By Year UKS2       24/2/2025       

Rose Blanche was the name of a group of young German citizens who, at their peril, protested against the war. Like them, Rose observes all the changes going on around her which others choose to ignore. She watches as the streets of her small German town fill with soldiers. One day she sees a little boy escaping from the back of a truck, only to be captured…  

English 

Our class text this half-term is Rose Blanche. This is a picture book based around WW2. ‘This story is told through the eyes of a young German girl, Rose Blanche, who is a witness to the immense changes occurring in Nazi Germany.’ 

Children will begin by exploring the book, one picture at a time. They will be exploring grammatical features of writing a narrative as well as creating dramatical freeze-frames to enhance their writing. The story will unfold a week at a time and the children will be re-telling Rose Blanche’s experience in their own way. We hope they will follow the various emotions with empathy and that this will reflect in their writing opportunities. 

Maths: 

Year 5 

During this half-term, Year 5 will begin by securing their understanding of decimal place value and how to write and read them. They will then explore the relationship between fractions and decimals before using this to support them with adding and subtracting. After decimals, Year 5 will move onto percentages where they will explore how to write a percentage, the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages. They will also begin to consider comparing quantities using percentages. 

Year 6 

In Maths this half-term, Year 6 will be working on applying our knowledge of geometry and strengthen our understanding of the different types of angles, drawing triangles and naming parts of a circle. This will be followed by position and movement where we will apply our understanding of co-ordinates and negative numbers to help us describe reflections and translations of shapes. We will also be focusing on algebra and alongside this, we will continue to work on our fundamental mathematical skills during our morning fluency activities. 

History: World War2. 

During this half term, children in Year 5 and 6 will learn when and why World War II began and find out about the key individuals and countries involved. In addition to this, they will discover all about evacuation; learn what it was like to live with food rationing and explore the contribution made by women to the war effort. There will also be opportunities for them to learn important facts about the Holocaust and investigate events that were key turning points in the war, such as the Battle of Britain. We are hoping to visit the Eden Camp so that children can learn outside the classroom in a hands-on environment. Studying WW2 will help children to develop their investigation and evaluation skills; learn to organise information chronologically and understand how past events have helped to shape the world we know today.  

Science 

 We will be exploring the different environments where plants and animals live (habitats), how they are adapted to their specific surroundings, comparing life cycles of various organisms, and understanding basic food chains within those habitats, with a key emphasis on identifying how different living things depend on each other within their environment; students will also learn to distinguish between living, dead, and non-living things.  

Religious Education: 

Our R.E question is: What is the significance of Easter, Ascension and Pentecost? 

Children will recall what they already know about Christianity and who Jesus was before describing and providing examples of some Christian beliefs about Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. Children will summarise Christian beliefs about Jesus’ kingship and the Kingdom of God and show understanding of these terms and weigh up what they mean for Christians. We will also learn how and why Pentecost is celebrated today.   

Design Technology 

We have already begun our new DT project, linked with our new history topic, WW2. The children have been exploring examples of Propaganda and have had the opportunity to re-create their own example, displaying a positive message relating to war. As the term proceeds, children will be exploring textiles and developing their sewing skills – something they are looking forward to! 

PE/Swimming: 

Our PE this half term will be focusing on the skills of Dodgeball and Tuesday’s year 6 will be focusing on Tennis skills. Swimming will continue as normal for the year 5 and some selected year 6 children. 

Both Year 5 and 6 have been working hard in their English lessons to discovers Myths and Legends from Ancient Greece. We have studied the story of Hercules and will be rewriting our own version.

In non fiction writing we will be exploring the lives of famous astronauts and creating a biography of an astronaut of our choice.
For the final part of the term, both year groups will be beginning our exciting WW2 topic and writing our own postcards based on the fantastic book and film of Goodnight Mr Tom.

