Year 5: Blog items
Date: 21st Jan 2026 @ 2:40pm
As part of our Hindu topic in RE, this week we have been focusing our learning on Holi. Holi is a Hindu festival that celebrates spring, love and new life.
Holi (also known as the 'festival of colours') is a colourful, fun festival where there is singing, dancing and throwing of powder paint and coloured water. In this festival Hindu's celebrate their god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad.
Year 5 - Design Technology so far this half-term...
Date: 20th Jan 2026 @ 3:54pm
This term in DT, Year 5 have been diving into the world of frame structures, and it’s been brilliant watching them explore how these amazing constructions stay strong while using as little material as possible! We’ve looked closely at famous landmarks like Blackpool Tower and the Eiffel Tower, spotting all the triangles and cross-bracing that keep them standing tall, and we’ve compared them with other open-frame structures such as bridges and towers from around the world. The highlight, though, had to be our visit from Mr. Galloway, our site supervisor, who shared stories from his engineering days—including helping to build The Big One rollercoaster right here in Blackpool! The children loved hearing about real-life engineering and seeing how the ideas they’re learning in class connect to the structures they see every day
Date: 16th Jan 2026 @ 11:47am
Key Stage 2 pupils recently took part in their second Times Table Bee, an exciting and competitive event. Four children from each year group proudly represented their house and competed by answering a range of tricky times table questions. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 were particularly challenged, as they tackled more demanding questions that relied heavily on their secure knowledge of multiplication tables. The event was enjoyed by all and showcased the children’s confidence, speed, and enthusiasm for maths.
Well done to all that took part!
Year 5 - Music Update: Freedom Is Coming!
Date: 16th Jan 2026 @ 7:32am
This week, Year 5 have been continuing their exciting journey with the song “Freedom Is Coming”, inspired by the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The song carries a powerful message about hope and equality, and the children have really embraced its meaning.
To make the music come alive, the class added a new challenge: playing the glockenspiels as a backing track! This wasn’t just about hitting the notes—it required real teamwork and focus. The children had to:
- Find the steady beat and keep it consistent throughout the piece.
- Play in unison, making sure everyone stayed together.
- Handle multiple notes, which meant thinking carefully about timing and coordination.
It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they combined rhythm and melody. The classroom was full of energy and concentration, and the results were fantastic!
We’re so proud of Year 5 for their hard work and musical creativity. Keep an eye out for more updates as they continue to explore music and history through this inspiring project!
Date: 15th Jan 2026 @ 11:17am
Year 5 have been developing their skills in Invasion Games during P.E. this half-term, with a particular focus on hockey. Pupils have been learning how to control a stick and ball safely and effectively, practising key skills such as dribbling, passing and receiving. They have also worked hard on spatial awareness, learning how to move into space, avoid defenders and support teammates during small-sided games. Alongside physical skills, children have been developing teamwork, communication and decision-making, as well as an understanding of simple attacking and defending tactics. It has been fantastic to see their confidence and game understanding grow each week.
Date: 13th Jan 2026 @ 2:27pm
Year 5 have been enjoying yoga in PE, exploring a variety of positions and poses. They have been learning how to link these poses together to create smooth flows. The children have shown excellent balance and control, successfully holding some challenging positions and demonstrating determination and focus throughout their sessions.
Date: 13th Jan 2026 @ 2:18pm
Year 5 have been exploring the features of biased arguments in their writing. One key feature they focused on was rhetorical questions. The children learned how rhetorical questions are used to influence the reader and strengthen an argument. They confidently practised identifying rhetorical questions in texts and went on to successfully write their own, demonstrating a strong understanding of their purpose and impact.
Date: 8th Jan 2026 @ 10:38am
The Tapestry group had a really positive session exploring biased arguments, with adult support helping them to navigate the text and build confidence. Using Widgit symbols, the children read and discussed the WAGOLLs together, which supported their understanding and kept them fully engaged. As a group, they identified key features such as strong opinion words, persuasive language and one-sided viewpoints, linking these back to the visuals to explain their ideas. There was lots of thoughtful discussion about the writer’s purpose and whether the argument was fair or unfair, and with support the children were able to explain what makes an argument biased. The group worked well together, stayed focused and made clear progress in recognising and understanding the features of biased arguments.
