Welcome to Year 5

As children progress through Key Stage 2, Year 5 offers an exciting opportunity to deepen their knowledge, develop critical thinking, and enhance their leadership skills. It’s also a time for pupils to take on greater responsibilities, building confidence and preparing them for the challenges of Year 6 and beyond.

Upcoming events for Year 5

Here’s what you’ve got to look forward to over the next few weeks.

Wear Yellow For World Mental Health Day
Fri 10th Oct
Wear Red For ‘Show Racism The Red Card’ Day
Fri 17th Oct

Autumn Curriculum Letter

Important information about this half term.

Download it here

INSET Days for this term are:

  • Monday 1st September
  • Tuesday 2nd September
  • Wednesday 3rd September

The first day back for pupils after the summer break is Thursday 4th September 2025.

The first day back after half term for pupils is Monday 3rd November 2025.

 

Bank Holidays – 2025/26

Christmas Day: Thursday 25th December 2025

Boxing Day: Friday 26th December 2025

New Year’s Day: Thursday 1st January 2026

Term Dates
Start Monday, 1st September
End Friday, 19th December
Half Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 27th October
End Friday, 31st October
End of Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 22nd December
End Friday, 2nd January

INSET Days for this term are:

  • Monday 5th January

Pupils should not attend school on this day.

Tower Hamlets has advised the provisional date of Friday 20th March 2026 for school closures for the celebration of Eid Ul-Fitr.

The first day back after the Christmas holidays for pupils is Tuesday 6th January 2026.

The first day back after the February half term for pupils is Monday 23rd February 2026.

Bank Holidays

Good Friday: Friday 3rd April 2026

Easter Monday: Monday 6th April 2026

May Bank Holiday: Monday 4th May 2026

Term Dates
Start Monday, 5th January
End Friday, 27th March
Half Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 16th February
End Friday, 20th February
End of Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 30th March
End Friday, 10th April

The first day back for pupils after the Easter holidays is Monday 13th April 2026.

The first day back after May half term for pupils is Monday 1st June 2026.

Tower Hamlets has advised the provisional date of Wednesday 27th May 2026 for school closures for the celebration of Eid Ul-Adha.

 

Bank Holidays

Good Friday: Friday 3rd April 2026

Spring Bank Holiday: Monday 25th May 2026

Summer Bank Holiday: Monday 31st August 2026

Term Dates
Start Monday, 13th April
End Tuesday, 21st July
Half Term Holiday Dates
Start Monday, 25th May
End Friday, 29th May

Year 5 Curriculum

Art and Design / DT / Food and Nutrition

At KS1 and KS2 we follow a two year sequence:

2024/2025 and 2026/2027

Autumn 1 – Textiles – batik

Autumn 2 – Painting

Spring 1 – Mechanical Systems: Pneumatics

Spring 2 – Collage

Summer 1 – Portraits, including mixed media

Summer 2 – Food Technology

 

2025/2026

Autumn 1 – Printing

Autumn 2 – 3D: Metal

Spring 1 – Electrical Systems

Spring 2 – Mechanica | Systems (axles and wheels)

Summer 1 – Portraits, including mixed media

Summer 2 – Structures

Computing

Each year through KS1-2 we cycle through the following units at increasing depth:

  1. Productivity
  2. Programming
  3. Computational Thinking
  4. Creativity
  5. Networks
  6. Communication/collaboration
English

Reading to Learn

Once children have been carefully assessed as having met the requirements of the phonics program, they should be able to decode any age appropriate text. At this point, children move onto our ‘Paradigm Literacy and Language’ program.

The program allocates 3 weeks to ‘fiction writing’ such as stories and poetry, one week to ‘journalistic writing’ such as biographies and non chronological reports and 2 weeks to a ‘non fiction writing’ program in which specialist teachers across the Trust have worked together to create and provide high quality texts in The Humanities and The Sciences.

Geography

Children in Year 5 learn about the following subjects:

The living world

  • Biomes
  • Hot and cold climates
  • Rainforests

The economic world

  • Food, water and energy
  • The changing economic world
  • Tourism and ecotourism
  • Case study: Cambridge
History

We cover 2 topics a year for History in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. In Year 5 we take an in-depth study on the Significance of the Tudors, then Compare and Contrast Islamic World and Medieval Christendom.

Mathematics

Our school uses Maths Mastery to teach the subject.

In Year 5 we cover:

  • Reasoning with large whole integers
  • Integer addition and subtraction
  • Line graphs and times tables
  • Multiplication and division
  • Perimeter and area
Modern Foreign Languages

We study Spanish at Key Stage 2, through a system called Early Start Spanish Programme.

Music

Autumn 1 – Rock

Autumn 2 – Big Band / Swing

Spring 1 – Piano Music

Spring 2 – Opera

Summer 1 – Indian Raga

Summer 2 – Reflect, Rewind and Replay

PE
  • Striking / fielding (e.g. rounders, cricket)
  • Gymnastics
  • Invasion Games (e.g. hockey, netball, football)
  • Athletics
  • Swimming
  • Dance
Religious and Non-religious Worldviews (RE)

We follow a 3-year cycle (see below) covering the major world religions as well as  worldviews.

The programme is designed so that each previously taught religion is reviewed and comparisons are drawn between the content. Over 6 years, each child will have studied each identified religion/non-religion twice, studying in greater depth and making connections between religions.

Pupils are taught key substantive knowledge for each religion and worldview and each lesson is broken down into one of 3 disciplines: Theology, Philosophy and Human/Social Science.

2024-2025: Christianity and Islam
2025-2026: Judaism and Humanism
2026-2027: Hinduism and Sikhism

Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE – please contact the principal if you wish to explore this as an option.

RSHE and PSHE

The Paradigm primary schools follow the Jigsaw programme.

From September 2019 we have allocated 45 minutes per week to PSHE at KS1 and KS2.

  • Being Me in My World
  • Celebrating Difference
  • Dreams and Goals
  • Healthy Me
  • Relationships
  • Changing Me
Science

We teach Science on a two year cycle.

25/26 and 27/28

Autumn 1 – Animals including Humans

Autumn 2 – States of Matter

Spring 1 – Plants

Spring 2 – Electricity and Energy

Summer 1 – Living Things and Their Habitats

Summer 2 – Environmental Issues

 

26/27 and 28/29

Autumn 1 – Earth and Space

Autumn 2 – Living Things and their Habitats and Classification

Spring 1 – Rocks / Evolution, Inheritance and Fossils

Spring 2 – Forces and Magnets

Summer 1 – Properties of Materials

Summer 2 – Light and Sound

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to know about Homework and Reading?