Ancient discoveries, ambitious ideas and a growing sense of “I can.”

Year 5 opens up a bigger world. Children explore distant civilisations, investigate scientific questions and discover how their choices can make a difference closer to home. With encouragement from teachers who know them well, they become increasingly independent, thoughtful and confident in sharing their ideas.

Ancient worlds, extraordinary encounters

Imagine examining an object made 3,000 years ago, then creating your own version from clay.

Our Dynamic Dynasties project explores ancient China and the Shang Dynasty. At Compton Verney, Year 5 pupils have studied remarkable bronze artefacts, carefully handled ancient objects and created their own clay dings—traditional Chinese cooking vessels. These encounters give children something memorable to draw upon when discussing the past.

Later, Groundbreaking Greeks introduces a civilisation whose influence is still visible today. Children investigate ideas, achievements and beliefs, asking questions about how ancient societies helped shape our world. We also use AI-supported visual experiences to help children imagine places such as Ancient Greece, bringing distant settings into classroom discussion.

Throughout their learning, children think like historians: examining sources, weighing evidence and explaining their conclusions. Topics are explored in depth, with regular opportunities to revisit foundational knowledge and connect new discoveries with earlier learning.

Books that invite big thinking

Year 5 readers explore stories that spark imagination and thoughtful conversation. The Iron Man invites children to consider friendship, understanding and inclusion, while the illustrations in Journey encourage them to look closely and imagine possibilities beyond the page.

Children have also explored The Arrival, using visual clues to consider characters’ feelings and experiences, and enjoyed lively discussions about Holes. Through reciprocal reading, they learn to question, clarify, predict and summarise, becoming increasingly confident in explaining their understanding.

Writing grows from these rich experiences. Whether creating a narrative, developing a description or writing a newspaper report inspired by Charlotte’s Web, children learn to choose language carefully and shape their ideas for a reader.

Maths for bigger challenges

Numbers get bigger in Year 5—and so does children’s confidence in working with them. Practical resources, diagrams and clear modelling help children explore place value to one million, develop calculation methods and deepen their understanding of fractions.

Our “I do, we do, you do” approach combines teacher demonstration, shared practice and independent application. Children discuss different methods, consider which is most efficient and explain why an answer makes sense.

Regular retrieval opportunities keep foundational knowledge secure, helping children draw on earlier learning when tackling a new problem.

From our allotment to the wider world

Our Sow, Grow and Farm project makes geography relevant to everyday life. Children explore where food comes from, how seasons affect what we grow and why sustainable farming matters.

Year 5 pupils have taken responsibility for our school allotment, growing produce with the local community in mind. Learning extends to opportunities such as visiting the Warriner Farm, connecting classroom ideas with farming nearby.

Even the school field can become a place of discovery: children have tried worm charming as part of their investigations! These practical experiences encourage curiosity about the living things and processes beneath our feet.

Scientists with ideas to test

Why do objects fall? How does friction affect movement? Can a mechanism make a difficult task easier?

Through Forces and Mechanisms, children investigate questions, make predictions and explore the effects of gravity and resistance. They learn to think like scientists, considering what to test, observing carefully and using evidence to explain their findings.

Earth and space learning brings another change of scale. Creating a model of the solar system using fruit has helped pupils explore the relative sizes of planets, turning an abstract idea into something they can see and discuss.

Creativity with room to grow

Year 5 children explore colour, landscape painting and the distinctive patterns of ancient Chinese art. Inspired by artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, they have also created earth art outdoors, using natural materials to develop their own ideas.

Computing offers another outlet for creativity. Pupils have designed interactive quizzes in Scratch, combining programming, problem-solving and perseverance. French, music and sport bring further opportunities to communicate, perform and discover new strengths.

Becoming thoughtful, confident young people

As children move through upper Key Stage 2, they take increasing responsibility for their learning and their contribution to school life. They practise listening to different viewpoints, giving constructive feedback and making fair, considerate choices.

Our vision, “Encourage one another and build each other up,” is reflected in the way children support a teammate, respond to a friend’s ideas and celebrate progress together. We want them to be ambitious for themselves while remaining caring, inclusive and aware of others.

These highlights give you a flavour of life in Year 5 at Bloxham, where thoughtfully chosen visits, activities and experiences bring learning to life. Each year brings new opportunities to explore, discover and grow.

Each term, we share a curriculum overview outlining the learning journey, alongside knowledge organisers introducing key concepts and vocabulary. Current families can find these and further resources on our Parent Portal. Fluency homework helps children revisit foundational knowledge, practise vocabulary and share their discoveries at home.

Year 5 Long-term Plan

Creating 'Taotie' in Art: Dynamic Dynasties