Maths

To start the half term, Year 5 will be recapping their multiplication and division skills through exploring word problems. Following this, they will be learning about fractions. Children will be focusing on comparing and ordering fractions, finding equivalent fractions, and adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions. Year 5 will also have the opportunity to develop their understanding of reading and interpreting different types of data.

Year 6 will start the half term by focusing on units of measurement. They will be using our understanding of multiplying by multiples of ten to help them convert between centimetres and millimetres, centimetres and metres as well as grams and kilograms and millilitres and litres. Once this topic is finished, Year 6 will move onto percentages. Within the topic, they will be considering and exploring the relationship between percentages, fractions and decimals. They will also begin to strengthen their mathematical skills when using percentages to solve a range of questions.

Science:

We will be learning about Earth and Space in their upcoming Science Week. During this week, they will be investigating and exploring the movement of our Solar System and how this relates to every day life. They will be describing the movement of Earth, and other planets, in relation to the sun and moon. Children will also get the opportunity to learn about why we have seasons and rotations during day and night.

History

In History, Years 5 and 6 will be learning about Ancient Greece. They will find out what life was like for Spartans and Athenians and make links to our lives in the present day. They will also explore the role of archaeologists in finding out about ancient history and even take part in their own mini archaeological dig!

Music

This half term, Year 5 and 6 are exploring ‘Growth’ during their music lessons. They will be learning new songs, something they really enjoy, and incorporating body percussion and instruments to enhance their skills.

PE:

Our PE focus for this half term are OAA and Dance. All classes will be accessing two hours of PE every week and all children in Year 5 will continue to access swimming lessons on Tuesdays at Rothwell Leisure Centre. Please see below which sports your class will be learning.

‘The parcel was sent by a famous Egyptologist who has just been found dead! Is the curse of Tutankhamun the cause? Lil decides, with the help of her new friends, Tulip and Oz, that the only way to help her grandad is to return the package to its rightful resting place in Egypt…

English:

In our English, we will be continuing with our extended narrative ‘The Journey.’ This will be chance for us to use all taught SPaG across UKS2 and allow us to focus on how we use punctuation and vocabulary to engage and interest the reader. We will also be focusing on how our writing style needs to change depending on the audience and the purpose of our writing. This will take several eeks and we will hopefully be able to share these stories with children in other classes.

Maths:

Year 6 We will be consolidating aspects of our learning by revisiting certain mathematical concepts throughout the year.

Year 5 will be moving on to area and perimeter, we will also be focusing on volume and having fun learning Roman Numerals.

Geography:

In Geography, we are going to be exploring the changes to Leeds and the UK. We will be developing our map reading skills especially of the local area of Leeds and our surroundings of Oulton. We will explore the human geography and how this relates to our environment especially how the population has grown and how this has affected how humans commute to other places. We will then conduct a local field trip to enquire which place has the busiest use of the local transport and make a prediction on what the local area may look like in the future.

Science

In Science we will be exploring Light. Through this topic they will: recognise how light travels; understand how objects are seen and explore how shadows are formed. This work will lead on nicely from their Earth and Space topic last year and Light topic in Year 3.

PSHE:

PSHE is taught through discussion. UKS2 will be continuing our learning about Identity, Society and Equality, focusing on the experiences of refugees, human rights and about homelessness in our society.

Spanish:
In Spanish this final half term, both year groups will continue to focus on ‘My world’. In this unit, the classes will apply previous skills and knowledge of topic areas such as family, animals and homes to extend their conversation abilities. Children will learn how Spanish adjectives must ‘agree’ with the noun they describe, in relation to both number and gender.

Design Technology:

In DT this half term, we will be focusing on building innovative, functional and appealing structures that are fit for purpose. Children will explore and evidence how products can be made stronger and more stable. Then use finishing techniques to strengthen and improve the appearance of their own model design.

Music:

We are going to be studying the ‘Celebration’ unit, with a musical focus on performance. Children will learn how music can provide a lively and upbeat mood. We will be learning celebratory songs from other cultures and work together to build a performance of our own by using body movements with song too. This also links to our year 6 who will be developing their acting skills and singing repertoire for their upcoming musical stage performance of ‘Cinderella.’ Make sure you book your tickets when they become available – It’s going to be a great show.

