Year Group Hubs

Welcome to

Year Five

Access information about your child's learning, contact the team and keep up-to-date with the latest newsletters and letters home from The Belham

Learning, dates and more
Jennifer Hill
Year Five Teacher and Science Subject Leader
Benjamin Atkinson
Year Five Teacher
Christina Saullo
Year 5 Teacher (Maternity Leave)

Useful things to know and reminders from the team

PE Days are Monday and Friday.

Our Music Day is Thursday.

Homework is Reading, Spelling Shed and Times Time Rockstars. These are checked weekly.

Explore what we're learning this term below...

The Adventures of Odysseus by Hugh Lupton

Complemented by our History topic. 

  • Writing a setting description 
  • Non-chronological report writing
  • Balanced argument
  • Poetry and performance

Spring 2

High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson 

  • Non-fiction news report writing and presentation
  • Extended narrative writing including dialogue 

This term, we are studying the following texts for a range of purposes:

Summer 1

The British by Benjamin Zephaniah

  • Exploration of the different styles and purposes of poetry
  • Creation and performance of slam poems 

The Boy At The Back of The Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

  • Persuasive letter to the Home Secretary
  • Creating an extended narrative through character development

Guided Reading: The Boy At The Back of The Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

Summer 2

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan

  • Instructional writing
  • Newspaper report writing

Guided Reading: Clockwork by Philip Pullman

  • Number and Place Value: Reading, writing, comparing and rounding to 1,000,000, Roman numerals to 100, and M for 1,000
  • Calculations - Addition and Subtraction: Counting on, counting back, formal column method, regrouping/renaming
  • Calculations - Multiplication and Division: Multiples and factors, prime and composite numbers, square and cubed numbers, multiplication by 10, 100 and 1000. Long and short formal methods including ‘bus stop’ division, with and without remainders.
  • Graphs: Reading tables and line graphs
  • Worded Problems: Solving worded problems including multi-step problems

We use the Maths No Problem scheme of learning which uses a concrete, pictorial, abstract approach. We also incorporate journaling activities where children can ‘show what they know’ and explain how they approach maths problems while developing mental models. The MNP topics for Autumn term will include:


  • Fractions - proper and improper fractions, equivalent fractions, comparing and ordering; adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions.
  • Decimals- writing decimals, reading and writing decimals, comparing, writing fraction and decimal equivalents; adding, subtracting and rounding decimals.
  • Percentages- writing percentages, equivalent fractions, percentages and decimals, comparing proportions using percentages.

Summer 1

  • Geometry - types of angles, measuring and drawing angles, angles on a straight line and at a point, properties of quadrilaterals, angles inside quadrilaterals, polygons (regular and irregular)
  • Position and Movement - Naming and plotting points, translations, reflections including successive reflections 
  • Area and Perimeter - perimeter of rectangles and squares, area of rectangles and squares, perimeter of composite shapes, area of composite shapes, estimating area and drawing to scale

Summer 2

  • Measurements- units of length, mass and volume, imperial and metric units, worded problems involving measurements, temperature 
  • Volume - volume of solids, using cubic units, volume of cuboids, volume of liquids, worded problems involving volume 

Djembe and Recorder Ensemble

Unit Aim - To learn how to make different sounds on the djembe drum, to learn compositions on the recorder and to combine these in whole class ensemble pieces.

Ensemble Composition and Performance

Recorder ensemble

Learn about conventional staff notation and theory - semi quaver, quaver, crotchet, minim, semi breve and the rests for these.

Bar structure and simple time signatures 4/4, ¾ and 2/4.

Bass and treble clef notes.

Create and perform  a piece of music for the ensemble (using any of the forces learnt about in Autumn and Spring).

Ensemble Composition and Performance

Recorder ensemble

Learn about conventional staff notation and theory - semi quaver, quaver, crotchet, minim, semi breve and the rests for these.

Bar structure and simple time signatures 4/4, ¾ and 2/4.

Bass and treble clef notes.

Create and perform  a piece of music for the ensemble (using any of the forces learnt about in Autumn and Spring).

  • Art: Repeat pattern making, colour and painting
  • Key focus: Hindu mandalas
  • Artists: William Morris, Kehinde Wiley
  • DT - Food and Nutrition: Scottish shortbread

Summer 1

Art: Collage mood boards 

The life and work of Cindy Sherman
Creation of abstract patterns to reflect personal experiences and expression

Complementing our English Studies and “I come from” poems 

Summer 2

Art: Book Art 

Key focus: 3D Form

DT: Textiles - A “Lost Thing” plushie 

Key focus: Combining pattern pieces, fabric shapes and different fabrics; strengthening, stiffening and reinforcing where appropriate. 

Both complementing our English Studies of The Lost Thing.

Summer 1

Art: Collage mood boards 

The life and work of Cindy Sherman
Creation of abstract patterns to reflect personal experiences and expression

Complementing our English Studies and “I come from” poems 

Summer 2

Art: Book Art 

Key focus: 3D Form

DT: Textiles - A “Lost Thing” plushie 

Key focus: Combining pattern pieces, fabric shapes and different fabrics; strengthening, stiffening and reinforcing where appropriate. 

