Year 5 Weekly Blog

 What another busy and fantastic week we have had in Year 5! Here is a roundup of everything we’ve been up to across the curriculum:

Black History Month

We continued our celebration of Black History Month by enjoying a wonderful playlist of music each day. Taking inspiration from the contemporary artist Matthew Small, the children created artwork focusing on everyday unsung heroes. Rather than focusing solely on famous historical figures, our artwork celebrates the vital, everyday contributions of:

• Teachers

• Nurses

• Carers

• Community Leaders

PSHE & Online Safety

We were delighted to welcome Sarah from Scarf for a special PSHE session. The children demonstrated our 4Rs learning behaviours as they explored important topics around online safety. They learnt about the impact of online influencers and gained practical awareness on how to spot and avoid online scammers.

Science: Filtering Dirty Water

In Science, we explored global access to safe drinking water and tested methods of water purification.

• We began with a discussion about water accessibility, reflecting on the fact that around 1.6 billion people globally lack access to safe drinking water and that tap water is not universally safe.

• For our practical investigation (Task B: Filtering dirty water), the class created natural filters using inverted plastic bottles to remove large insoluble particles (such as sticks and grass) from dirty water.

• We observed that while the filter trapped large debris and made the water visibly clearer, a slight yellowish tint remained, proving that the water would still require further chemical treatment or boiling to be safe to drink.

Literacy

This week, we completed our shared write, paying extra attention to ensuring dialogue is correctly punctuated with speech marks and proper reporting clauses. The children are well-prepared for next week, when they will independently write the next section of their story!

Maths

We slowed our learning pace down slightly this week to make sure everyone has a secure mastery of key core concepts. The children worked hard on:

• Addition and subtraction

• Inverse operations and missing number problems

• Rounding numbers

• Solving multi-step word problems

Looking Ahead to Next Week & Reminders:

• Maths Assessments: Next week we will complete our End of Unit Test, followed by an Arithmetic Test.

• Home Practice: Please keep practising the four operations, fractions, and most importantly, your times tables!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Essential Life Skills, Smart Debates & Addition Power in Year 5!

 

Life Skills: Broadford DIY

We are thrilled to wrap up Part 1 of our Broadford DIY Life Skills module. Over the last three weeks, Year 5 pupils have gained hands-on knowledge to help them become more independent:

• Healthy Eating & Food Labels: We investigated how to read nutritional traffic light systems on packaging to make informed choices about balanced diets.

  

• Personal Care & Hygiene: The children learned the science behind sweating, exploring the differences between deodorants and anti-perspirants.

  
  
  

• Laundry Essentials: We covered the basics of washing clothes, including sorting by colours, understanding fabric care, measuring dirt levels, and choosing the right laundry products.

Literacy: Tackling Big Questions

In Literacy, we have been busy planning our independent balanced arguments exploring the debate: "Should Social Media Have an Age Restriction?" The pupils have looked at both sides of the argument, gathering compelling points for and against to ensure their writing is fair and well-structured. Over the coming week, they will be bringing these plans to life in their final drafts.

MATHS:  MOVING BEYOND PLACE VALUE

In Maths, we officially finished our unit on Place Value! Having built a strong foundation in understanding number values, we are now moving on to Addition and Subtraction, where pupils will apply column methods to increasingly complex problems.

Well done to all of Year 5 for their fantastic focus and hard work across every subject this week!

Unforgettable Visitors & Hands-On Learning in Year 5!

Year 5 has had an incredible week packed with enriching visits that brought our learning to life!

Here is a look at the inspiring workshops and visitors that joined us this week:

• Drama & Personal Development with the 'Habbit Factory': Every Monday, the Habbit Factory is running a 45-minute workshop closely tied to our PSHE curriculum. Through small drama activities, the children are building their self-esteem, growing their confidence, and sharpening their speaking skills.

• Building Resilience with 'Drama Geezers': On Wednesday, our whole school took part in an interactive adventure with 'Drama Geezers' focused on resilience—one of our core 4Rs! Each year group contributed their own creative ideas and performed alongside the 'Geezers' to write a chapter of a book. The finished book will be printed and shared in every classroom!

• Fire Safety with the London Fire Brigade: To wrap up the week, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) dropped by for an essential, educational talk on fire safety, giving the children vital knowledge to keep themselves and others safe.

What a vibrant, action-packed week of experiences for our Year 5 learners!

How to Be a Bus Legend

 

How to Be a Bus Legend 

Now that more and more pupils are catching the bus to get to and from school, here are some important reminders from our JTA's (Junior Travel Ambassadors), after spending some time with the MET Police. 

