This year, we have a new Literacy curriculum that we are following. This curriculum consists of whole-class reading, Literacy Leaves and Spelling Seeds. 

We are reading 'Real-Life Mysteries' as our guided reading book. This book offers many rich opportunities for children to develop their vocabulary as well as their debating skills. The Literary Leaf begins by asking the question: how do we know if something is true or not? Children examine and weigh up various strategies to determine if a statement they have come across can be verified as fact. This has strong links to discussions around “fake news” and internet safety in general. Children will go on to examine some of the mysteries outlined in the text – such as UFOs and Big Foot - and discuss theories and alternative explanations for each, developing their inference and fact retrieval acumen.

During literacy leaves, we will be looking at Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Michael Foreman where children get an opportunity to discuss legends and the importance of heroic poetry in early European literature. In fifth-century Denmark, a murderous monster stalks the night, and only the great prince of the Geats has the strength and courage to defeat him. Beowulf's terrifying quest to destroy Grendel, the foul fiend, a hideous sea-hag and a monstrous fire-dragon is the oldest surviving epic in British literature. Artfully retold and magnificently illustrated, this companion volume to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is made instantly accessible to children by a formidable children's book partnership. They go on to create a number of varied written outcomes using the text as a starting point including recounts, formal letters, dialogue, descriptions, obituaries and writing their own epic, heroic narrative using various poetic devices. References will be made to the original manuscript throughout.

For Welsh this year, we will deliver Welsh Literacy lessons every Friday. We will also be doing daily Helpwr Heddiw sessions. We plan to focus on providing the children with lots of opportunities to deepen their knowledge and confidence when using Welsh in and out of the classroom. Therefore, we will be focusing on ensuring that we engage in lots of Welsh reading and writing alongside oracy. 

Children are able to read for pleasure and choose books from the library that they would like to read. We still expect children to be reading their books in school and at home where possible.  

In Year 5, students will continue to use their knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to tackle concepts such as fractions, percentages, and decimals.  As they progress through the term, they will also delve into  averages, time, and measurement, sharpening their mathematical prowess. Children will look at timetables and how they work, and complete challenges based on arranging activities. Through the strategic use of manipulatives and sentence stems, students will enhance their comprehension and facilitate easier recall of mathematical facts. An example of a sentence stem for conversion of imperial and metric measure would be ________ inches is equivalent to approximately ______ cms. This allows pupils to identify number equivalence, digit value, and approximation in conversion and improves their transference of knowledge to other contexts.  We will also be using our outdoor area and the local community in our Numeracy sessions to enhance our learning.

During the second part of the term, students will focus on data analysis, actively collecting data samples from both their school environment and the local community. Additionally, numeracy skills will intersect with our Governance topic, as students analyze demographic voting patterns and compute votes from different regions of the UK. 

All Year 5 pupils are encouraged to practice their times tables at home to support their learning.  Times tables are central to mathematics and the ability to recall tables will assist pupils with more challenging mathematical problems. 

The whole-school overarching theme for the Summer Term is ‘Making Connections’. This theme widens pupils' experiences of learning about themselves and how history and events connect humankind worldwide. It encourages pupils to consider external factors and how they can link to their community. They will investigate how actions and events in the past have impacted the world and how we can create a collaborative world together. Pupils will explore various historical, mythical, and political events that lead up to the world they live in today, supporting them in formulating opinions and ideas about how they can impact the future. This overarching theme will enable debating and evaluation opportunities, deepening their listening and oracy skills. Year 5's unit of work focuses on the role of Monarchies, Parliaments and Governance in different societies. Pupils will develop their knowledge of democracy and dictatorship and identify how each has evolved. Throughout the unit, pupils will form in-depth and research-supported ideas and opinions on the role of politics in today's society, linking back to poignant historical political figures and local, national and global political events. We will also explore governance through case studies in different countries, tribal governance, governance in the animal kingdom and in sport. 

At Oldcastle we use the Thrive approach to wellbeing which prioritizes holistic development, nurturing emotional and social growth alongside personal resilience. In Year 5 we will be fostering independence, empowering children to navigate life's challenges with confidence. We will be working on cultivating resilience, equipping children with the tools to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to change. By fostering a supportive environment and emphasizing personal growth, we would like to enhance emotional and social development but also foster a sense of empowerment and well-being.

In the wake of the loss of Miss Williams, we understand the profound impact it has on our school community and, especially Year 5. As we navigate this difficult time, we are committed to supporting our children by providing a safe space for them to express their emotions and memories. Together, we will honour Miss Williams' legacy by fostering resilience and unity, ensuring that our students continue to thrive academically and emotionally.

All pupils should have a water bottle in school every day. PE will take place on Wednesday; children are expected to wear their kit to school on PE day.  

Reading books will be available to take home daily and should be returned to school to read in class on a daily basis.  The children now have reading records. We encourage them to read as much as possible at home and to complete their reading records regularly. Not every home reading session needs a comment, date and signature - just a note of the pages read is enough. For each book, comments can be about enjoyment, fluency - how well they have read, use of phonics to sound out tricky words, comments linked to predictions, and observations about the story- setting,  characters, and events (plot). We understand that parents and children lead busy lives, and if time is an issue, your child can read with anyone known to them, for example, grandparents or older siblings. Older children can read independently – this should also be logged in the record. 

Friday Enrichment this term will be a mix of offsite and in school; children will be taking part in sport activities and should ensure they wear appropriate clothing for this. It is extremely important that children do not wear shoes/ clothes they would not like to get dirty as some sessions will involve activities such as touch rugby.  All children need a coat in case of adverse weather en route to offsite premises. 

Don't forget to download our School App via the Play or App stores - The School App will provide you with up to date information about activities and events at Oldcastle Primary School.  Please look out for our weekly newsletter issued via The School App and available on our website on a Friday afternoon.  The newsletter contains all forthcoming diary dates for the school.