Year 5 have begun an exciting and important life skill course – Bikeability! 
The course started on today with Level 1, which took place in our school playground. During this  session, the children focused on developing their control and confidence on their bikes. They practised basic manoeuvres and learned how to carry out important safety checks to make sure their bikes are ready to ride.
So far, the children have made a fantastic start. They have listened carefully to instructions, shown great focus and supported one another as they build their skills.
Later in the week, they will move on to Level 2, where they will take their learning onto the roads near school and begin to apply these skills in real-life situations. Level 2 teaches children how to:
• Start and stop with more confidence
• Pass stationary vehicles parked on a road
• Understand the road, including signals, signs, and road markings
• Negotiate quiet junctions, crossroads, and roundabouts
• Share the road safely with other vehicles
We’re really proud of how Year 5 have approached their first session and are looking forward to seeing their confidence continue to grow over the rest of the week!

Last week the children were informed of this press release.

To say that they objected to the proposal would be an understatement. However, we decided that we would object formally to this proposal through writing a letter to Mr Starmer outlining our opinion and our reasons for this.
The children engaged in the task extremely well and channelled their anger and frustration at the proposal into the letter, remembering who we were addressing.

Today, two representatives from the class went to the Post Office to send the letters to the Prime Minister. Debbie invited the children behind the counter to ensure that this very important package was shipped correctly.
We will keep everyone updated as to whether we receive a response.

Year 5 had a fantastic time taking part in their second cricket session today, led by a professional cricket instructor. We still have three more sessions to go and the children are absolutely loving the experience so far!
Last week, the focus was on developing our catching skills and this week we moved on to batting. The children learnt how to hold the bat correctly and were introduced to the different parts of it – the front is called the face and the back is known as the spine.
To put their new skills into practice, the class took part in a fun competition to see who could score the most runs. There was lots of excitement, encouragement and great teamwork on display.
We were lucky to enjoy the session in the sunshine, which made it even more special. Year 5 are already looking forward to next week’s lesson!

This half term in Year 5, we are exploring the important and thought-provoking topic of homelessness in both our reading and writing lessons.
In reading, we have started reading an extract about what homelessness is to help us understand the experiences and challenges faced by people who are homeless. Alongside this, we will be studying parts of two powerful texts: The Night Bus Hero and The Wrong Shoes.
The Night Bus Hero by Onjali Q. Raúf follows a boy named Hector who meets a group of homeless people and begins to see the world differently as he learns about kindness, empathy and truth. The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival tells the story of Will, a young boy whose life changes when his family loses their home, highlighting resilience and hope during difficult times.
As always, our reading and writing will go hand in hand, with our writing closely linked to the themes and ideas we explore in our reading lessons.
In writing, we will be developing our skills by learning how to choose language according to formality, extend sentences using sophisticated conjunctions, indicate degrees of possibility using adverbs and modal verbs and use parenthesis accurately.
We will be applying these skills by writing a formal letter to a politician or councillor, expressing our thoughts and concerns about homelessness and suggesting ways to support those affected.
We are looking forward to some thoughtful discussions and powerful writing this half term!