Staincliffe CE Junior School

Year 5

Year Group Leader - Miss Thomas (5T)

Teachers - Miss Thomas (5T), Mr Daji (5D), Mrs M Patel (Mon, Tues & Fri) & Mrs Ravat (Wed - Fri) (5/6PR)

Teaching Assistants - Mrs Zaman, Mrs Sheikh, Mrs T Patel and Mrs Jasat

Below is the SPRING TERM overview - this covers everything that your child will be working on throughout the spring term in Year 5. 

For the full year overview of all subjects covered across this year group, please click on the Long Term Plan link below:

Year 5 Long Term Plan 2025 - 2026

PARENTS' OVERVIEW - SPRING TERM 2025/26 (downloadable doc)

 

SPRING TERM 2026

Maths

During Spring term year 5 children will learn about:

• Negative Numbers
• Long multiplication, square and cube numbers
• Adding and subtracting fractions
• Calculating with fractions
• Reflections and translations
• Line and comparative graphs
• Mass
• Capacity
• Adding and subtracting with mass and capacity
• Multiplication & Division including prime numbers
• Roman Numerals

Year 5 follow a progressive approach to maths where children are provided with experience of mathematical concepts in blocks of one or two weeks. Children will revisit these concepts throughout the year to ensure they have mastered the knowledge and understanding taught.  We encourage the children to be independent learners in maths and utilise their Maths Toolkit to support their learning when required.

Literacy

In Literacy over the Spring Term, Year 5 will be looking at two texts. We will begin with a discursive writing unit - with a focus on stories from other cultures – ‘The Pied Piper’. Following this unit, children will write a letter of complaint linked also to the ‘Pied Piper’, where children will have the opportunity to voice their opinions in formal writing. Children will spend the remaining part of spring term reading Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo where children will develop their writing in role skills.

PE Physical Education

5T and 5-6PR will continue with their swimming lessons until February half term. Afterwards they will be developing their cognitive skills as part of their PE curriculum. They will learn to develop methods to outwit opponents, recognise and suggest patterns of play to increase their chances of success and learn how to develop their own work as well as helping others with theirs. They will do this through various small team games involving throwing and catching balls where they will work collaboratively by catching, dodging and throwing to earn points in the games. As well as this, children will be taking part in various level challenges to help improve their ball skills and co-ordination.

5D will begin spring term by developing their social skills as part of their PE curriculum. Through a range of small group activities and games, children will help organise roles and identify responsibilities to help guide each other through a task. They will be expected to develop their cooperation skills with patience and give feedback to each other. After February half term, 5D will attend swimming every week at Batley Sports and Tennis Centre where specialist swimming teachers will teach the children to swim. More information to follow.

Science

Year 5 will begin spring term learning about Earth and Space. This unit gives the children the opportunity to star-gaze by learning more about the Earth and the celestial bodies in our solar system. Starting with an exploration of each plant – from Mercury to Neptune – this unit then explores how scientific ideas surrounding Earth’s movement and placement have changed over time. Children will complete an assortment of fascinating Mission Assignments – such as making a papier-mâché model of the solar system – to deepen their understanding of the Moon, time zones and the night and day cycle.

Our second unit – ‘Changes of Materials’ takes children through six lessons where they learn how to: describe how to recover a substance from a solution; demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes; and finally, they will learn how to explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.

Music

In Music this term, all learning is focused around one song: Livin’ On A Prayer. The material presents an integrated approach to music where games, the dimensions of music (pulse, rhythm, and pitch), singing and playing instruments are all linked. As well as learning to sing, play, improvise and compose with this song, children will listen and appraise other classic rock songs.

MFL Modern Foreign Languages  (French)

In French this term the children will be transported into Space, linking with their Science work, developing their scientific vocabulary as well as their grammar. Pupils will develop their listening and language detective skills, using figurative language and develop their sentence structure by adding adjectives, using prepositions and making simple adjectival comparisons.

