Year 5 is a busy and exciting time for the children. Throughout the year, children have the opportunity to take on a range of roles and responsibilities within the school community and are encouraged to strive for the highest standards of behaviour and attitudes at all times.

This is the time in which children begin their preparations for the transition to secondary school. Working closely with the Year 6 team, we support children’s development towards becoming mature, independent and responsible members of society with their own opinions and beliefs.

Children study a broad and motivating knowledge-rich curriculum, which helps them to develop their skills in a range of academic, creative and sporting areas. Additionally, they will spend a large proportion of the year exploring a range of relevant social, moral and emotional issues. All of this helps the children to grow into unique individuals with a strong sense of self-worth, ready to help them with their next steps in education.

Homework

Issued every Tuesday and due in the following Tuesday, the children have 7 days to complete their homework. Children have the option to attend Year 5 homework club in their own classroom during Tuesday break and lunchtime.

Tasks:

• Presentation – three times a year
• Maths homework – weekly (retrieval of skills taught in lessons)
• SPaG homework – weekly (this includes handwriting and spelling practice of year five common exception words and curriculum spelling rules)
• Reading (40 minutes) - weekly
• Spellings – (tested weekly)
• TT rockstars – (20 minutes weekly)

PE days

• Dolphins: Tuesday (indoor) and Friday (outdoor)
• Turtles: Tuesday (indoor) and Friday (outdoor)

Year 5 highlights 

• History Off the Page Day - Egyptian Day
• Art and design projects – electrical moon buggies, pyramid pulley systems, making rockets and clay beast’s eyes.
• Trips: visit to a local river, visit into school to support our science learning from www.star-gazing.co.uk.

Year Three is the start of a new chapter in your child’s learning as they make the transition into Key Stage 2. It is the year where we encourage children to develop their independence and responsibility. This includes things like lining up in the morning without parents at their side, handing in homework and reading logs independently and organising lesson equipment first thing in the morning to help prepare for the school day. While we will certainly support and remind the children about the things they need to do, we will encourage them to start thinking and doing things for themselves.

Reading

Year three is a key year where children start to make preferences about their reading and take part in discussions about their favourite texts. Children in Year Three have the opportunity to visit the school library to choose their non-fiction book and the opportunity to visit their class library to choose their fiction book. Children begin to learn about different award-winning authors and choose texts to develop their fluency. They learn how to search the text for clues to support and explain their understanding about what is happening. With your support, we hope to be able to develop your child’s love of reading using a wide variety of texts including different authors and genres. Children should be reading at home at least 3-4 times a week and we encourage children to make their own entries into their reading logs, with an adult's signature. 

Times Tables

In order to develop speed in the recall of times tables, the children can access TT Rockstars from home using their online devices to practise and improve the multiplication and division recall facts. In Year three we focus on 4’s and 8’s as new learning. Children begin by learning their 4 times table and then identify connections with the 8 times table but will continue to consolidate the 2’s, 5’s and 10’s across the year. Log in details for TT Rockstars are provided for children and are stuck into their reading logs for reference.

Homework

Homework is also a chance for children to develop their independence and responsibility. Maths or Spelling will be sent out each week. It will be given out on a Monday or Tuesday and be handed in the following Monday. Spellings will be tested every Monday. They will also have termly topic tasks to complete, resulting in a class presentation. This is a great way for children to develop their speaking and listening skills. In Terms 2, Term 4 and Term 6, a maths ‘Buzz Bingo’ challenge sheet will be sent home, containing challenges for your child to choose from. Termly knowledge organisers, showing what they will be learning each term will also be sent home. Your support in helping your child learn and complete these activities would be welcomed.

Library Days

Tigers = Thursday

Panthers = Friday

PE Days

Children should have their PE kit in school, in a named kit bag. PE days are as follows:

• Indoor – Monday
• Outdoor– Friday

Year Three Highlights

Flag Fen – ‘in the field’ discovery of the Bronze Age and Iron Age

Greek Day – children will experience what life was like in Ancient Greek times.

Oxford Natural History Museum – children will consolidate learning about the human body and retrieve knowledge throughout the year on all previously taught science topics.

Year 4 is a pivotal year within your child’s primary school experience. We look to promote a greater amount of independence and accountability in preparation for Upper Key Stage 2.

Key Dates

• Indoor PE - Thursday (both classes)
• Outdoor PE – Friday (both classes)
• Library – Friday (both classes)
• Homework & Reading Record books handed in on Monday (both classes)

Homework

At this age, we would expect children to be responsible for completing their homework on their own and handing it in. Encouraging your children to seek support ahead of any deadlines helps to promote their independence.

