Swans

 Welcome to the Swans

 We are the Year 5 class team:

Mrs Leach – Class Teacher

Mrs Adair - Teaching Assistant

Email contact 

SLeach@sharnbrookprimary.beds.sch.uk

For SEND contact Mrs Wildman

sendco@sharnbrookprimary.beds.sch.uk

Senior Mental Health Lead - Suzy Oakley

soakley@sharnbrookprimary.beds.sch.uk

  Year 5

Swans

Spring Term 2026

PE lessons are on a Tuesday and Friday for the duration of this term. Children are to come dressed in their PE kits on these days.

Please refer to the knowledge organisers and weekly timetable for further details of specific lessons and times.

Homework is compulsory and includes reading daily at home, one of these sessions should be to an adult. This should be for a minimum of 20 minutes and all reading should be recorded in the reading diary.  Children should also be working on their timetable knowledge through TTR for a minimum of 25 minutes throughout the week and completing the assigned spelling tasks on Spelling Shed.  Some of these spellings will be tested in our weekly spelling test, which will be held on a Monday.  With spelling and timetable work, little and often is a much better approach than doing it all in one sitting, as this aids long term memory. One longer piece of homework will be set on a weekly basis. The children have been provided with a reading a homework diary, please sign the books at the end of each week to acknowledge that you have seen the homework which has been set.

Healthy Snacks may be brought in daily to eat at morning break.

Water Bottles may be brought in each day and kept with the children throughout each lesson. Water bottles will need to go home daily to be cleaned and refilled.

Pencil Cases:  All pupils should have their own stationery for lessons and all writing will be in blue pen. In pencil cases children will need: a blue ballpoint pen, a graphite pencil, a ruler, a rubber and a sharpener (pencil crayons and felt tips are optional). It would also be helpful to have a small glue stick, pair of scissors, a compass and protractor. Please make sure your resources fit into one pencil case.

Curriculum
ENGLISH

In the first half of the term, we will be exploring the exciting myth Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd-Stanton. Through this text, the children will learn how myths are structured and will develop their understanding of how authors create interesting characters, including heroes, villains and monsters. They will also build on their learning from last half term by creating rich and imaginative settings. This work will lead to the children planning and writing their own mythical stories, using the features they have explored in class.

In the second half of the term, Swans class will focus on biography writing through the inspiring text The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. This unit will link closely to the children’s previous learning about space from the Autumn term. The children will explore what makes an effective biography by studying examples, including a biography of Neil Armstrong. They will learn how to write in a formal style and organise information clearly, before using their skills to write their own biography about Chris Hadfield.

MATHS

Maths for the week commencing 12.01.2026 is Unit 11, Measurements using knowledge of multiplication and division. Please note we will be covering lessons 6-10.  Please click here for a link to all lessons. 

ART and DESIGN

The Swans will have their art and design lessons with Miss Gingel on a Friday afternoon.

GEOGRAPHY

Throughout the Spring term in Geography, our class will be exploring the exciting unit “Why do oceans matter?” Children will learn about the water cycle and discover how oceans are used by people for travel, food and energy. They will find out how oceans help to regulate the Earth’s climate and temperature, and locate the Great Barrier Reef as part of Australia, learning about its many benefits for wildlife and humans. Pupils will also explore how human actions can impact the oceans and the consequences of these changes, as well as discuss positive actions we can take to protect and care for marine environments. Through simple fieldwork, children will safely collect data using tally charts, photographs and sketch maps, and make thoughtful suggestions about how to improve and protect marine environments.

HISTORY

During the Spring term, Swans Class will be stepping back in time in their History lessons to explore the fascinating Tudor period. We will consider what the consequences of Henry VIII wanting an male heir were. The children will learn all about King Henry VIII, including why he had six wives and what happened to each of them. They will also discover what life was like in Tudor times and learn about the very important event of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 

SCIENCE

In the first half of the spring term, we will be learning about the properties of materials and states of matter. Children will explore different materials, investigate their properties, and learn how materials can be grouped and used for different purposes. They will also study solids, liquids and gases, discovering how materials can change state and what causes these changes.

During the second half of the spring term, our learning will focus on a biology topic entitled Animals, Including Humans. Children will learn about the human body and how it changes as we grow. This will include age-appropriate learning about puberty, helping pupils to understand physical and emotional changes.

In the mornings Swans will be expected to walk independently to the classroom from 8.40; a member of the Swans team will be in the room to greet them from this time and the children will be expected to complete their morning work. The children will be dismissed from the classroom at 3.20pm. The children have been told that they must return to the classroom if an adult that they are expecting to meet them isn’t on the playground, ie they are not to just walk home. Please reinforce this with your son/daughter. If your son/daughter is going to be walking home independently, please communicate this in their reading/homework diary or by dropping me an email.

Mobile phones: We recognise that some pupils may need to/wish to bring a mobile phone to school if they are walking to or from school by themselves. All phones need to be named and turned off once on school grounds. In the classroom they will be collected and placed a secure box, the children will collect their phones prior to leaving the classroom at 3.20pm. If pupils have phones out in the classrooms they will be confiscated and a parent will have to collect it from the office. No phones will be allowed on any school trips or visits.

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if there is anything you are unsure of or require further clarification on.
Mrs Leach and Mrs Adair