Date: 8th Jan 2026 @ 10:33am
This week, Year 5 began their journey into Hinduism! The children learned that Brahman is the supreme spirit and explored how Hindu stories are used to guide people in their daily lives. They were able to explain that Vishnu is one of the principal Hindu deities and clearly identify Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu. Through discussion and reflection, pupils shared thoughtful ideas about beliefs, values and personal meaning, showing a growing understanding of how religion helps people make sense of the world around them. A brilliant session full of learning, discussion and curiosity!
Date: 6th Jan 2026 @ 9:03am
Year 5 had a visit from the heart nurse. They learned where the heart is located, how big it is, and what its function is. They also learned how to keep the heart healthy by exercising regularly and eating the right foods. The children then created posters to make others aware.
Date: 6th Jan 2026 @ 9:01am
In today’s lesson, Today, Year 5 recapped their physical oracy skills by experimenting with tone, pitch and pace. Pupils practised saying the same sentence in different ways, including formal, excited and nervous, to understand how voice can change meaning and impact. The children then focused on their cognitive oracy skills, learning how to structure an argument. They explored what a biased argument is and discussed how viewpoints can be shaped to persuade an audience. Working collaboratively, pupils generated points to support their argument and justified their reasoning. The summariser in each group was responsible for structuring and delivering a clear summary sentence that reflected the group’s viewpoint.
Date: 18th Dec 2025 @ 2:49pm
Year 5 have been learning how to identify and write equivalent fractions, as well as how to add and subtract fractions, including mixed number fractions. Through practical activities and visual representations, the children have developed a secure understanding of how fractions work.
A key focus of this learning has been helping the children understand that a larger denominator does not mean a larger part. By using bar modelling and fraction models, they explored how fractions are divided into equal parts and learned that the more parts a whole is split into, the smaller each part becomes.
Date: 18th Dec 2025 @ 2:43pm
In Year 5, the children have been developing their descriptive writing skills through an imaginative task based on a visit to Santa’s Grotto. Using their five senses, they carefully described what they could see, hear, smell, touch and feel, helping their writing to come alive for the reader.
Throughout this unit, the children have focused on using a range of advanced language features to enhance their work. These included fronted adverbials to set the scene and add variety to sentence openings, expanded noun phrases to give more detailed descriptions, and relative clauses to provide additional information and improve sentence fluency.
The children showed great creativity and enthusiasm, producing vivid and engaging pieces of writing that demonstrated both their imagination and their growing confidence with more complex sentence structures.
Date: 17th Dec 2025 @ 1:50pm
In our final Royal Opera House Magic Flute lesson, we brought together all the skills and knowledge we’ve built throughout the last half-term.
We began by revisiting our year group’s composers and reflecting on the musical ideas we’ve explored. Then we warmed up with the lively “Pa Pa Pa” vocal exercise and completed a character role call to refresh our understanding of the story and its key personalities.
To finish, we came together as a full class choir for a joyful performance of “Pa Pa Pa Papageno,” celebrating both our learning and our confidence as performers.
Date: 17th Dec 2025 @ 1:27pm
Today, we used our knowledge of Christianity to produce a picture of the key characters in the nativity. We used silhouettes on a colourful background to make the characters stand out and create a stained glass effect. We then used silhouettes of Mary, baby Jesus, Joseph and the star shining brightly above the manger.
Date: 16th Dec 2025 @ 1:43pm
🏛️ A Quick Look at Today’s Assembly
We had a visitor come in for a 30‑minute assembly to explain what Parliament is and why it matters. They broke it down simply: Parliament is where laws are debated and decisions about the country are made. It’s made up of the House of Commons, where elected MPs sit, and the House of Lords, who review and improve proposed laws.
The speaker reminded us that Parliament shapes everything from education to national policies, so understanding it helps us understand the world we live in. A short Q&A at the end let students ask about elections, debates, and how young people can get involved.
