Welcome to Year 5 

Autumn Term 2026 

Staff:

Mrs Cunnife is the teacher of Falcons

Mr Atton if the teacher of Eagles.

Mr Darby, Ms Liberti and Mr Read support in Year 5               

Topic:

Land Wars: Anglo Saxons vs Vikings

Get ready to travel back in time to an era of fierce battles, heroic kings, and vast ocean voyages in our Autumn term topic, Land Wars: Anglo-Saxons vs Vikings! Year 5 will step into the shoes of early medieval warriors, exploring why these two legendary groups fought so fiercely for control of Britain. Throughout the term, we will unravel the mysteries of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, decipher ancient runes, and discover how legendary figures like King Alfred the Great helped shape the nation we live in today. We will then brave the stormy seas alongside Norse raiders, examining Viking longships, trade routes, and everyday life beyond the battlefield. 

English:

In English this term, we will be diving into two captivating texts using our Ready Steady Write framework to inspire some powerful writing! Before half term, we will embark on a mythical adventure with Joe Todd-Stanton’s Arthur and the Golden Rope, where children will master storytelling techniques to craft their own thrilling heroic narrative before creating an engaging, detail-packed information guide. After the October hlaf term, we turn to the thought-provoking and beautifully illustrated The Promise by Nicola Davies. Through this rich text, children will explore deep themes of transformation as they work toward writing an evocative character narrative and an persuasive bargain letter.

Spellings:

The children will receive weekly spelling homework on Spelling Shed linked to the spelling patterns they are learning in class. In addition, the children should learn the National Curriculum spelling lists for Y5/6 which we will give out at the start of the year. Children are expected to learn one column of spellings per half term and will require help and support at home to ensure the children achieve well. Ideally this should happen weekly - little and often - to enable the children to master the spelling of all of the words. We realise that some of these spellings may appear quite demanding, but every child in the
country has to be proficient in the spelling of these relevant age-related words. (See attached list)

Reading

One of the key priorities on our return to school will be to support children with their reading. It is crucial to children’s development that they are reading regularly. As a minimum, all children are asked to read at least 3 times a week, for at least half an hour, as part of their weekly homework and have it signed in their Reading Record by an adult. These will be checked by their class teacher weekly. Children should tell their teacher when they need to change their book and they will complete an Accelerated Reader quiz in school. Children will be able to change library books during the school day.

Times Tables 

Fluency in multiplication remains a top priority in Year 5, so we will be continuing our daily push to master our times tables! Swift recall of these key facts builds the foundation for so much of our maths learning this year. Every child will continue to have their own login to TTRS. We encourage children to log in regularly at home to earn rock status, heat up the leaderboards, and become true times table rock legends!

PE Timetables

PE sessions will take place for children in Year 5 and 6 on a Thursday (tbc) with Mr Darby and the PE Team and all children need to come to school dressed in their PE kit at this time. As always, the weather can be very changeable so always send your child in with the appropriate PE uniform including a waterproof jacket/coat (please refer to the school PE uniform policy on our website for guidance). May we remind you that all uniform should be labelled to avoid any confusion and missing kit.

Fitness Friday
We will continue to come to school dressed in our PE kits on Fridays, as we have a focus on keeping active and healthy. Prepare for an active and enjoyable day of learning!

Homework

Details will be given each week as to the content/type of each homework. 

CGP Books will be available to use for homework at the earliest opportunity. 

As preparation for transition towards high school, children may be asked to complete homework in lunchtimes if it is not completed at home.

Please note that Google Classroom will used as our main homework portal. All homework will be listed in Google Classroom even if external websites are used.

Spelling Shed can also be used to practice the Year 5/6 Summer 3 and 4 Spelling List.

Useful Links

Google Classroom - classroom.google.com/a/elworthce.cheshire.sch.uk

AR Bookfinder - http://www.arbookfind.co.uk/

Times table Rock Stars - https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth

Maths/Spelling Shed - https://www.edshed.com/en-gb/menu

If you have any further questions or queries about life in Year 5, please arrange to speak with your child's class teacher.

Thank you for your continuing support,
Mrs Cunniffe and Mr Atton