Year 5: Blog items
Date: 11th Sep 2026 @ 2:35pm
Today, Year 5 had the exciting opportunity to take part in a live online event hearing directly from NASA engineers Howard Hu and Branelle Rodriguez. This linked perfectly with our current learning in science, where we have been exploring the Solar System, the planets, and the evidence that helps us know the Earth is round.
The session also connected with our guided reading lessons. Recently, the children studied an interview with British astronaut Tim Peake, and they have been learning about the crew who will take part in the Artemis missions. During the event, the children learned more about the Orion spacecraft and the Artemis II mission, gaining an insight into the work of the engineers and teams who make human space exploration possible.
The event inspired curiosity, deepened the children's understanding of space travel, and helped them make meaningful links between their science and reading learning.
Year 5 - PSHE: Our Always Promises
Date: 7th Sep 2026 @ 4:20pm
At the start of the lesson, the children were challenged to remember as many of the Always Promises as possible but it had to be the exact wording – working together and building on the answers of others they did just that!
Next, each table was given an Always Promise and asked to right down firstly, a definition and secondly an example of what that Always Promise would look like if someone was keeping that promise – we then rotated around the tables to repeat the task.
Date: 7th Sep 2026 @ 4:16pm
Year 5 Begin Their Kinetic Letters Journey
This week, Year 5 enjoyed their first Kinetic Letters lesson and made a fantastic start to developing their handwriting skills.
The children were introduced to the "3 Friends Hold", learning how to hold their pencil comfortably and efficiently to support fluent writing. They also explored the slide, slope, push orientation, which helps children understand the body positioning and movement needed for successful handwriting.
Throughout the lesson, pupils showed great focus and enthusiasm as they practised these new skills. We discussed how good posture, pencil grip and movement can make writing easier, quicker and more comfortable.
We are incredibly proud of the positive attitude Year 5 demonstrated and look forward to seeing their confidence and handwriting continue to improve over the coming weeks. Well done, Year 5! ✏️🌟
Date: 3rd Sep 2026 @ 9:04am
What a fantastic first week we've had! It has been wonderful to see everyone settling in so well, working hard, showing great enthusiasm, and making a positive start to the new school year. We are already proud of the effort, kindness, and determination you have shown. Keep up the excellent work, and let's make this an amazing year together! 🌟📚😊
Year 5: Resilience is Rewarding!
Date: 21st Jul 2026 @ 12:32pm
This challenge was a fantastic opportunity for the children in Rowan Class to develop their resilience, perseverance, and gross motor skills. The children were tasked with getting a ball into a cup without touching the ball with their hands, encouraging them to think creatively and work together to solve the problem.
At first, many of the children found the task tricky and needed several attempts before they were successful. Rather than giving up, they demonstrated great perseverance, trying different strategies and learning from each attempt. It was wonderful to see their determination grow as they faced challenges and kept going, even when things did not work the first time.
The activity also helped to strengthen the children's gross motor skills as they used coordinated body movements to control and guide the ball. They practised balance, coordination, and spatial awareness while carefully manoeuvring the ball towards the cup.
Most importantly, the children showed resilience throughout the activity. They embraced mistakes as learning opportunities, adapted their approaches, and celebrated each other's successes. By the end of the lesson, there were many proud smiles as the children achieved their goal through teamwork, problem-solving, and a positive attitude.
We are incredibly proud of the determination and effort shown by everyone in Rowan Class. Well done, Rowan Class! 🌟
Year 5 - Visit to the Mobile Farm
Date: 15th Jul 2026 @ 11:30am
Year 5 were delighted to welcome Mobile Farm this morning The children had the excitingopportunity to meet and learn about a variety of farm animals up close.
During the visit, pupils met goats, sheep, a donkey, a dog, and a pig, along with several other friendly animals. The children listened carefully to interesting facts about the animals, including how they are cared for and the important role they play on a farm. Many pupils enjoyed asking questions and sharing their own knowledge and experiences. The visit provided a fantastic hands-on learning experience, allowing pupils to observe the animals closely and appreciate the different characteristics of each one. It was lovely to see the excitement on their faces as they interacted with the animals in the sunshine.