PE:

Our PE focus for this half term are Cricket and Gymnastics. All classes will be accessing two hours of PE every week and all children in Year 6 will continue to access swimming lessons which is now back to its original date of Tuesday and at Rothwell Leisure Centres the new pool is now up and running. Please see below which sports your class will be learning.

Jellyfish: Cricket and Swimming

Starfish: Cricket and Swimming

Octopus: Cricket and Athletics

English:

In our English, we will be looking at developing our writing skills by studying different grammatical tools. We will investigate these tools and consider the impact they have on our writing and how a good writer can use these to their advantage.

Both Year 5 and 6 are going to be studying dialogue and understanding how this is an effective tool to move narratives forward and develop the reader’s understanding of the characters. We will then continue to focus on narrative skills as we create an extended narrative.

The year 6 children will also have their SATs this half term week commencing 13^th May. The children will sit two English papers a Spelling and Grammar test on the Monday and a reading comprehension test on the Tuesday.

Maths:

We are always working on our mental maths skills and strategies in Year 5 and 6. This half term is no different as we will continue to discuss and practise the best mental strategies for solving problems.

Alongside this, Year 6 will be looking at Geometry and angles. We will also be focusing on algebra and recapping the key areas of maths in preparation for the SATs. The maths tests will consist of an arithmetic paper and two reasoning papers on the Wednesday and Thursday of the week commencing 13^th May.

Year 5 will be moving on to Geometry – where we will be learning how to measure, draw and calculate different angles. Followed by a unit of area.

History:

In History, we are going to be exploring Ancient Egypt. During this topic, we will be learning about things such as: Egyptian civilisation, the pyramids of Giza and who were the Ancient Egyptians. Alongside this, we will be learning about Howard Carter to find out why he was a significant person during that historic time period. This is a topic we know the children are excited about learning!  We will also be visiting Leeds City Museum, where we will take part in an Ancient Egypt Workshop and come face to face with a real Egyptian Mummy.

Spanish:

In Spanish this half term, both year groups will be focusing on ‘My world’. In this unit, the classes will apply previous skills and knowledge of topic areas such as family, animals and homes to extend their conversation abilities. Children will learn how Spanish adjectives must ‘agree’ with the noun they describe, in relation to both number and gender. 

Art:

In Art this half term, we will be focusing on printing. This will include studying different designs from Ancient Egypt, exploring different techniques used in printing and creating our designs.

Music:

For our music, we are going to be studying ‘At the Movies’ unit, exploring how music is used for effect in film and investigating the different creation of sounds impacts the audience. We will then compose our own piece of music for a short film.

PE:

Our PE focus for this half term are athletics and tennis. All classes will be accessing two hours of PE every week and all children in Year 5 will continue to access swimming lessons every Monday. During the term swimming will be moving back to Rothwell, as the new pool is completed. Class teachers will keep you up to date as to when this will be. Please see below which sports your class will be learning.

Jellyfish: Athletics and Swimming

Starfish: Athletics and Swimming

Octopus: Athletics and Tennis

This half term, each class in KS1 will be learning about a different country. Orcas will learn about Brazil, Flying Fish will learn about Japan and Swordfish will learn about Australia. The children will find out about the geography of their country, explore its culture, create art work linked to their country and even make some food that would traditionally be eaten there. At the end of the term, we hope to invite parents and carers to a special Learn with Us assembly where each class will share what they have learnt.

Our English focus this half term is instructions. Children will learn to give, read and follow instructions before writing their own based on the book ‘How to sneak a Monster into school’ and their food technology project. We will talk about the features of instructions (headings, numbers, bullet points, adverbs, imperative verbs, time adverbials) and look for these in different pieces of writing.