Both complementing our English Studies of The Lost Thing.

  • Being Me In My World - Who am I and how do I fit? Setting goals, dealing with challenges, rights and responsibilities (democracy), how behaviour, choices consequences and rewards can impact a group.
  • Celebrating Difference - Respect for similarity and difference, anti-bullying (rumour spreading and name-calling, direct and indirect bullying) and being unique, exploring and respecting culture and cultural differences, what is racism, unconscious bias, consider happiness regardless of material wealth

Summer 1

Relationships - Building positive, healthy relationships

Summer 2

Changing Me - Coping positively with change (RSE)

Summer 1

Relationships - Building positive, healthy relationships

Summer 2

Changing Me - Coping positively with change (RSE)

  • Hinduism: Beliefs - Origin of Hinduism, gods and goddesses, symbolism, beliefs on life and death, the Om.
  • Hinduism: Practices - Places of worship, Hindu wedding celebrations, Diwali, and Holi.

Islam and Social Action: How do Muslims respond to climate change? 

  • Stewardship, Almsgiving, Zakat, the purpose of religious charities 

Islam and Social Action: How do Muslims respond to climate change? 

  • Stewardship, Almsgiving, Zakat, the purpose of religious charities 

  • Earth and Space: The Solar system and its planets, the sun in the centre of the solar system (heliocentric), day and night, time zones, the phases and movement of the moon
  • Properties of Materials: Grouping and consideration of a material’s suitability, thermal conductors and insulators, testing and comparing hardness, solubility - solutes, solvents and solutions, including saturation points, solubility and insolubility, separating mixtures - methods including evaporation, filtering and sieving.

Summer 1

Animals Including Humans 

  • Key stages of a mammal’s life cycle 
  • Exploring gestation periods of mammals
  • Learning about foetal development
  • Investigating hand span
  • Changes experienced during puberty
  • Changes experienced during old age 

Summer 2

Living Things and Their Habitats 

  • The life processes of plants
  • The life cycles of mammals
  • Comparing the life cycles of insects and amphibians
  • The life cycles of birds and reptiles 
  • The life and work of naturalists Jane Goodall and David Attenborough
  • Researching and presenting information on a chosen life cycle

Summer 1

Animals Including Humans 

  • Key stages of a mammal’s life cycle 
  • Exploring gestation periods of mammals
  • Learning about foetal development
  • Investigating hand span
  • Changes experienced during puberty
  • Changes experienced during old age 

Summer 2

Living Things and Their Habitats 

  • The life processes of plants
  • The life cycles of mammals
  • Comparing the life cycles of insects and amphibians
  • The life cycles of birds and reptiles 
  • The life and work of naturalists Jane Goodall and David Attenborough
  • Researching and presenting information on a chosen life cycle

  • History: The British Empire - The origins, development, and end of the Empire, including its legacy.
  • Geography: Changing World, Mapping skills, and local area studies

History: The Ancient Greeks

Complemented by our English text

  • Who were the ancient Greeks? The city states of Athens and Sparta- comparisons and key artifacts, The Peloponnesian war, governance, buildings and architecture. 

Geography: Mapping the World

  • Mapping the globe, longitude/latitude (including the Prime Meridian and tropics of Cancer and Capricorn) climate zones, time zones; contours, keys and symbols.
  • Local area study: London Docklands or Grand Surrey Canals (Peckham) 

Geography: Exploring the Caribbean 

  • Location and comparisons to the UK, physical geography, human geography, reasons for migration from the Caribbean to the UK  
  • Case study: Jamaica  

History: Migration to London in the 20th-21st Century 

  • Factors leading to an increase in migration, Caribbean migration, Southeast Asian migration, South Asian migration, asylum seekers and refugees, the impact and issues of migration 
  • Case study: Harold Moody and Sam King MBE  

  • Computing systems and networks: Computers can be connected to form systems, search engines, their results and how they are ranked
  • Programming - Selection in physical computing, control a simple circuit connected to the computer, count-controlled loops, conditional loops


Spring 1

Programming - selection in physical 

Spring 2

Creating media-  video editing

Summer 1

Creating media with vector drawings 

Summer 2

Programming - selection in quizzes 

  • Football and Netball
  • Dance


Spring 1

Tag Rugby- Coach 

Hockey- Class Teacher

Spring 2

Cricket- Coach 

Gymnastics - Class Teacher 

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Say, read, write and understand:

  • Talking about us - School subjects, opinion, likes and dislikes
  • In the city and shopping - Buildings and places of interest, simple directions, conversations when shopping, numbers

We use the Primary Languages Network scheme of learning. Children will learn about:


Spring 1

Healthy Eating/ Going to the market - shopping at the market, fruit and vegetables, transactional language, numbers 0-5, instructions to make a healthy dish. 

Spring 2

Clothes, colours and fancy dress - “What are you wearing?”, “I am wearing”, colour, size, description.

Spring 1

“Out of this world” - words on an ID card, identity, planets and relevant descriptions and adjectives

Spring 2

At the seaside - nouns for items at the beach, talking about the seaside, persuasion, facts and information about the beach, extended written and spoken sentences

Explore what we're learning this term below...

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