Year 5 - Geography: My Region and the Western United States
Date: 13th Jul 2026 @ 2:16pm
Geography Recap – My Region (North West) and the Western United States
This week, Year 5 completed the penultimate lesson of our Geography unit, My Region and the Western United States. We spent the lesson revisiting everything we have learned and taking part in a fun recap quiz to test our knowledge. Throughout this topic, we have explored the fascinating geography of the Western United States and compared it with our own region, the North West of England. We learned that the Western United States is made up of 13 states and is much larger than the UK. Because of its enormous size, it contains a wide range of landscapes, climates and biomes, including deserts, rainforests, tundra and forests.
We also discovered that the Western United States has some incredible physical features, such as the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River and famous volcanoes like Mount Saint Helens. Unlike the UK, some parts of the Western United States experience earthquakes and volcanic activity due to the San Andreas Fault. During our recap, we revised important geographical vocabulary, including population, population density, climate, biome, vegetation belt, industry and GDP. We used these terms to help us compare places accurately and explain similarities and differences between regions.
One of the most interesting things we learned is that although the Western United States has some very large and busy cities, much of the land is sparsely populated. In contrast, the UK has a much higher population density. We also explored how differences in climate and physical geography affect the way people live and work in different places. Next, we will use all of this knowledge to make detailed comparisons between our North West region and different states in the Western United States. We are looking forward to finding out which places are most similar to where we live and which are the most different!
Well done, Year 5, for all your hard work throughout this exciting geography unit! 🌍✨
Date: 7th Jul 2026 @ 9:58am
As part of our annual whole-school Heritage Day, Year 5 explored the history of our local area by investigating the key question: Who is Shelly Woods and why is she important to our local area? The children learned about Shelly Woods, a Paralympic wheelchair racer from Layton, Blackpool, who has represented Great Britain and won medals on the world stage. We discussed the challenges she has overcome, including living with a disability, and explored the qualities of perseverance, resilience and determination that helped her achieve success. Through discussions, fact-file writing and inspirational speeches, the children reflected on why Shelly is an important local role model and how her achievements have created a positive legacy for Blackpool.
Date: 6th Jul 2026 @ 12:40pm
📸 PGL Photos Are Here! 🎉
Here's what you've all been waiting for! Now that we've finally caught up on some much-needed sleep 😴, we're excited to share the photos from our amazing PGL adventure.
🌟 Relive the memories
😂 Enjoy the funny moments
🏕️ Look back on all the adventures
📷 Browse through the photos and see if you can spot yourself!
We hope you enjoy looking through them as much as we enjoyed making the memories. ❤️
Date: 26th Jun 2026 @ 8:56am
Today, children across school came to school in sporting non-uniform! Celebrtaing a varaiety of countries, sports, colours and hobbies, Year 5 have really enjoyed Health Week and today, along with their peers, have raised vital funds for the school OPAL projects.
Date: 24th Jun 2026 @ 9:35am
🎉 Take Over Day in Year 2 🎉
We had an exciting day in Year 2 when the Year 5 children took over the school and became the staff for the day! 👩🏫👨🏫
Our new teacher and teaching assistant did a fantastic job. They were kind, helpful and made learning lots of fun. 😊 We enjoyed listening to them and taking part in all the activities they planned.
One of our favourite lessons was learning to count in 2s. 🔢✌️ The Year 5 staff helped us practise our counting and encouraged us to join in. We counted confidently together and had lots of fun along the way! 🎯👏
We were very impressed with how responsible the Year 5 children were. ⭐ They worked hard all day and showed great leadership skills. It was wonderful to see them teaching, helping and looking after everyone.
Thank you to our amazing Year 5 teacher and teaching assistant for making Take Over Day such a success. 🌈 We loved having you in our classroom and think you did an excellent job! 🌟
📸 Take a look at our photos below to see our fantastic Take Over Day activities and our Year 5 staff in action! 😄🎉
Date: 18th Jun 2026 @ 12:09pm
🌟 Year 5 Take Over Day – Maths Lesson 🌟
As part of Take Over Day, we were lucky to have two Year 5 pupils take on the roles of teacher and teaching assistant to deliver a maths lesson to our Year 4 children.