Computing

Spreadsheets

 This unit builds on children's existing spreadsheet knowledge and challenges them to apply it in increasingly realistic situations. Through measurement conversions, graphing, weather analysis, budgeting, and planning a holiday, children learn how spreadsheets support real-world decision-making and problem-solving.

Game Creator

Children will be learning about computer games and what makes a ‘good’ one before using this knowledge to create their own. They will design a setting and characters for their game, then select appropriate actions to increase playability. Children will learn how to write clear instructions to allow others to play their game. They will evaluate their own and peers’ games to help improve their games in the future.

PSHE Personal Social Health Economic Education

Our spring 1 unit is called Dreams and Goals where children will compare hopes and dreams with those of young people from different cultures. They will reflect on these hopes and dreams and explain how they make them feel.

Our spring 2 unit is called Healthy Me where children will learn about the different roles that food and substances can play in people’s lives. They will also learn about how people can develop eating problems (disorders) relating to body image pressures and how smoking and alcohol misuse is unhealthy. Children will learn to respect their body.

RE Religious Education

Over the spring term, we will be exploring the question: What do Hindu people believe about God?

This unit of work focuses on Hindu belief in God and how Hindu people worship in different ways at home and in the Mandir. Children will have the opportunity to identify similarities and differences in belief and worship in different traditions in Hindu Dharma and compare these to other beliefs.

Art and Design

During spring children will be developing their drawing skills by completing a unit of work titled ‘I Need Space’.

Children will explore the purpose and impact from the ‘Space race’ era of the 1950’s and 60’s; developing independence and decision-making using open-ended experimental processes – combining drawing and collagraph printmaking to create a futuristic image!

DT Design Technology

Children will be learning about mechanical systems to create a pop-up book. Children will create a functional four-page pop-up storybook design, using levers, sliders, layers and spacers to create paper-based mechanisms.

History

History is not taught this term due to two units of Geography. History will begin again in Summer term.

Geography

Our ‘big question’ for spring term 1 term is ‘What is life like in the Alps?’

Year 5 will consider the climate of mountain ranges and why people choose to visit the Alps; focusing on Innsbruck and looking at the human and physical features that attract tourists; investigating tourism in the local area and mapping recreational land use; presenting findings to compare the Alps to the children’s own locality

Children will end spring term with the big question: Why does population change?

Children will be investigating why certain parts of the world are more populated than others; exploring birth and death rates; discussing social, economic and environmental push and pull factors and finally learning about the population in Britain and its impacts. Children will also have the opportunity to complete a local area (field work) walk where they will investigate the effect population has in our community.

Spelling

We follow a spelling programme provided by Spelling Shed. Children can then use the website to practise their weekly spellings choosing the level of support they need. Children will be given a weekly spelling test to consolidate their spellings.

The children can then use the website to practice their weekly spellings choosing the level of support they need. Each child in Year 5 has a copy of the spelling lists in their school book bag. They will be given a weekly spelling test to consolidate their spellings.

Homework

Every week, Year 5 children will be given homework on Friday (due in the following Wednesday):

• be given a maths activity, either linked to their learning that week or revisiting a previously taught skill
• be expected to read their reading book and get their reading record signed x3 weekly
• play on TTRockstars and Spelling Shed
• learn their weekly spellings (each week has a different list focus that the children have been practising in school that week)

Each term, Year 5 children will:

• be set their black book homework tasks. They need to choose AT LEAST 3 activities to complete which will be shared with with their class and teacher. It could include art work, writing, computer presentations, 3D models, posters etc. 

Spring:

This is your chance to show off what you can do! Choose at least 3 activities from the list below to complete over the term and during the half term holidays (due in on Monday 16th March).

You are going to share all your homework with your class mates and teacher. It could include art work, writing, computer presentations, 3D models, posters etc. You will have to explain to the class what you have done.