05/09/2025

We are very excited to be back at school and have already had a brilliant first two days in Year 5. Everyone has settled in really well, and it feels like we are ready for a fantastic year of learning and fun together.

This half term we have a busy timetable, and here are some important things to remember:

PE Timetable for Autumn 1

• Monday: Football

• Wednesday: Swimming (this will begin on 17th September 2025)

• Thursday: A short 30-minute PE session – trainers only are needed

Please make sure you have the correct PE kit and are ready for each lesson.

Homework

• CGP Books (Maths and English): One piece per week, alternating between the two subjects. I will specify on the blog which topic will be covered and when it is due in. 

• Reading 5 x 10-minute sessions a week aloud to an adult. Please record this in your reading record. 

• Spellings: Weekly spelling practice and tests. Spelling tests are Mondays. The spellings will be available on the blog each Monday for the children to learn them at home over the week. 

• Sumdog: Online maths practice to help us improve our skills. 3 x 20-minute sessions a week recommended. (A letter with the log in details has been sent home with your child today). 

We are looking forward to a brilliant Autumn term and can’t wait to see all the amazing learning that happens in Year 5!

Half Term Project - 500 Words - Due in w/c 20th October 2025

500 Words Challenge

I would like all Year 5 children to enter the BBC's 500 Words Challenge. All children need to do is write a story they would love to read in 500 Words or less.  Spelling, punctuation and grammar are not marked - it's all about creativity!

50 finalists will be invited to a star-studded grand final in February 2026, which will be supported by Her Majesty The Queen. If that's not enough, each winner will also see their story be read aloud by a superstar celebrity on TV, which will be shown as part of a special 500 Words programme with The One Show. The official panel of celebrity judges, Sir Lenny Henry, Malorie Blackman, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson and Frank Cottrell-Boyce will crown the winners. 

There are also lots of prizes to be won - each winner will take home a bundle of books and the gold winners also win 500 books for their school library. In addition to the book prizes, each of our winning stories will receive a framed illustrated cover produced exclusively by top children's illustrators.

Children can only submit one story each. There are very few rules on 500 Words but a few points to remember:

All the stories must:

• Be 500 words or less (title is not included in the number)
• Be written by an individual and not a group
• Be a child’s own original idea
• Be prose, not rap or poem

Stories must not:

• Give any personal details of the child, including their name
• Recount an historical event (but they can use a real person or historical character as a source of inspiration)
• Be created, written or developed by AI

In every 500 Words competition, all stories are judged on the following criteria:

• Characterisation
• Plot
• Originality
• Language
• Enjoyment

If you are having any questions, please email me.

Have a great weekend! 

Miss N Davis 

ndavis@littleheath.herts.sch.uk