The Year 5 teacher led the session on lines of symmetry, clearly explaining the concept and confidently guiding the class through each question. The lesson was well-paced, and the children responded brilliantly to the clear instructions and examples.
Both the teacher and TA then worked their way around the classroom, supporting pupils with their learning and marking their work, offering helpful feedback and encouragement along the way.
It was a fantastic session, and the Year 4 children really enjoyed being taught by their peers.
Thank you—you were brilliant! 🌟
Date: 18th Jun 2026 @ 12:05pm
🌟 Year 5 Take Over Day – A Brilliant Morning! 🌟
We had a wonderful experience during Take Over Day, when two fantastic Year 5 pupils took on the roles of teacher and teaching assistant in our Reading into Writing lesson.
Our Year 5 teacher confidently introduced a WAGOLL for a balanced argument, guiding the children to identify key features within the text. The class were fully engaged and showed great understanding as they picked out important elements together.
With great teamwork, the Year 5 teaching assistant supported throughout, helping the lesson run smoothly and ensuring everyone stayed on track.
The lesson continued with an engaging guided reading session focusing on prosody, using “Devon Cream Tea”. The “I say, you say” approach encouraged expressive reading, and the classroom was filled with enthusiastic voices.
It was a fabulous morning, and the children thoroughly enjoyed having them lead the class.
A huge thank you to our Year 5 teacher and teaching assistant—you were brilliant! 👏
Date: 18th Jun 2026 @ 9:36am
Year 5 Takeover Day was an absolute blast, with the children stepping into the shoes of adults and running the show! From Class Teachers and Teaching Assistants to even taking on the big role of Head of School, they gave it their all and really rose to the challenge. It was amazing to see them leading lessons, helping younger pupils, and making real decisions, it felt like the school was in safe hands! The day was all part of our ongoing effort to raise aspirations and build those all-important Skills for Life, and judging by the confidence and enthusiasm on display, the future looks very bright indeed!
Date: 18th Jun 2026 @ 7:13am
Our Year 1 children had a wonderful time welcoming some very special visitors this week—our fantastic Year 5 pupils! The older children “took over” the classroom and led some brilliant learning activities.
They helped us practise when to use capital letters and full stops, and supported us in correcting sentences that had mistakes in them. The Year 5s were kind, patient, and great teachers!
We also loved having their help during our continuous provision time, and they did a fantastic job supporting us with our phonics learning too.
It was a fun and inspiring experience for everyone involved—well done to both Year 1 and Year 5!
Year 5 - Lancashire Mind: Resilience
Date: 12th Jun 2026 @ 1:41pm
The first session with Lancashire Mind provided a positive and engaging introduction to the six-week resilience programme for Year 5. Pupils were welcomed into a safe and supportive space and encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas respectfully. The session focused on helping children understand what resilience means, using age-appropriate language, examples, and interactive activities.
Through discussion and group tasks, pupils began to recognise different emotions and how these can affect their thoughts and behaviours. They explored simple strategies to manage challenges, such as talking to others, staying calm, and keeping a positive mindset. Lancashire Mind staff modelled openness and encouraged participation, helping pupils feel confident to contribute.
Overall, the session set a strong foundation for the coming weeks, with pupils demonstrating enthusiasm and curiosity about building their resilience skills.
Date: 11th Jun 2026 @ 2:58pm
Year 5 took part in an exciting and engaging PE lesson led by coaches from Lancashire Cricket, marking the start of their basic skills programme. The session focused on introducing fundamental cricket skills in a fun and accessible way for all pupils.
The lesson began with a warm-up that included movement and coordination activities to get everyone active and ready to play. Pupils were then introduced to essential skills such as throwing and catching, using a variety of drills designed to build confidence and accuracy. The coaches demonstrated correct techniques and provided clear instructions, ensuring all children could participate and improve at their own pace.
A key focus of the session was developing hand-eye coordination through simple batting exercises. Pupils practised striking a ball using controlled movements, aiming for accuracy rather than power. They also learned basic fielding skills, including how to position their bodies correctly when stopping and returning the ball.
Throughout the lesson, the Lancashire Cricket coaches encouraged teamwork, communication, and positive sportsmanship. The pupils showed great enthusiasm, listened carefully, and supported one another during each activity.
