Diving Below Zero in Year 5 Maths
This week in Year 5 maths we have begun our new unit on negative numbers, and the children have already shown great curiosity as they explored what happens when numbers drop below zero. We discussed real-life examples such as temperatures, lifts travelling underground, and money in a bank account to help the class understand how the number line continues past zero into negative values. The children practised counting forwards and backwards through zero, comparing and ordering negative numbers, and creating change stories with negative values. It has been brilliant to see so many children challenging themselves and explaining their reasoning with growing confidence.
Help at home: ask your child to explain how the number line works when it goes below zero and challenge them to give you a real-life example of a negative number.
Anti-Bullying Week
On Monday, children in year 5/6 came in odd socks. By wearing odd socks we celebrate individuality and inclusion while standing together.
The theme from the Anti-Bullying Alliance is Power for Good. We’ve looked at the roles around bullying and learned about the 6 roles involved in bullying:
- ringleader
- assistant
- reinforcer
- bystander or outsider
- target
- defender
PE: gymnastics
Gymnastics is giving the children a chance to try a totally different sport this half term. They’ve been exploring different ways that they can travel around the hall using different parts of their bodies. This had to be done with confidence and control. We extended this further by introducing hoops and balls which they then had to incorporate into their sequence of movement. We then moved onto introducing equipment to their routines. A bench allowed the children to incorporate a balance into their routines and some groups challenged themselves by turning the bench upside down to make their balance even trickier. We talked about how to stay safe in gymnastics by removing our shoes and socks, carrying equipment safely and giving each other plenty of space. It was quite tricky to photograph their great routines but here’s a couple of the best.
Key Stage 2 – Penny Trail
UPDATE!
A total of £76.48 was raised. Thank you!
Today, KS2 enjoyed creating a penny trail using the money that was kindly donated to support the Willow Foundation.
Thank you to everyone who contributed.
We will announce next week how much money was raised.
Blasting Off Into Space Learning
This half term in science, we will be exploring ideas and theories about space, thinking about what we already know, what scientists have discovered over time and how our understanding of the universe has changed. Through discussion, research and questioning, we will start to build our own ideas about the cosmos and our place within it. It is an exciting science unit full of curiosity, imagination and big questions – we are over the moon to get started!
Help at home: ask your child about the new science vocabulary.
JLT
Say hello to our fantastic new Junior Leadership Team. We had our first meeting today where we discussed potential school charities for this academic year. We look forward to announcing our chosen charity this Friday during our Golden assemblies.
Key Stage 1
Lower Key Stage 2
Upper Key Stage 2
Do you have a child due to start primary school in 2026?
A video and FAQ’s are available for more support and guidance with applications.
Money, money, money!
This weeks themed week is all about money and so far, it’s been a great week. We started the week learning about different types of bank accounts and which ones were the best for saving and gaining interest on your money. We also became thrifty shoppers when we looked at the unit price of goods in a supermarket. The children had to calculate which products offered the best value for money. They noticed that sometimes buying the larger product, offered the consumer better value for money.
Don’t forget to collect your 1ps and 2ps in readiness for Friday when we’ll be creating a money trail around the playground to raise money for our school charity.
Training day – Arty Ideas!
We thought you’d enjoy hearing a little about what went on during our recent teacher training day! Part of the day was dedicated to developing our art knowledge and skills with our resident art teacher, Mrs Boulton.
Teachers got hands-on with paints, pastels and even soap! There was plenty of colour, laughter, and even a bit of friendly competition as we experimented with new techniques and ideas for upcoming art lessons.
The rest of the day focussed on other important areas too, including maths and inclusion. It was a full, productive day – and we left feeling ready and excited for the next half-term!
Wonderful writing!
This week, we’ve been completing a piece of writing based on ‘The eye of the storm’. This is a video that captures an airship entering into the eye of a storm and a very mysterious character piloting it. The children used the video as inspiration to write their own setting and character description pieces. They had to create a particular mood, use expanded noun phrases and even include some figurative language.
Help at home: Watch the video again with your child. Ask them about the vocabulary they included in their descriptions.