Welcome to Kestrels Class! 🦅

A very warm welcome to the Kestrels class page and also to Year 5! We’re so excited to welcome your children into class and have such a wonderful year ahead planned for them.

If you ever have any questions, please feel welcome to chat with us at drop-off or pick-up or send a quick note to the school office.

Below is an overview of the topics and subjects we will be exploring together this term.

What We Are Learning This Term

• English: We will be diving into some wonderful texts, including 'The Book of Hopes', 'The Ice Bear' and '101 Things to do to become a Superhero' as well as writing a persuasive text inspired by the RSPB. Through these, the children will learn to write their own engaging stories, create their own superhero and choose a topic of their own to write a persuasive letter about. We'll also be helping the children build strong writing foundations – focusing on comfortable pen control, clear letter formation and crafting full, accurate sentences.

• Maths: In Maths, we’ll be exploring place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions. Regular practise with times tables and number bonds at home will give your child a huge boost with these topics.

• Reading: We start whole-class reading with Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill, following the legendary 1914 Antarctic expedition, before heading to Ancient Egypt with Emma Carroll’s mystery Secrets of a Sun King. Together, these books will boost the children's reading comprehension, expand their vocabulary and explore how authors build suspense and atmosphere.

• Science: In Science, we’re stepping into the shoes of iconic thinkers like Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei to explore the world of forces. Through hands-on experiments, the children will investigate gravity, mass, weight and friction.

• History: This term, we’re exploring two fascinating eras in history. In the first half-term, we travel back to the 8th century to discover the Round City of Baghdad and its famous House of Wisdom, where scholars preserved history and made huge discoveries. In the second half-term, we move on to Anglo-Saxon Britain, learning about land and sea attacks, the kingdom of Mercia and the amazing treasures found at Sutton Hoo.

• Geography: We’re diving into two big global topics! In the first half-term, we ask: Why is California so thirsty? The children will investigate drought, water-hungry crops like almonds, and giant engineering projects like the California Aqueduct. In the second half-term, we turn our focus to Oceans, exploring our seas, global trade routes and how climate change is affecting ocean life.

• Religious Education: In the first half term, we look at Stories of the Prophets, learning about faith, trust and perseverance through stories like the Great Flood, Ibrahim and Musa. In the second half term, we discover Living Muslim Traditions, following Amira in her ancient city to learn about the Five Pillars, the Ten Obligatory Acts and Hajj.

• Design & Technology: In DT we are entering the kitchen! Exploring Middle Eastern and Danish cuisine, the children will learn what different cultures can teach us about healthy, balanced diets. They’ll roll up their sleeves to bake traditional flatbreads from scratch and master essential culinary techniques to craft some delicious dishes.

• French: The children will continue to develop their language skills, focusing on French phonics, vocabulary and grammar.

Important Weekly Reminders

• PE Days: Our PE days are Mondays (outdoor PE) and Thursdays (swimming) this term. Children can come to school wearing PE kits on Monday. On Thursdays, children are to wear uniforms to school and bring swimming kits with them. 

If you ever have any questions or queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us!