term pupils will being attending weekly swimming sessions. Pupils will learn about safety when swimming in the water and will learn about how to control their strokes and kick in the water to help stay afloat and swim using front crawl and back stroke to begin with. The second PE session will be taught by a PE coach and will involve multi-skills focussing on the key fundamentals of agility, balance and control. PE games will include net games such as mini-volleyball and tennis.

In science, the children will be developing their knowledge of Earth and space.  They will be analysing the historical theories of the Earth and other planets. The phases of the moon will be studied along with investigating how day and night occur. This will help pupils to understand different time zones around the world, which links with learning in geography this term. Pupils will be researching how the seasons are created and the movement of the planets in the solar system.

Identity and diversity  is our global theme for this term. This involves finding out how different people are presented. Empathy and identity issues will be explored. Methods to challenge discrimination will be linked to topics in the Windrush focus. Ways to deal with online bullying will be explained and discussed to ensure the children stay safe online. 

In geography this term, pupils will be learning about immigration to London through the impact and experiences of the Windrush Generation. They will explore the continents, climates and temperatures associated with the climate zones across the 7 biomes. Pupils will explore the biomes within the Caribbean and the UK, making links with the Windrush movement as inspired by this term's core text in English: The Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah. Pupils will examine factors that affect global migration and evaluate geographical sources to draw their conclusions on global migration.

Pupils will learn about coding using the program 'Crumble'. They will design and create a 'fairground' which will be programmed using code to light up, spin and reverse. 

The children will investigating artwork created by Basil Watson. Pupils will be creating a small figure sculpture based on the sculptures made by Basil Watson.  The process to make the small figure sculptures will begin by sketching and drawing in proportion, then pupils will mould the figure shape with foil. Finally, they will add paper-mache to strengthen the shape. To finish, children will spray paint their sculptures to make it look like the artist's sculpture.

Pupils will be learning the infinitive verbs in French, learning how to construct simple phrases and sentences to describe what they can do using 'Je Peu', translating to 'I am able.'

Pupils will explore pop ballads this term and will perform a song within this genre by the end of the term.

• Weekly swimming lessons commence - Monday 15th January 2023

• Theatre workshops - Wednesday 31st January 2024

• Theatre visit Stanley Arts theatre - 9th February 2024

This half term, our core text is the ‘Boy in the Tower’ by Polly Ho-Yen. It is about a boy who is living in a tower block and  strange plants start attacking the foundations of the buildings. The children will be analysing the characters’ motivations and reactions. We will then be planning a monologue and writing a story.

Children will continue to develop their reading and comprehension skills by making predictions based on visual images and the text, inferring, and clarifying their understanding of words and phrases based on evidence from the text. They will make links with real events happening in the world around us and continue to develop learning behaviours such as supporting and actively listening to each other. Information texts about materials will be a reading focus for a week.

In RE we are learning about Sikh authority and worship. We are visiting Gurdwara to find out more about how Sikh’s worship and their impact on the community. We will also learn about Sikh festivals including Bandi Chor. 

In maths, the children will use a range of methods to develop their understanding of multiplication and division. This will lead to the use of the formal column method to multiply up to four digits by two digits. The bus stop method will be used to divide up to four-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. There will also be a focus on mental calculation strategies. Ensuring you child is fluent with their times tables up to 12 x 12 would be very helpful. The vocabulary associated with multiplication and division will be emphasised and there will be opportunities to apply what they have learnt on a daily basis through reasoning and problem-solving activities.  

In PE we will be doing gymnastics for our indoor session. In the outdoor sessions pupils will be learning multi-skills PE focussing on agility, balance and control and games. This term the children are currently doing rounders. 

Children will build on their knowledge of materials.  The children will be analysing the properties of a variety of materials before conducting a range of experiments to identify the reversible and irreversible changes. They will be researching the contributions of various scientists who have come up with new uses for combined materials we have today. They will be using the properties of a range of materials to compile a refugee survival kit. 

Celebrating differences is the theme for this half term. This involves finding about cultural differences and how sometimes this may cause conflict. They will also learn about racism and how this relates to rumour-spreading and name-calling can be bullying behaviours. 

In Geography we will be answering the question of how Croydon has changed since the Tudor times. We will take a close look at the geographical features of our local area with a focus on how the physical features have been replaced by human features over the years.

In computing we will be learning about discrete digital skills and we will be creating media, specifically Vector graphics, made up of simple shapes and lines. 

In DT this term pupils will be exploring textiles and attaching fabrics through stitching to create stuffed toys. They will be designing and creating a prototype and they will explore a variety of stitches. 