A brief session, but a surprisingly engaging one that made politics feel a lot more relevant.
Date: 9th Dec 2025 @ 3:52pm
Year 5 and 6 had a magical afternoon watching the pantomime Cinderella! From the moment the 'curtain rose', the children were full of excitement—laughing, cheering, and joining in with all the pantomime fun. They loved the dazzling costumes, the fairy godmother’s magic, and of course shouting “He’s behind you!” throughout the show.
It was a joyful day filled with laughter, wonder, and festive spirit—one the children will remember for a long time!
Year 5/6 - Christmas dinner and jumper day!
Date: 9th Dec 2025 @ 3:43pm
Year 5 and 6 had a wonderfully festive day! Pupils arrived in their colourful Christmas jumpers, filling the classroom with sparkle and cheer. The celebrations continued with a delicious Christmas lunch, complete with all the trimmings. What a joyful way to end the term!
Year 5 - What a balancing act!
Date: 9th Dec 2025 @ 1:49pm
This half-term we have been developing our gymnastic skills. This week, we have worked in pairs and larger groups to demonstrate our core strength, balance and team work abilities. As you can see from the photos, some of our pupils challenged themselves and, with the support of teachers and our Sports Coach, worked in larger groups to create a variety of shapes.
Date: 9th Dec 2025 @ 12:36pm
Year 5 have been learning about the Christmas Truce during World War I. We explored a diary entry written by a soldier and discussed the events and emotions described. As part of our work, we focused on developing our vocabulary, looking closely at words such as fleeting, truce, and sorrow to deepen our understanding. We also spent time imagining what life might have been like for soldiers spending Christmas on the front line—considering the harsh conditions, the mixed feelings they experienced, and the significance of the brief moments of peace and humanity during the war.
Date: 9th Dec 2025 @ 12:31pm
In Maths, Year 5 have been learning how to compare fractions with both the same and different denominators. The children have learned that when the denominators are the same, the fractions can be compared easily. However, when the denominators are different, we need to analyse the fractions more carefully. Sometimes we use our knowledge of equivalent fractions to help, and other times we reason about the size of the fractions. For example, 4/6 is greater than one half, so it must be larger than 2/9. We then looked at how we would order and compare fractions when the numerators are the same!
Year 5 - PSHE - Personal Hygiene
Date: 5th Dec 2025 @ 2:04pm
In our Year 5 practical lesson on personal hygiene, we explored the many ways we can keep ourselves clean and healthy. We began by creating a colourful spider diagram to organise ideas such as handwashing, brushing our teeth, showering regularly, and wearing clean clothes. Then, in small groups, we acted out different hygiene habits without speaking, while the rest of the class tried to guess what we were demonstrating. It was a fun, active way to understand why looking after ourselves is important for our own wellbeing and for the people around us.
Date: 4th Dec 2025 @ 12:18pm
In Science, Year 5 have been learning about dissolving, filtering and the difference between a solution and a mixture. As part of their experiments, they investigated what happens when soil, sand, and salt are added to water. They observed that salt dissolves in water to form a solution, while soil and sand do not dissolve. The class then practiced filtering, using a filter to separate the sand from the water, demonstrating how mixtures can be separated using physical methods. Through these activities, the students are gaining a better understanding of solutions, mixtures, and practical scientific techniques.
Date: 4th Dec 2025 @ 12:16pm
In music lessons, Year 5 have been learning about The Magic Flute, a famous opera composed by Mozart. They have been exploring the story and characters, and have been singing songs about Papageno, the cheerful bird-catcher, including the well-known tune “Papageno, Papagena.” Through this, the students are not only practicing their singing skills but also learning about opera, musical storytelling, and characterisation.
Date: 26th Nov 2025 @ 12:54pm
This half term we have been learning how to say different pets in French. Working collaboratively with partners we have developed our ability to introduce ourselves discussing what pets we do and do not have. This is building on our previous learning in school. We are going to continue to build our confidence as we move on through this half term.