Date: 10th Jun 2026 @ 1:05pm
Year 5 - STEM Superstars Road to RIAT
Date: 20th May 2026 @ 2:21pm
Year 5 recently took part in an exciting live Teams meeting in partnership with the RAF and the Road to RIAT initiative. Building on their live STEM lesson from the Autumn term, the children learned more about the wide range of careers available in STEM subjects.
During the session, Krystina and Gwil shared their own experiences of working in engineering and explained how STEM skills are used in their everyday roles. The children enjoyed hearing about the different pathways into engineering and were inspired by the opportunities available within the industry.
As part of the event, the children also took part in an interactive quiz, testing their knowledge and learning even more about careers in STEM in a fun and engaging way.
Year 5 - School Takeover Day: Interviews in Full Swing!
Date: 18th May 2026 @ 11:55am
This week, our Year 5 children have been stepping into the world of work as part of our exciting School Takeover Day preparations—and what a fantastic experience it’s been already!
The children have been working hard to write their own letters of application, thinking carefully about the roles they’d like to take on for the big day. From Headteacher to Teaching Assistant, Office Staff to Site Supervisor, no job has gone unnoticed! It’s been brilliant to see how seriously they’ve approached the process, really considering their strengths and what they could bring to each role.
Interviews have now begun, and the atmosphere has been buzzing! Children have been practising how to present themselves, answer questions confidently, and explain why they would be the perfect person for the job. There have been some fantastic responses, lots of thoughtful ideas, and even a few nerves—which just shows how much they care about doing their best.
What’s been especially lovely to see is the respect and encouragement the children are showing one another. They’ve embraced the challenge and are gaining real-life skills along the way—communication, resilience, and confidence.
We can’t wait to reveal who has been selected for each role and to see the school in their hands on Takeover Day. Watch this space… 👀
Year 5 - Triple The Fun, Triple The Jump!
Date: 11th May 2026 @ 2:21pm
This half-term in Year 5, we’ve been focusing on athletics, and this week’s P.E lesson introduced the children to something new – triple jump!
We started off by breaking down the basic elements of the triple jump: the hop, step, and jump. The children had a go at each part separately first, getting used to the rhythm and how to move smoothly from one phase to the next.
After a warm-up, we practised the “hop” (taking off and landing on the same foot), then the “step” (moving onto the other foot), and finally the “jump” into a safe two-footed landing. It took a bit of coordination, but the children showed great determination and quickly started to improve.
Once everyone felt more confident, we tried putting it all together. It was great to see the pupils concentrating on their technique rather than distance, and there were lots of smiles as they got into the rhythm of hop, step, jump!
We finished with a cool down and a quick chat about what they found tricky and what they enjoyed most. Many said they liked the challenge of linking all three parts together – and were proud of how much progress they made in just one lesson.
We’re excited to continue building these skills over the coming weeks!
Year 5 - 🎨 Exploring Fashion Design in Art
Date: 11th May 2026 @ 2:18pm
- Measuring materials accurately
- Cutting carefully and safely
- Layering materials to build their designs
Date: 7th May 2026 @ 9:25am
Year 5 performed Look Into the Night on the glockenspiels. The lesson began with a review of the song, during which key musical vocabulary was recapped.
Using the Music Toolkit, pupils revisited the musical elements of texture and timbre, discussing how different sounds and layers work together within the piece.
Pupils then played their glockenspiels, performing parts practiced both with and without the backing music.
Date: 7th May 2026 @ 9:22am
Year 5 have been learning about the life cycles of living things, including plants. They have explored the two main ways plants reproduce: sexual reproduction through seeds and asexual reproduction through processes such as bulbs, cuttings, and runners.
In addition, pupils have studied and compared the life cycles of different groups of animals, including amphibians, birds, and mammals. They have learned how these life cycles differ, for example by examining stages such as egg, larva, and adult in amphibians, and how mammals give birth to live young. Through this learning, pupils have developed an understanding of how living things grow, develop, and reproduce in different ways.
Year 5 Visit: Nathan Parker, Performance Poet
Date: 6th May 2026 @ 2:04pm