• Sit Right Near the Driver: If the bus is empty or it’s getting dark, sit downstairs right behind the driver. If someone is being mean or making you feel scared, DO NOT get off the bus in a random place. Stay right where you are near the driver because they can call for help on their radio and the bus has cameras everywhere!

• Show That Green Zip Card: Always have your Green Zip Card ready in your hand or a handy pocket before the bus even gets there. If you have forgot it, it is okay - just tell the driver and they will let you on. Never use someone elses.

• Don't Be a "Phone Zombie": It’s fun to play games or listen to music, but keep your phone tucked away in your bag or pocket when you don't need it. If you have headphones on, keep the volume low so you can still hear what’s going on around you. If you need to use your phone, check it by a wall or window.

• Know Your Stop: Before you even leave your house, tell someone and check when the bus is coming so you aren't standing around at the bus stop forever. Try to stand under the streetlights where people can see you!

These messages were brought to you by Peace, Jacob, Eesa, Elkah, Evie, George, Dunsin and Oscar.

Year 6 Learn the Power of Respect with The Karate Kid: Legends

Year 6 Learn the Power of Respect with The Karate Kid: Legends

 

This week, Year 6 enjoyed an exciting trip to the cinema to watch The Karate Kid: Legends — and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as it linked perfectly with Anti-Bullying Week.

The film follows a young student learning martial arts not just to defend himself, but to find confidence, self-control and respect for others. These powerful themes sparked brilliant discussions back at school about what it really means to stand up to bullying in a positive way.

Year 6 reflected on how kindness, empathy and courage can make a difference — both in the dojo and in the classroom. We talked about how, just like the characters in the film, we all have the strength to make good choices and support others who might be struggling.

Ben Kinsella Workshop

 

This week Year 6 visited the Ben Kinsella Trust and took part in the Trust's workshop. The workshop focused on:

• The consequences of knife crime for both victims and offenders.
  
  

• How to keep themselves safe and make positive choices.
  
  

• Dispelling the myth that carrying a knife provides protection.
  
  

• Understanding how choices and consequences are closely linked.

The workshop delivered by the Ben Kinsella Trust complemented our lessons by using immersive experiences to show the journey of both the victim and the offender. This approach reinforced the connection between choices and consequences, while also helping pupils develop the confidence and knowledge to make safe decisions and positively influence their peers.

We were very proud of our pupils who contributed to sensible discussions, made thoughtful comments and were extremely mature in their responses. Well done Year 6!

Lime

Almond

    

Oak

Improving Body Image in PSHE (Y6)

 Improving Body Image in PSHE

Our current unit of PSHE focuses on 'Growing and Changing'. As part of this, we have been looking at body image, how people see themselves and the impact of social media on poeple's perceptions of themselves. 

We reflected on how we are often exposed to people's 'best bits' on social media and that sometimes photos and videos can be edited to make people look different. Often, the impact of this can be that young people feel pressure to look a certain way which can be bad for their mental health. 

After much discussion, we completed an activity to boost the self-esteem of our peers. We wrote compliments about each other's personalities and appearances then read them out to the class. 

"It was really nice giving and receiving compliments about our appearances and personalities. Someone said I had striking brown eyess." Irfan, Birch

"We learnt about body image and how we should think about ourselves in a positive way. In the task, people anonymously wrote four things about us. We were all happy to find out the kind things that were said." - Eddie, Redwood

Year 6 NSPCC Workshop

 

Today, Year 5 & 6 were lucky enough to have the NSPCC come in and complete a workshop with them.

 

The children had already seen an assembly explaining how important it is for children to 'speak up and stay safe' and had an introduction to ChildLine and the ChildLine website. We also learned a really fun way of remembering the number - ask your child to show you. 

We then looked at different scenarios and whether they were ok or not - particularly what types of secrets are okay and which are not. 

After this we looked at ways in which we could help friends if they needed advice or when speaking to an adult might be more appropriate. 

Overall, the children were fantastic listeners and contributors to the discussions. The lady who hosted us even said she didn't normally meet children who got the correct answers straight away!

We were all given a pack to take home to remind us and discuss with our adults if we wish.

Year 5 Cyber bullying

 

Year 5 discuss Cyber Bullying

The last few weeks Year 5 have been looking at cyber bullying and not only the impact on people but also what behaviours are classed as cyber bullying. We spent some time reflecting on our own behaviours and tried to apply empathy thinking about what we can control which is; our reaction, who we allow and that we can block. We also discussed safe adults for us to turn to should we need to.

"Speaking to a trusted adult is a positive reaction to cyber bullying." -Najhat, Lime

"I think its okay for us to block people without feeling guilty, but it is not okay to exclude someone." Harvey, Oak

“I have realised how many different ways it can happen and what we should do.” Eivis, Almond