At the Leeds United v West Ham game at Elland Road, our very own Libby had the incredible opportunity to be a matchday mascot! In front of a crowd of 36,000 fans, Libby proudly walked out onto the pitch alongside Leeds United’s captain, Ethan Ampadu. It was a truly unforgettable experience! Well done, Libby — we are all so proud of you!

On Wednesday 5th November, eleven Year 5 pupils had the exciting opportunity to attend the Children’s University at Leeds Trinity University’s city campus for the day. The Bank of England delivered three engaging workshops, helping the children to develop their understanding of the economy, the value of money, and even design their very own banknotes. As an added bonus, the pupils were given a tour of the fifth floor, which is set up as a realistic court, interview room, and custody cell — part of the university’s Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship programme. It was a wonderful and inspiring day full of learning, creativity, and new experiences!

Our Geography display showcases the amazing work we have been doing on The Amazon Rainforest. We began by locating the lines of longitude and latitude and identifying where different biomes are found in relation to these. Using atlases, we explored the countries of South America and their capital cities, before diving deeper into the fascinating four layers of the rainforest to discover which plants and animals live there. This half term, we will continue our exploration by learning more about why the Amazon is so important to our planet and investigating the impact of deforestation on this vital ecosystem.

Today we ditched our school uniforms to wear something that celebrated our heritage! This could be traditional clothing from a particular country, colours linked to a place of heritage, or shades representing an important flag. Year 5 was glowing with colour and pride! The children loved talking about their outfits and sharing the stories behind them — it was wonderful to see such enthusiasm and cultural pride throughout the day.

Another action-packed day...We started the day with several children proudly presenting their fantastic home learning projects about their cultures and heritages. It was so impressive to see the time, effort, and creativity they had put into their work! Next, we explored our wonderful county of Yorkshire, sharing our favourite places and finding them on a map. In the afternoon, we let our artistic sides shine by using oil pastels to create our own interpretations of our national flowers — and the results were absolutely stunning!

What a delicious day! Year 5 brought in food from their cultures and heritage for everyone to taste and enjoy. We loved trying dishes from around the world and discovered lots of new flavours (and favourites!) along the way. It was a wonderful celebration of our diverse community — and a real feast for the senses! Thank you to our families who provided food for us to share in class.

We were also thrilled to welcome Burley Banksey — a talented street artist from Leeds — to spend the afternoon creating art with us. The children loved learning about street art techniques and expressing themselves through bold colours and creative designs. It was an unforgettable workshop that sparked lots of imagination and excitement!

Today we explored our local area of Beeston and learned how it has changed over time. We looked at old photos, compared them to how Beeston looks today, and even predicted what it might look like in 100 years! We also studied Leeds and its famous landmarks, marking them on a map, before looking more widely at Yorkshire and the images that represent our county. To finish, we created a beautiful collage of the Yorkshire Rose to celebrate our local heritage.

We had a fantastic day at Tropical World! In the morning, we joined a rainforest workshop, learning about the animals, plants, and resources of the rainforest and comparing them to our native forests. We also took part in exciting activities in the native woodland, using scientific skills to age trees and hunt for native wildlife. In the afternoon, we explored Tropical World, spotting colourful birds, reptiles, and other tropical creatures up close. It was a fun and hands-on learning experience for everyone!

This term, Year 5 are reading The Explorer by Katherine Rundell. The story follows four children who are stranded in the Amazon rainforest after a plane crash. Together, they must learn how to survive, face challenges, and uncover the secrets of the jungle. It’s an exciting adventure story that sparks lots of discussion about resilience, teamwork, and discovery.

Year 5 had a fantastic time during their first workshop with Dagmar from the Northern Ballet's RISE project, following their recent trip to The Grand Theatre to watch Merlin. The session introduced pupils to traditional ballet terminology and explored how tempo and musical dynamics influence movement and expression. Pupils were captivated as they stepped into the role of Merlin, using their bodies to express how he might protect his magic as his emotions shifted. The workshop was an inspiring and creative follow-up to the performance, bringing storytelling to life through dance.

Year 5 enjoyed taking part in the Macmillan Coffee Afternoon. We were delighted to welcome some of our family members to join us for a coffee and a bun while supporting this wonderful cause. It was a lovely opportunity to come together, share a treat, and raise money for charity.

Our class enjoyed an exciting taster afternoon at Mount St Mary’s, where we took part in a range of engaging lessons. In science, we experimented with testing acids and alkalis, before heading to a lively and competitive PE session. We also joined a history debating lesson, practising how to share our opinions clearly and confidently. It was a fun and memorable afternoon full of learning and new experiences!

On Thursday 18th September, Year 5 had the delight of attending a Northern Ballet performance of 'Merlin' at The Grand Theatre, Leeds. This launched their participation in Northern Ballet's RISE project which will involve weekly dance lessons with a Community Dance Artist and focus on four different ballets: Merlin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. All the children were impeccably behaved and were amazed by the incredible dancing, music, puppetry and costumes! 

Year 5 settled into the new school year brilliantly! Lots of smiling faces excited to catch up with friends and find their way around a new classroom! We jumped straight into our new art topic in the afternoon looking at starting points in the design process. We immersed ourselves in the sights and sounds of the rainforest, creating a series of drawings, and forming our ideas into a mood board!

 Welcome to Year 5! 

 First of all, we would like to say a huge welcome back to school; we hope you all had a wonderful rest and are ready for a busy and exciting year in Year 5. We are really looking forward to teaching you again and helping you shine brightly every single day.

 We hope you are ready because Year 5 is going to be an adventure: we have so many exciting topics, challenges and opportunities ahead of us in the coming months. A Rainforest Adventure, Space Exploration and The Ancient Greeks are just some of the exciting topics in Year 5, and let's not forget Robinwood! We are looking forward to working together with you to ensure you have a happy and memorable year. 

In order to achieve your potential, we ask for two key things from you: always try your best and believe in yourself. Trust us, if you believe in yourself, anything is possible. Every day is a new day and a challenge! 

You are going to quickly discover just how much we love reading and sharing this passion with you. Our class library is well-stocked and ready for you to dive into to discover a world of adventure and possibility. One of the best pieces of advice we can give to you in Year 5 is read, read and then read a little bit more.

This half term we are reading…

As you are now in Upper Key Stage 2, there may be times when our class text is sent home to read set chapters. This is a fantastic opportunity to share our class text with your family.

Suggested Reads this half term:

If you are enjoying the Explorer by Katherine Rundell (which we know you will!) why not try one of these texts at home:

Please make use of local libraries to borrow these for free!

Year 5's learning will be supported by several members of staff who are all excited to enrich your child's education, but will be primarily supported by Mrs Barton, Mrs Nicholson and Mrs Caley. If you ever wish to speak about your child's learning and time in Year 5, please feel free to ask.

We encourage you to take the time to read our Autumn curriculum newsletter. This is available on our class page (and will be every half term), and a paper copy will be shared in the first week back. This outlines PE days, key dates for the half term, along with activities, research and additional reads which will all enhance your child’s time in Year 5.

 Remember, the classroom is yours. Please share any ideas you have with us - we would love to hear them! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Mrs Barton and Mrs Nicholson