Meet the Team

Keeping in Touch

How we communicate:

• Class Dojo will be used to share class updates, reminders and celebrations.
• Important whole-school information will be sent via e mail.
• Teachers can be contacted via email using the addresses listed above.
• Please contact the school office regarding absences, appointments or changes to collection arrangements.

We aim to respond to messages as promptly as possible. If a matter is urgent, please contact the school office directly.

Thank you for working in partnership with us. We greatly value the support of our Year 5 families.

Learning in Year 5

At Elburton Primary School, we follow a carefully planned and ambitious curriculum that is fully aligned with the National Curriculum. Our curriculum has been designed to ensure that children build knowledge and skills progressively as they move through the school, helping them to know more, remember more and achieve more.

The Long-Term Overview provides an outline of the learning that children will experience throughout the year across all curriculum subjects. Each topic has been carefully selected and sequenced to build upon previous learning, make meaningful links across subjects and deepen children’s understanding of the world around them.

We encourage parents to explore the overview to gain an understanding of the exciting learning opportunities planned for Year 5 and how these fit within our wider whole-school curriculum journey. Throughout the year, children will revisit key knowledge and concepts to strengthen their understanding and support long-term memory.

Year 5 Expectations

What Are We Learning This Term?

Our Termly Overview provides a snapshot of the learning your child will be covering this term across the curriculum. It outlines the key topics, texts and areas of study that will be explored in class, helping you to understand what your child is learning and how you can support them at home.

The overview sits within our carefully planned whole-school curriculum and shows how the learning for this term builds on previous knowledge while preparing children for future learning. We encourage parents to take a look and use it as a starting point for conversations about learning at home.

PE Information

PE Days:

• Outdoor PE/Games: Friday
• Indoor PE/Games: Wednesday

Please ensure that children come to school wearing their PE kit on PE days and are ready to take part in all activities.

PE Kit:

Children should wear:

• White PE t-shirt
• Navy blue shorts
• White socks
• Elburton PE hoodie (available through the PTA)
• Navy blue tracksuit bottoms during colder weather
• Suitable sports trainers that provide good support

On indoor PE days, children may wish to wear tracksuit bottoms over their shorts when travelling to and from school. These can be removed for PE and put back on afterwards if needed.

For health and safety reasons:

• Earrings should be small stud earrings only.
• Children should not wear nose piercings or other jewellery to school.
• Watches and jewellery remain the responsibility of the child.
• Long hair must be tied back for all PE lessons.

Home Learning

In Year 5, regular home learning plays an important role in helping children build confidence, practise key skills and develop greater independence.

Children are expected to:

• Read at home at least five times each week, recording their reading in their reading record.
• Practise spellings (fortnightly), linked to the Year 5 National Curriculum spelling patterns and statutory word lists.
• Learn and practise times tables regularly, developing quick recall of multiplication and division facts.
• Complete a Maths, English or Topic homework - this is given out on a Friday and will be due in by the following Friday each week in line with the Spellings which will also be sent home.

We encourage children to complete little and often, as regular practice has the greatest impact on progress. Thank you for your continued support at home. Working together helps every child develop the skills and confidence needed to be successful in school.

Reading

In Year 5, we support children in developing:

• Fluency – reading confidently, accurately and with expression.
• Vocabulary – understanding, discussing and applying increasingly ambitious language.
• Comprehension – analysing, interpreting and evaluating a wide range of texts.
• Reading Stamina – sustaining concentration and engagement with longer, more demanding books.
• Critical Thinking – justifying opinions and supporting ideas with evidence from the text.

To support your child, please:

• Encourage your child to read at home regularly, ideally at least five times each week.
• Sign their reading record each time they read.
• Discuss books together by exploring characters, themes, vocabulary, plot developments and the author's choices.
• Encourage your child to explain and justify their opinions using evidence from the text.
• Continue reading aloud to your child occasionally and share a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Reading books are carefully matched to your child's reading ability and are reviewed regularly. Children are assessed throughout the year and book levels are updated to ensure they continue to make strong progress. 

Children continue to read through an award system linked to Accelerated Reader which monitors the challenge, quizzes as well as number of words children are reading.

 To access a parents guide on the scheme please click on the link below. 

Parents guide to Accelerated Reader 

 AR Bookfinder 

You can help your child choose books that are both interesting and enjoyable with AR Book Finder.

As children move towards the end of Key Stage 2, reading independently and widely becomes increasingly important. Regular reading helps children to develop vocabulary, comprehension, writing skills and knowledge across the curriculum, while fostering a lifelong love of reading.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

In Year 5, children continue to develop their spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) skills to help them become confident and effective writers. Throughout the year, pupils revisit and build on key grammar concepts, learn how to use a wide range of punctuation accurately, and develop strategies to improve their spelling.

Children take part in daily Read Write Inc. spelling sessions, which provide structured teaching of spelling patterns, rules and strategies to support accurate spelling in their independent writing. SPaG is taught through dedicated lessons and is also embedded across the curriculum, helping children apply their knowledge in their reading and writing.

Regular practice, discussion and feedback support pupils as they prepare for the end of Key Stage 2 and the transition to secondary school.

On this page, you will find information, resources and useful links to help support your child's SPaG learning at home.

Maths

Supporting Maths at Home

As children move through Year 5, maths becomes increasingly focused on reasoning, problem solving and applying skills across a range of contexts. Regular, short practice at home can make a significant difference to children's confidence and fluency.

Practise Key Number Facts

• Ensure multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12 are recalled quickly and accurately.
• Practise mental calculation strategies.
• Recall number bonds and use them efficiently when solving problems.
• Maintain fluency with written methods taught in school.

Use Maths in Everyday Life

• Calculate discounts and compare prices when shopping.
• Read timetables and work out journey times.
• Measure ingredients and scale recipes up or down.
• Discuss money, budgeting and real-life calculations.

Develop Reasoning Skills Ask your child to explain their thinking:

• How do you know?
• Can you prove it?
• Is there another method?
• What pattern do you notice?
• Can you convince me that you're correct?

Build Confidence with Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

• Spot percentages in shops and advertisements.
• Compare fractions while cooking or sharing items.
• Discuss decimal numbers in everyday situations, such as money and measurements.

Useful Websites

• Times Table Rock Stars
• Topmarks Maths
• White Rose Maths

Keep Maths Positive

• Praise effort, resilience and perseverance.
• Encourage children to learn from mistakes.
• Celebrate progress and growing confidence.
• Remind children that becoming a successful mathematician takes practice and determination.

Little and often is best. Just 10 minutes of maths practice each day can help children develop the fluency, confidence and problem-solving skills needed to succeed in Year 5 and beyond.

Celebrating Success

At Elburton, we believe that recognising effort, achievement and positive behaviour helps children grow in confidence and develop a love of learning.

Throughout the week, children are celebrated through:

• Positive praise for demonstrating our school values and learning behaviours.
• Class Dojo points awarded for effort, resilience, kindness, independence and following the Elburton Charter.
• Sharing outstanding work and achievements with classmates and other members of staff.

Each Friday, we celebrate a Star of the Week. This award recognises a child who has shown something special during the week, whether that is:

• A positive attitude towards learning
• Excellent behaviour and role-modelling
• Outstanding effort or perseverance
• Kindness and respect towards others
• Significant progress or achievement

We love celebrating the successes of every child and helping them to feel proud of their achievements, both in and out of school.

E Safety

Useful Learning Links