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Year 5

Week beginning 13th April 2026

Our project for this half-term is Stone Age to Iron Age.

Year 5 have made a fantastic start to the summer term following the Easter holidays. It was lovely to hear the children confidently sharing news and stories from their Easter break, and they have returned to school settled and ready to learn.

This week, the children were introduced to our exciting new project, Stone Age to Iron Age. To kick things off, they immersed themselves in cave art, even climbing under the tables to recreate a more authentic cave‑like experience! In English, they have begun descriptive writing inspired by Stig of the Dump, focusing on using adventurous vocabulary to bring their writing to life.

The children really enjoyed a hands‑on science investigation, exploring which shapes are more or less water-resistant. There was lots of thoughtful discussion, prediction and teamwork throughout the lesson, making it a fun and practical way to start the term.

We have been so impressed with the enthusiasm and positivity Year 5 have shown this week and are looking forward to a busy and exciting term ahead.

As we head into the new term, we wish all families a fun, restful break and hope the children return refreshed for the Easter term. After the half term, we will continue to promote our agreed year group rules to ensure a calm, safe and respectful learning environment. These include:
1. Staying in the classroom unless an adult comes to get them.
2. Talking at the right times.
3. Remaining in their seats unless given permission.
4. Never using violent or threatening behaviour or language.

By consistently revisiting these expectations, we aim to support positive behaviour, readiness to learn and a safe environment where every child can thrive.

Important dates and messages:

Key Dates

The calendar section on the website lists all major events throughout the academic year, but here are some reminders:

  • Monday 4th May - Bank holiday
  • Friday 22nd May - Break up for half term @ 3pm
  • Monday 1st June - Staff INSET day
  • Tuesday 2nd June - Children return for term 6
  • Thursday 11th June 2026 - School’s 170th Birthday
  • Friday 19th June 2026 - Sports Day at King’s Park Stadium
  • Saturday 27th June - St. James’ Summer Fayre
  • Wednesday 22nd July - Break up for summer holidays @ 1:20pm

Worship theme: 

Love

‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

   “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 

Curriculum

Looking ahead to Week 4, Year 5 will continue their learning with a range of engaging lessons across the curriculum.

In English, the children will continue to immerse themselves into 'Stig of the Dump', using this to innovate their own descriptions and begin to plan a similar adventure story. 

In Maths, the children will continue to work on decimals, moving onto thousandths as decimals, how to round to the nearest decimal and how to compare decimals. 

In Science, the focus will continue on water resistance but the children will build onto their knowledge to predict and experiment what effect salt has on water resistance, 

History will begin to expose the children to the lifestyles and practices throughout the Stone Age and Iron Age and how these changed over time. 

In Computing, the children will move onto their new unit on 'spreadsheets'.

In PSHE, the children will take part in Life Savers lessons, helping them to develop important life skills and awareness.

We are looking forward to another productive and exciting week of learning in Year 5.

Other news:

  • PPA Days - PPA Days will be every other Tuesday, and children should come in wearing PE kits. 

  • PE every Thursday - Children should wear their PE kits every Tuesday.

Homework:

  • Please find links to the relevant information below for the Project Overview and Homework.
  • MyMaths - We will set up MyMaths tasks termly, based on the learning we will be doing this term. Please let us know if you are finding them too easy or tricky, and remember that below, there are many resources you can use to extend your learning from home. Various MyMaths activities will be set for this term. This is to allow children who like to do more, to be able to. However, children do not have to complete all the MyMaths activities. Two per week is our minimum recommendation. 
  • Reading books - we would like to remind everyone to have a reading book in school - this can be a school or home book. We want all children to be able to share recommendations and reviews of what we have read recently. We display books we've read in the classroom to get children talking about the stories they love and inspire others to try new titles.
  • Reading records - All children should now have a grey reading record in which they can record how often they are reading. They will receive one raffle ticket if they read three times a week and two if they read more than five. At the end of each term, we will draw a raffle to win a trip to Costa. You have to be in it to win it! Activities in the reading records can be completed at home for fun! 

Reading:

This term, we are reading Boy in the Tower. We will be using Designated Reader sentence stems to support our written answers. Each lesson focuses on a different reading skill, including inferring, predicting, questioning, evaluating, clarifying, summarising and making connections.

         

Best wishes,

Year 5 Team

Miss Martin and Miss Perry

Learning as a family in Jesus, through Love, Hope, and Forgiveness.

Matthew 19:26: “With God all things are possible.”

Optional Revision Materials

📚 READING

🌐 Main websites

📖 Extra useful sites

  • Topmarks
    ➤ Reading games and comprehension activities
  • PrimaryTools
    ➤ Free reading SATs-style papers and practice

✏️ WRITING

🌐 Main websites

  • BBC Bitesize
    ➤ Writing guides (grammar, sentence structure, genres)

✍️ Extra useful sites

  • Literacy Shed
    ➤ Visual prompts and story starters
  • Pobble 365
    ➤ Daily picture prompts for creative writing
  • Hamilton Trust
    ➤ Free writing units and activities

🔢 MATHS

🌐 Main websites

➕ Extra useful sites

  • White Rose Maths
    ➤ Home learning videos and worksheets
  • Topmarks
    ➤ Maths games (Hit the Button, etc.)
  • Times Tables Rock Stars
    ➤ Great for fluency

📝 SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar)

🌐 Main websites

  • BBC Bitesize
    ➤ Grammar, punctuation & spelling lessons + quizzes

🔤 Extra useful sites

  • Spelling Frame
    ➤ Year 5/6 spelling lists and tests
  • Rollama
    ➤ Fun SPaG games
  • ICT Games
    ➤ Simple spelling and grammar games

⭐ ALL-IN-ONE REVISION

  • BBC Bitesize
    ➤ Covers reading, writing, maths & SPaG in one place (free and curriculum-matched)
  1. Parent overview - Stone Age to Iron Age 2026
    pdf
  2. Topic homework- Stone age to Iron Age 2026
    pdf
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