🌟 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! 🌟

🌟 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! 👏

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!

In Music this week, the children learnt how to play the backing track to the song ‘You and Me’. They used glockenspiels and carefully followed a series of notes, developing their confidence in reading and performing music.

The children worked incredibly hard to stay in time with one another, listening closely and focusing on maintaining a steady beat. This helped them to perform in unison and understand the importance of timing within a piece of music.

It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and teamwork as they practised the song. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and showed great progress in their ability to keep a steady beat and play together as a group.

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… 👀

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 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 were delighted to welcome Nathan Parker, a Blackpool-based performance poet, author and spoken word artist, into school. Nathan, who is proud of his northern roots, shared his journey from growing up in Blackpool to becoming a successful writer and performer, explaining how his experiences, challenges and surroundings have shaped his work. 12

During the session, Nathan spoke openly about his upbringing and how he discovered a love for writing, using poetry as a way to express real-life thoughts and emotions. He performed some of his own poems, showing the children how spoken word poetry brings writing to life through rhythm, voice and performance. 3

A key part of his visit was challenging the children’s ideas about what a poet ‘should’ look like. Nathan encouraged them to think beyond stereotypes and introduced them to a wider world of poets, including influential voices such as Maya Angelou and Benjamin Zephaniah, helping pupils see that poetry comes from many different backgrounds, styles and experiences.

The session was highly interactive, with Nathan leading fun and engaging writing activities that inspired creativity and confidence. The highlight of the visit was a whole-class collaborative poem, where every child contributed their own ideas and lines. Guided by Nathan, the class worked together to shape their thoughts into a powerful shared piece of writing, celebrating their voices and imagination. 4

Nathan’s energy, honesty and relatable approach made a lasting impact on the children, leaving them inspired to continue writing and to see themselves as poets in their own right.

Year 5 pupils have been developing their application letter writing skills while working collaboratively to create a letter applying for the role of a veterinarian. Through discussion and shared ideas, the children explored the responsibilities of the role, the key skills and qualities required, and how these should be presented effectively.

 

The class looked at a video of a real vet talk about their day as a vet!

 

The pupils also revisited and applied the key features of a formal letter, including layout, persuasive language, and appropriate tone, building on prior learning to produce a well-structured and purposeful piece of writing.

In today’s Year 5 computing lesson, pupils explored the importance of image copyright and the law. They learnt that not all images found online are free to use and discussed why creators deserve credit for their work. Children were introduced to terms such as copyright, permission, and free-to-use images, and looked at examples of websites that clearly credit image owners.

Using this knowledge, pupils practised choosing appropriate, copyright-friendly images so they could make informed decisions when designing and building their own websites. The lesson helped develop their digital responsibility and ensured they understand how to use online content safely, legally, and respectfully.

In P.E, Year 5 have been readying themselves for our upcoming sports day. In this lesson, the focus was on throwing. We looked at throwing a javelin and a shot put. We looked at the differences of applying the correct technique when throwing compared with throwing with no technique. The children also marked where the javelin and shot put landed and compared this with other children’s throws in their class.

Year 5 enjoyed an exciting visit to The Attic, our school library, where they had the opportunity to explore a wide range of new class reading books. The children thoughtfully browsed the shelves, sharing recommendations and enthusiastically telling each other about stories they had previously enjoyed. They spent time reading the first few pages of several books that caught their interest, carefully considering which one would become their personal choice. The session was filled with animated discussions, curiosity, and a genuine love of reading, as each child selected a book they were excited to take back to class and explore further.

 

Year 5 have finished their hot write of a cinquain poem, choosing to write about either cats or Boundary Primary School. Pupils applied the features of a cinquain poem carefully, selecting precise vocabulary and focusing on structure and word choice. The completed pieces showcase their creativity and improving confidence as independent writers.

Year 5 have been learning how to accurately draw angles using a protractor. Firstly, they recapped how to accurately draw lines in cm and mm and then practised measuring and marking angles carefully, developing precision and confidence in using mathematical equipment. Pupils are learning to check their measurements and explain their methods using correct mathematical vocabulary.

A local PCSO visited Year 5 last week to lead an informative session on road safety. Pupils learned about safe crossing points and how to stay alert near roads as well in when travelling in vehicles. The session encouraged sensible decision‑making and helped children understand how to keep themselves and others safe when out and about.