In Maths, Year 1 will learn about shapes. They will name and identify a range of 2D and 3D shapes including circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, cubes, cuboids, spheres and pyramids. They will then begin to describe the properties of shapes using vocabulary including sides, corners, edges, faces, straight and curved. Once this unit of work is completed, Year 1 children will begin to think about numbers to 40 and work to secure their understanding of place value within a 2 digit number.

Year 2 will complete their work on fractions and begin to look at time. They will revisit reading and making o’clock and half past times before focusing on quarter past and quarter to times. Once this is secure, children will begin to read the time to 5 minute intervals. Please help your child become confident in telling the time by practising lots at home. Staff will be sending home some useful documents that will support you with this.

Our Science unit this half term is Living things and their Habitats. Children will learn about local and world habitats and the different types of plants and animals that live in them. They will explore how living things are adapted to live in their habitats and consider what might happen if a plant or animal was placed in an unsuitable habitat. Our visit to Lotherton Hall will include a workshop about habitats and a guided tour around Wildlife World. Using their prior knowledge about carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, children will look at different food chains and use the words producer, consumer, predator and prey to describe them.

In PE, children will continue to develop their throwing and catching skills. They will also use their gymnastics skills to create simple sequences of movements.

PSHE will be taught through our Where in the World? work. Children will learn about playground games from different countries, the food associated with festivals and celebrations from their focus country and be taught the importance of sun safety.

In Music, the focus is performance which will be taught through a unit all about travel. Children will use tuned and untuned instruments, alongside their voices, to perform a range of different songs.

The focus for RE is special books and stories. Children will learn about special books for Christians and Muslims and the stories that are within them. They will explore the meanings of these stories and consider why they are so important to people of the Christian and Muslim faiths.

In computing, children will look at digital photography. They will get the opportunity to use different devices to take photographs and then evaluate their quality. Children will use the words portrait and landscape to describe the orientation of a photograph and decide when it is best to use each one.

English:
In our English, we will be looking at developing our writing skills by studying different grammatical tools. We will investigate these tools and consider the impact they have on our writing and how a good writer can use these to their advantage.

Both Year 5 and 6 are going to be using different stimuli as our writing inspiration. We will be writing newspaper reports on the 2004 Thailand Tsunami as well as writing diary extracts as if we were. As part of this, we will be watching part of the film ‘The Impossible’ and interviewing a member of staff who was in Sri Lanka at the time. We will also be looking at writing instructions around baking hot cross buns.

Maths:

We are always working on our mental maths skills and strategies in Year 5 and 6. This half term is no different as we will continue to discuss and practise the best mental strategies for solving problems.

Alongside this, Year 6 will be looking at Graphs and Averages, Percentages, Volume and Area and Perimeter. We will also be focusing on our arithmetic which is recapping and practising the four operations.

Year 5 will be moving on to decimals and percentages. They will be learning how to find different percentages of whole numbers and multiplying and dividing decimals by whole numbers.

Spanish:
In Spanish this half term, both year groups will be focusing on ‘Eating Out’. They will be learning how to order hot and cold drinks; engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others and seek clarification.

Science:

This half-term, both Year 5 and Year 6 will be looking at Electricity. They will focus on developing the following skills:

• Associate the brightness of a lamp or the volume of a buzzer with the number and voltage of cells used in the circuit.
• Compare and give reasons for variations in how components function, including the brightness of bulbs, the loudness of buzzers and the on/off position of switches.
• Use recognised symbols when representing a simple circuit in a diagram.

Art:

In Art this half term, we will be focusing on 3D shapes. This will include sketching 3D shapes and incorporating this will clay work.

Music:

For our music, we are going to be practising songs with the entirety of KS2. This will then be shared with parents at the KS2 Easter event.

PE

Our PE focus for this half term are handball and health related exercises. All classes will be accessing two hours of PE every week and all children in Year 5 will continue to access swimming lessons every Tuesday. Please see below which sports your class will be learning.

Jellyfish: Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) and Swimming

Starfish: Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) and Swimming

Octopus: Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) and Dance