In Year 5, children build further on the knowledge and skills developed in earlier years, deepening and extending their understanding across the curriculum. Through carefully planned lessons and purposeful learning experiences, pupils become increasingly confident, independent and reflective in speaking, listening, reading, writing and mathematics, while developing a broader and more secure understanding of the world around them.

A strong emphasis is placed on developing rich and ambitious vocabulary, enabling children to express their ideas clearly, engage in thoughtful discussion and make meaningful links across different areas of learning.

Throughout the year, children explore a range of engaging and challenging topics, supported by a variety of high-quality texts that inspire and enhance their learning. They continue to develop their creativity through art, music and design technology, as well as through practical and hands-on learning opportunities that encourage curiosity and problem-solving.

Talking to your child regularly about their learning remains extremely important. Encouraging them to use new vocabulary, explain their thinking, discuss texts they are reading and recall prior learning helps to strengthen memory, build confidence and deepen understanding. Even short conversations at home can have a significant impact on children’s language development and progress across the curriculum.

In Year 5, children continue to develop the key skills needed across all areas of learning, building on the strong foundations established in Lower Key Stage 2. We aim to nurture confident readers, thoughtful and ambitious writers, and resilient mathematicians through engaging lessons, purposeful learning experiences and high expectations for all.

We know that children make the best progress when school and home work together. The support children receive at home continues to play a vital role in developing their independence, confidence and success in the classroom as they take increasing responsibility for their learning.

Reading

Reading remains a priority at Phoenix and is central to learning across the curriculum. In Year 5, children further develop their fluency, comprehension and critical thinking skills through regular reading and exposure to a wide range of high-quality and increasingly challenging texts.

Children are encouraged to:

• Read at home at least 3–4 times each week
• Bring their reading books and reading records to school regularly
• Discuss vocabulary and explore the meaning of new and unfamiliar words
• Share their ideas, opinions and predictions about what they read

At this stage, there is a stronger focus on deeper comprehension skills, including inference, summarising and justifying opinions using evidence from the text. Regular reading at home continues to have a significant impact. Listening to your child read, discussing texts and exploring vocabulary together all help to strengthen understanding and confidence.

Useful website to support reading at home:

• Oxford Owl

Writing

In Year 5, children continue to develop their writing skills by writing with greater depth, precision and control across a wide range of genres and purposes. They are encouraged to write with increasing independence, stamina and creativity.

Children are encouraged to:

• Use a wide range of punctuation accurately (including brackets, commas and speech punctuation)
• Organise writing into clear, well-structured paragraphs
• Use ambitious and varied vocabulary effectively
• Plan, draft, edit and refine their work to improve clarity and impact

We celebrate children’s creativity, individuality and growing confidence as writers, encouraging them to take pride in their work and develop their own voice.

Maths

In maths, children continue to strengthen their fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills through engaging and structured lessons.

At Phoenix, we follow the White Rose Maths approach, supporting children in deepening their understanding step by step. Mathematical discussion remains a key focus, enabling children to explain their thinking clearly and make connections across concepts.

Throughout Year 5, children develop confidence with:

• Place value and number knowledge (including larger numbers)
• Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Fractions, decimals and percentages
• Measures, shape and properties, and time
• Mathematical vocabulary and reasoning

As children progress through Year 5, there is an increasing emphasis on applying skills to more complex problems and developing efficient strategies.

We encourage children to practise maths in everyday situations at home. Activities such as practising times tables, working with money, telling the time or solving real-life problems can support fluency, build confidence and foster a positive attitude towards maths.

At Phoenix, we believe learning extends beyond the classroom. In Year 5, children benefit from a wide range of opportunities to further develop their confidence, independence, resilience and curiosity through enriching experiences both in and beyond school.

Throughout the year, children will have opportunities to:

• Take part in educational visits and welcome visitors into school
• Develop confidence through discussion, presentations and sharing ideas
• Learn through practical, hands-on experiences and enquiry-based learning
• Explore the Phoenix values through assemblies, classroom learning and everyday interactions
• Build strong friendships, resilience and independence as they progress through Key Stage 2

Children also take part in:

• PE lessons and a wide range of physical activities
• Music and creative arts opportunities
• Thrive sessions and wellbeing support
• OPAL play opportunities
• Special themed weeks, celebrations and enrichment days

As part of the wider curriculum, Year 5 pupils take part in a variety of engaging visits and experiences linked to their learning, including:

• Visits to Storybarn and other reading events to promote a love of reading, support the study of high-quality texts and develop vocabulary and comprehension skills
• Practical cooking sessions led by Food for Thought, helping children to develop essential life skills and an understanding of healthy eating
• A hands-on project to help set up and maintain a hydroponic farm in the classroom, supporting learning in science and sustainability while encouraging responsibility and teamwork
• Outdoor learning and enquiry-based activities to develop key skills in science and geography, including environmental awareness

These experiences help to bring learning to life, deepen children’s understanding of the world and create lasting memories, while supporting the development of the knowledge and skills they need to succeed both in and beyond the classroom.