English

In our Lighthouse learning, Year 5 explored the short film The Lighthouse to develop their descriptive writing and storytelling skills. We watched how the film used light, sound, and movement to create atmosphere and emotion, and discussed the themes of teamwork and community. The children practised writing vivid setting descriptions, built suspense through their use of language, and even created their own versions of the story. Through this unit, they strengthened their ability to write creatively, use powerful vocabulary, and express mood and tension in their writing.

Maths

This half term, Year 5 have explored number and place value, learning how to read, write, and understand numbers all the way up to 1,000,000. We used place value grids and the book “How Big Is a Million” to help grasp the significance of such large numbers. The class also ordered and compared numbers to 1 million, which really sharpened their skills, and continued to work on their rounding skills. We also discussed various strategies for mental addition and subtraction, making these operations quicker and easier. 

Science

This half term, Year 5 have been investigating forces. They began by exploring what a force is and identifying different types, including pushes, pulls, friction, and magnetism. A key focus was on gravity, where pupils discovered that all objects are pulled towards Earth at the same rate, no matter their mass, and carried out experiments to see this in action. The class also explored air resistance, testing how it affects falling objects, and water resistance, learning how streamlined shapes help reduce drag and move more smoothly through water. We planned and carried out our own fair test investigations into the effects of friction against different surfaces.

History

This half term, Year 5 have been learning about Ancient Greece and the legendary Trojan War. They began by locating modern-day Greece on a map and exploring what the Greek kingdoms looked like around 1250 BC. The children learned about key Greek leaders and the famous cities they ruled, before investigating the causes of the conflict between the armies of Troy, Sparta, and Mycenae. They studied the Trojan Horse, exploring its purpose, strategy, and how it helped the Greeks enter Troy. The class also examined how the Greek gods were believed to have influenced events in the war. Finally, pupils used different types of evidence—written, visual, and archaeological—to decide for themselves whether the story of the Trojan Horse is fact, legend, or myth.

Art

This half term, Year 5 have been exploring the exciting world of installation art. They learned what installation art is and examined inspiring examples to understand how it can transform spaces and communicate powerful messages. The class studied the work of Cai Guo-Qiang, discussing how he uses his art to express big ideas and emotions. Pupils then used their creativity and problem-solving skills to design and build their own installation pieces. Their final artworks focused on current global issues, each aiming to make viewers think and feel differently about the world around them.

RE

This half term, Year 5 has explored some profound themes in Religious Education. We began by discussing whether it is sometimes difficult to do the right thing, which led us to study the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Through this, we explored the meanings of temptation and sin. We then compared this story to the parable of the lost boy. Additionally, we reflected on our own temptations and examined the relevance of the Ten Commandments today. Finally, we explored the Lord’s Prayer, deepening our understanding of its significance in the lives of Christians.

Spanish

In Spanish, the children have been learning how to answer the question, Tienes una mascota? (Do you have a pet?) We have learnt the names of different animals, as well as how to say the name of the pet. Throughout this, we have worked hard at developing our Spanish pronunciation and phonic knowledge.

PHSE

This half term we have discussed the ‘Me and My Relationships’ topic.

The children were able to infer how others are feeling and empathise with them so they can offer support and maintain a healthy relationship throughout their life.

Music

For our Harvest Celebration at St. Catherine’s led by Father Roger Parker, Hobbits have been hard at work learning three harvest songs: – Cauliflowers Fluffy, Autumn Days and Harvest Samba lead by our Music Lead Miss Whiteside. Miss Whiteside also gave the children the challenge of performing with the year 6 class at the Harvest Celebration – the two classes sang ‘Everywhere around me’ We have enjoyed our weekly singing practice too. As well as singing, the children have been taught to listen actively and use appropriate subject specific language when they discussed music that they had listened to in lessons. They were gradually introduced to the elements of music and through the activities of listening and performing were able to develop a deeper knowledge of how music is put together.

They have tried to identify the time signature, musical style, whether it is major or minor (tonality) and we discussed the structure. They were introduced to the acronym ‘Dr. Pitts’ to help them with remembering the music elements

P.E.

The aim this half term was to adapt an invasion type game to include positions and attacking / defending options. We began by recapping our passing and receiving using a variety of balls – football, basket, tennis and rugby. Then we looked at how to make the decision of when to pass, when to move. Finally, we looked at the tactics to add into out game to beat our opponent.