Welcome to Year 5

Our class teachers are Mrs Long (Monday to Wednesday am) and Mrs King (Wednesday pm to Friday). We also have Miss Hatton working with us as our teaching assistant.

Our Autumn learning:

Our curriculum map for Autumn term 1 will be sent out at the start of term through Parent Hub. Autumn Term 2 will be available after the October break. Our History unit of learning is The Victorians where we consider the big question, “What was the greatest achievement of the Victorians?”  Our English in Term 1 has been based on The Lost Happy Endings and twisted fairy tales. In term 2 we will move on to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Maths will focus on decimals and money in Term 1, followed by negative numbers and short multiplication and division in Term 2. Our Science learning will focus on 'Forces' in term 1, in term 2 we will be learning more about 'Properties of materials.' Our RE work in Autumn term is the first branch of our new RE curriculum, ‘Discerning Disciples.’ Titled Creation and Covenant , the children will consider the question: How does God's covenants with his people help us live as faithful disciples today? Pupils will explore how God reveals himself through creation and through the covenants he makes with his people, with a particular focus on Moses and the Ten Commandments.

Punctuality

It is really important to be ready for learning. The school gates open at 8.40 and children should be seated in the classroom by 8.45 ready to start the day’s activities.

P.E Days in Year 5:

Our P.E days for this term are Mondays and Wednesdays, therefore on both of these days, children are to come into school wearing their full St. Thomas More P.E kit. Please ensure they have navy P.E uniform and appropriate footwear. Children who wear earrings must be able to remove them for the lesson, or not wear them in school on PE days. 

Brass Ensemble - Music in Year 5:

Led by Mr Mark Probert of the Oxfordshire Music Service. The children will each have their own brass instrument and learn to play notes and simple melodies.

Reading:

The most important homework is reading daily. All children have reading journals to record the books that they are reading at home. Pupils in Year 5 should write a short summary of what they have read in their reading journals four times per week. According to research, summarising acts as an immediate comprehension check, shifting children from passive readers to active thinkers. By writing down the key details from their reading, pupils not only are able to engage more deeply with the text and therefore remember more, but this is an excellent daily opportunity to practice their transcriptional skills and build writing fluency.  This provides the foundations for the future when they need to confidently revise and remember what they have learnt in secondary school.

Reading journals must be brought into school every day and will be checked regularly each week. Instructions for how to complete the reading journal entries are stuck on the inside cover of the books. Pupils are expected to take pride in their reading journals and maintain the highest standards of presentation and care. 

We also use PageTicker to support pupil motivation with home reading. This tool is designed to promote a love of reading and to encourage children to make book recommendations based on their reading history, level and interests. Using this app, a parent or child can: scan the book they're reading and record how much they've read — including pages. In doing so, the children can build a digital bookshelf/record of books they've completed, adding information about their reading. It will encourage the discovery of new books recommended according to their reading level, previous reading and interests. Pupils can earn badges and rewards for reading milestones. More information about this new process will be provided via Parenthub and the Meet the Teacher sessions.

Supporting Learning at Home

We really value your support at home. Encouraging your child to read every day, practise times tables and spellings, and check their homework helps to build good routines and confidence. Here are some recommended websites that can be accessed from home. These sites provide activities and games to make revision fun and engaging.

English

🏡 Free Year 5 English Home Learning Websites

Spelling Shed – used to support weekly spelling revision https://www.edshed.com/en-gb/login/schoolOxford Owl – Free eBook Library - A free collection of online books for children aged 3–11. Great for daily reading practice. https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/free-ebooks/

Oxford Owl – Grammar & Punctuation (Year 5)Tips, explanations, and simple activities to help children practise grammar and punctuation. https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/english/primary-grammar/grammar-year-5-age-9-10/

Oxford Owl – Reading & Comprehension Help - Guidance and activities to support understanding and discussion of what your child reads. https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-comprehension/

LearnEnglish Kids (British Council) - Fun, interactive games, songs, stories, and printable worksheets to practise English skills. https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/print-make/worksheets

National Literacy Trust – Free Literacy Resources - Reading and writing activities designed to develop a love of literacy at home.  https://literacytrust.org.uk/free-resources/

Maths

🏡 Free Year 5 Maths Home Learning Websites

Oxford Owl – Maths for 9–10 Year Olds. Helpful guides, tips, and activities for building maths confidence at home. https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/maths/primary-maths-year-5-age-9-10/

BBC Bitesize – KS2 Maths. Interactive lessons, videos, and quizzes covering the full Year 5 maths curriculum. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z826n39

Topmarks – Maths Games. Fun, educational games that help children practise number facts, fractions, decimals, and more. https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years

NRICH (University of Cambridge) Challenging problem-solving tasks and games that encourage mathematical thinking. https://nrich.maths.org/primary

MathsFrame - Free interactive maths games and tests tailored to the KS2 curriculum. https://mathsframe.co.uk/

National Numeracy – Parent Toolkit. Guidance and fun activities to help parents build children’s maths confidence at home. https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/family-maths-toolkit

TTRockstars - for practising times tables and improving speed of recall. https://ttrockstars.com/ 

Contact:

Should you need to be in touch, all communication should generally be made through the school office email. However, we are also happy to receive a note from you if a child is unable to do PE or requires support with their homework.

Our main form of contact with you will continue to be Parent Hub, so please check this regularly for updates and curriculum information!  The Parent Hub School Portal is designed to streamline interactions between school and home.  

As always, please do ask if you have any questions at all!