In French we will revise phonics ou, on, oi and ch. The pupils will begin to use the verb ‘je peux’ (I am able) and ‘je ne peux pas’ (I am not able) plus each action verb in French. They will put these structures together to form more complex sentences with the conjunctions ‘et’ (and) & ‘mais’ (but), describing what they are and are not able to do in French. 

In music this term the pupils will be listening to and understanding music, improvising elements and singing the song 'The Sparkle in my Life'.

• Thursday 16th November - Pine Class Assembly @ 8:50am

• Friday 24th November - Inset Day (school closed to all pupils)

• Tuesday 28th November - Parents Evening 3:45pm - 7:15pm

• Thursday 30th November - Parents Evening 3:45pm - 5:30pm

• Thursday 7th December - Christmas Jumper Day

• Wednesday 20th December - Christmas Lunch (pupils can wear a festive jumper)

• Thursday 21st December - Whole School Carol Concert 

This half term, our core book is ‘The Boy and the Globe’ by Tony Bradman, a  story set in early seventeenth century London where young orphan Toby Cuffe is living on the streets where life is hard. When Toby stumbles into the Globe and meets William Shakespeare, the boy's energy and enthusiasm remind Shakespeare of the magic that first inspired his love of the theatre, and the two set to work on a new entertainment for Twelfth Night.

In history we will be learning about the Tudors including contributions made by black Tudors in society. Children will focus on writing a setting description and will compose diary entries, ensuring that they include all the structural and language features to engage the reader.

Children will continue to develop their reading and comprehension skills by making predictions based on visual images and the text, inferring and clarifying their understanding of words and phrases in order to develop their vocabulary. They will make links with real events happening in the world around us and continue to develop learning behaviours such as supporting and actively listening to each other.  

This term the pupils will be learning about Islam through authority and worship. We will begin by recapping Islamic beliefs about God. Vocabulary will be recapped and built upon. Artefacts, images, books and videos will be used to explore Islamic authority and worship. Pupils will be learning about the significance of Islamic leaders through stories and events. Pupils will also explore the layout of a mosque thought areas and objects of significance.

In maths, children will consolidate their knowledge of place value, addition and subtraction.  They will learn to read and write numbers up to one million, in words and digits. Rounding whole numbers and decimals will help the children to estimate answers to check their calculations. Counting forward and backwards in whole numbers and numbers to three decimal places will help develop understanding of place value. There will also be a focus on mental calculation strategies. Ensuring your child is fluent with their times tables up to 12 x 12 will be beneficial. The vocabulary associated with place value will be emphasised and there will be opportunities to apply what they have learnt on a daily basis through reasoning and problem-solving activities.  

There will be a focus on flag football in outdoor PE. Indoor PE will be building on their ball skills and agility. 

Children will build on their knowledge of Living Things and their Habitats. They will be comparing the life-cycles of a range of animals: insects, birds, mammals and amphibians. The children will be investigating plants and animals in the local woodlands. They will be investigating the contributions to our understanding of the global environment made by some famous naturalists. We hope to be able to continue growing crops in the school garden, to help apply our understanding of plant life cycles.

‘Being me in my world’ is the theme for this half term. This involves respect for rules, rights and responsibilities as well as respecting other people’s differences.

This term the pupils are learning about The Tudors. Pupils will explore the impact of King Henry VIII's actions on society. Pupils will learn about this through exploring artefacts and historical resources to learn about King Henry VIII's six wives and the changes made to the religious worship and monasteries in England, Ireland and Wales. Pupils will explore timelines through the royal Tudor family tree.

The children will be covering e-safety and identifying and reporting  online bullying as well as the exploration of technology in our lives through learning about systems and devices this half  term. 

The children will be investigating artwork created by Venus Artist as inspired by Andy Warhol. They will be developing their sketching techniques for portraiture. With acrylic paints they will be exploring: colour mixing, blending, washes, dry brush and sgraffito (scratching) techniques. They will then use some of these techniques to create their portraits on newspaper, in the style of the artist. 

The children will be revising greetings, colours and numbers. 

PE Kit

Please ensure your child wears their PE kit to school on Mondays (indoors) and Fridays (outdoors). Having all PE items clearly labelled, with their full name will help reduce the need to replace lost items.

Timings for Year 5

School starts at 8:35am and ends at 3:15 pm. Break time is 10:30am – 10:45am. Lunch break is 12:15pm – 1:15pm.

• Thursday 14th September - Year 5 Meet the Teacher Meeting

• Thursday 5th October - Reading Learning Together Morning (8:50am - 9:30am)

• Friday 20th October - Show Racism a Red Card (wear something red)

• Friday 20th October - Break up for half term

• Monday 30th October  - Autumn 2 term beings