One piece of homework will be sent home each week (either English or maths based). A topic-based homework will also be sent, which will need to be completed at some point over the term.

Spelling practise is sent home each week and this should be completed in their homework books. A reminder of learning strategies is also added to help your child to independently complete this task. This is also an expectation of weekly homework.

Reading record logs should also be handed in weekly to enable the class teacher to monitor the amount read each week – this should be a minimum of three entries of 10 minutes or above. Children are able to complete these themselves with an adult signing to verify each week.

English

Children should be reading to themselves for longer periods of time. Children will have the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of fiction books within the classroom and a supplementary non-fiction text from the school library.

Hearing children read is still important but you may find your conversations shift to more discussions around the text to ensure they have fully understood what they have read.

Within their handwriting, there is a greater emphasis on joining their letters. This speeds up their writing, to help support a quicker transference of their ideas to the page.

Multiplication Tables Check

In June of Year 4, the children will sit a government-led times table test. The expectation is that they have rapid recall of their times table facts up to 12 x 12. The test is computer-based and will allow the children 6 seconds to answer a multiplication question. The time limit is to ensure that children are recalling the fact rather than calculating it. A strong knowledge of times tables is vital in supporting their maths curriculum within Upper Key Stage 2 and beyond.

Trips and Experiences

Our biggest trip is the chance for the children to experience a one-night stay away from home with their friends. This is a great opportunity for them to develop their own independence. This is booked for May 7^th and 8^{th -} 2026 .

In Term 1 (26^th September), the children will be visiting Chester House Estate, Irthlingborough to experience what it means to be a historian and to also gain an understanding of the Romans within their local setting.

In Term 2, the children will be invited to a ‘Christmas Forest School’ experience which will take place after school. We will ask for a small voluntary contribution towards the costs of the materials needed.

In Term 5, children are invited to come to school dressed up for our Titanic Day. The day is split into two parts, one looking at the social history of the event whilst the other explores the science and design elements of the boat and it’s infamous sinking. The children will then be challenged to redesign Titanic to ensure it either does not sink or ensures the safety of more passengers.

In Term 6, the children will take part in an Alice in Wonderland style tea party to consolidate their cookery skills within DT. We will ask for a small voluntary contribution towards the costs of the materials needed.

At times, we may ask for parent volunteers to help support our school trips. Please do let your class teacher know if you are available to help. It would be very much appreciated!

 In Year Two, the children continue to build on their learning experiences from Year One. They develop their independence through looking after their own pencil cases and being able to choose support resources in the classroom. Life skills that are taught include effective teamwork, how to resolve conflict and how to sustain concentration levels for longer.

Our curriculum focuses on teaching new skills and revisiting ones previously mastered, in order to them to be secure by the end of Key Stage One.

Key Dates:

Library Days: Tuesday (Otters) AM and Wednesday (Badgers) AM

Indoor PE: Monday PM

Outdoor PE: Friday AM

Homework:

Parents are encouraged to play an important part in the children's learning through home learning activities.

All homework will be issued by Monday and is due in on Monday.

- Spellings are tested weekly and we focus on taught CEW words in lessons and a spelling rule. This will be explained on the homework sheet.

- A spelling, punctuation or grammar-based task will be set each week. This will be discussed within the children’s reflection time each week so they are prepared and able to complete independently.

- Your child should be reading at least 4 times a week out loud to you. They can then ask to change their book.

- We ask that each child dedicates 10 minutes a week playing on Numbots. The program helps increase children’s mental recall of number facts.

- From Term 3, there is a topic project challenge. The deadline for this is printed on the sheet. These are also great opportunities for us to help the children with their oracy skills as they prepare to share and listen to each other’s projects.

English:

The expectation is for children to read their school banded reading book at least four times in a week (preferably more). Sharing of the school library book is also encouraged as a reading for pleasure learning opportunity. Reading logs will be checked weekly.

Children should be able to form sentences that make sense and that are correctly punctuated. Spelling independently through the application of their phonics and spelling knowledge is something that will develop throughout the year.

Year 2 Highlights:

-Healthy Tea Party (Friday 18th October- Term 1)

-Space Day/Planetarium (Wednesday 6th November- Term 2)

-Christmas Production (Thursday 5th December and Friday 6th December- Term 2)

-Synagogue Visit (Wednesday 15th Jan 2025-tbc Term 3)

-Great Fire of Northampton Museum Trip (Wednesday 26^th March 2025-Term 4)

-Errington Park (TBC-Term 5)

-Seaside trip (Provisional booked- Friday 20^th June 2025- Term 6)