Over the past couple of weeks, Year 5 have persevered admirably with their learning and have been thoroughly immersed in the mysterious world of potion-making in English — concocting mystical brews to achieve fantastical ambitions (just watch out for side effects!). In maths, pupils have been confidently manipulating fractions and will soon move on to decimal calculations. In science, we have been separating materials, while creativity has been at the fore in art as pupils have experimented with a range of media to create self-portraits. In history, we have travelled the oceans through Viking sagas and trade — and we’re looking forward to next week’s Viking enrichment morning where we'll be getting a taste of Viking life, supported by Accent Catering!

The children worked incredibly hard right up until the end of the Autumn Term. They particularly enjoyed debating scenarios linked to Shackleton's Journey, and we were very proud of their beautiful performances in the Carol Concert – they truly earned their Christmas break! Since returning, we’ve begun a new unit of work in maths on multiplication and division, and in the next week they will be learning to multiply three and four-digit numbers by two-digit numbers to help them solve problems. In science, we’ve started exploring the properties of materials, zooming in on changes we can’t see with the naked eye. It’s also been "hurly-burly" in English as we have met Macbeth and his trusty companion, Banquo – not to mention the three witches. We’ve also been working incredibly hard in preparation for performing at the O2 with Young Voices 2026 in just over a week’s time! 

The children have shown fantastic determination over the last couple of weeks. In English, they’ve stepped into the boots of Shackleton’s crew, writing vivid diary entries from aboard the Endurance in the Atlantic Ocean. In maths, they’ve been mastering equivalent fractions and using them to compare, order, add and subtract fractions. In science, they’ve enjoyed investigating air resistance by creating and testing parachutes. Meanwhile in geography, they’ve explored different types of volcano, sparking their curiosity and generating lots of great questions. 

The children continue to impress us with their creativity and enthusiasm! They’ve rounded off our unit of work in English on Tuesday by David Weisner with imaginative fictional narratives about flying pigs, which they’ll share with KS1 after half term. They will then embark upon our next exciting text, Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill.

In maths, they’ve been exploring prime and square numbers, while in history they’ve been comparing life in Roman and Anglo-Saxon Britain. We’ve also been very busy rehearsing for our Harvest Assemblies and look forward to performing for you before everyone heads home for the half-term break!

We are absolutely thrilled by how hard the children have worked this half term and how well they have adapted to the expectations of Year 5. A very successful start to the year!

After a strong start to the year, the children have shifted up a gear, showing fantastic focus and enthusiasm in every subject. In science, they’ve been busy exploring Earth’s movement through space, why we experience different seasons, and the different phases of the moon, while in art they’ve put together collagraph plates ready to create imaginative and bold space-themed prints next week. Maths has seen them strengthening place value skills through ordering, comparing, and rounding, and in English they’re sharpening their journalistic writing style using David Wiesner’s Tuesday as their inspiration. History has seen them test their enquiry skills as they uncover how and what we know about Anglo-Saxon life and settlements in England.

We are so proud of the Year 5 children for completing a brilliant year! We have ended the term with a collaborative DT project using pulleys to transport tomatoes from the table to the floor. The children were inspired by looking at the mountains in Nepal and how farmers have to transport the crops they've grown at the top of the mountain to the markets at the base. We have also been doing narrative writing based on Journey to Jo'burg, which are excellent! We also made front covers for our stories using vector drawing skills learnt in computing.  They are all on Google Classroom, so have a look at those over the summer! We wish you all a lovely summer break and look forward to seeing you all around school next year.