Year 5

Here you can see what Year 5 have in store as the year goes by, keep up-to-date with key dates for your diary and also access important documents such as our newsletters, homework and other announcements.

Please click on an image for a brief introduction to the teachers. 

• Mr Edwards
  Year 5 Teacher
  Mr Edwards

  I am Mr Edwards, Spruce’s class teacher. I am at the beginning stages of my teaching journey having previously worked within the school as a sports coach. I have a degree in Physical Education and Sport and Exercise Science, which stems from my passion for sports from an early age. This passion allows me to promote an ethos of teamwork and communication within my class, creating an enthusiastic classroom environment predicated on the love of learning.

• Ms Omojafo
  Year 5 Teacher & Music lead
  Ms Omojafo

  My name is Miss Omojafo, and I have been teaching for four years, primarily in Years 5 and 6. I hold a degree in Drama and Education, specialising in directing and scriptwriting. I firmly believe that children retain the most learning when they are having fun, forming strong relationships, and having autonomy over their education. I set high expectations and strive to create a classroom that serves as a safe haven for all students.

• Mr Dickinson
  Year 5 Teacher & Geography/Computing Lead
  Mr Dickinson

  My name is Mr Dickinson and I have been teaching for many, many years and have a wealth of experience in different settings. In that time, I have taught every stage from reception up to year 13. Having settled at Alex McLeod for 7 years, I have taken on responsibility for both geography and computing. Outside of school, I am a father of three children and love to spend time exploring London and walking in the countryside with them. I also love to write and I’ve even released books on Amazon

Our Learning

Year 5 is a fundamental year in which our children begin to master all of their learning before moving on to Year 6. As they progress through Upper Key Stage Two, it is imperative that our children begin to deepen their understanding of what they have learned and apply this independently. It is with this in mind that we strive to meet the high standards expected of our pupils and give them the best possible preparation going forward whilst supporting them socially and emotionally. We are confident that every child is capable of rising to the challenges presented by Year 5 and we endeavour to provide them with all they need to achieve this.

Throughout the year, children will be exposed to high quality core texts chosen to challenge, excite and enthuse them to continue to develop a love of reading. We will study texts across a variety of genres including Poetry (The Lost Words), magical realism (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone), and delving into children’s mystery (The Curse of the Maya).

The main focus of our Maths teaching in Year 5 is to ensure that pupils extend their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers. At this stage of their education, pupils develop their ability to solve a wider range of problems using written and mental methods, making connections between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals and percentages. Our children learn the importance and relevance maths plays in our day-to-day lives. We will build on and reinforce learning done in the previous years.

We will explore a range of exciting enquiries with the children throughout the year. During our enquiries, we aspire to give our children the critical thinking skills needed to make their own decisions when considering various points in history and current world practises which will prepare them for their learning in Year 6.

Our year begins with the Maya civilisation, this weaves throughout our English and history learning. In history, we will be exploring the school day of a Mayan child. They will be creating their own immersive workshops, which includes curating a Maya inspired lunch, using all their acquired knowledge about the Maya.

In the spring, we will be studying “The magical world of Harry Potter”. In DT the children will be creating their own mechanical toy that will “wingardium levisosa” an object of their choice. In science, we will study the properties of materials and reactions. This will involve the children making their own potions and exploring reversible and irreversible changes.

Our final term will focus on Geography. We will learn about the coast and how we can reduce erosion. In science, we will be exploring living things and their habitats, their life cycles and reproduction processes.

Art and design and Music

In Year 5, we begin to start fine tuning our artistic skills by focusing closely on drawing and painting techniques. We will take inspiration from the work of Steven Wiltshire, Goudi and Hunderwasser. We will create our own individualised artwork based upon a London landmark.

In music, we will be learning about composing our own pieces of music using a variety of different instruments. We will learn about writing music as notations on a stave, linking our compositions to themes such as nature and colour. We will also study the genres of musical theatre and blues.

 Educational visits

Throughout the year, educational visits in Year 5 are used to enhance our children’s learning experience and promote a true love of learning. Having incredible experiences at their fingertips, Year 5 pupils will develop their understanding of specific topics whilst enhancing their social and personal skills. We have some great trips planned for our year 5s. The biggest is the overnight trip to Paris where we get to soak up the Parisian culture. Other fantastic opportunities include visiting the Harry Potter Experience at WB studios and a geography fieldtrip to the coast.

Swimming

Year 5 have had the fantastic opportunity to take part in swimming lessons. Since 1994, swimming and water safety has been a statutory element of the national curriculum for physical education in England. This means that every 11-year old child should leave primary school with the skills to keep themselves safe while enjoying swimming with friends and family. Swimming is something that is much loved by all of the children and is a highlight of Year 5.

Year 6 ready!

In preparation for Year 6, we will focus closely on developing our reasoning skills throughout the curriculum. This will enable our children to approach all learning with a critical eye as well as developing their literacy and numeracy skills.

Responsibility

In Upper Key Stage Two, our children gain the increased responsibility of becoming role models and mentors for the rest of the school. Many of our children at Alexander McLeod look up to our Year 5 children and see them as young mentors and part of their support network. There are many new roles that will become available to Year 5 pupils such as Junior Sports Leaders, junior governors and Ddgital leaders. These roles enable our children to improve the health and wellbeing of their peers and the adults they interact with whilst gaining greater independence. 

 Year 5 Long term curriculum mapYear 5 Newsletter- Autumn Term 1UKS2 Curriculum booklet