As your child progresses through Year 5, it is important to understand the key learning expectations across different subjects. Below is a guide to the skills and knowledge your child is expected to develop in reading, writing, maths, and science by the end of Year 5.

1. Reading

In Year 5, children are expected to:

• Read fluently and with understanding: Children should read a wide range of texts fluently and be able to understand and interpret both fiction and non-fiction. They should be able to summarize key points, discuss themes, and draw conclusions from texts.

• Make inferences and justify opinions: They should be able to infer characters' feelings, motives, and actions from a text and provide evidence to support their ideas. Children should also justify their opinions about what they have read.

• Analyse language and structure: Children should be able to identify and explain how authors use language for effect, including figurative language (e.g., similes, metaphors) and the structure of the text (e.g., paragraphs, chapters).

• Understand vocabulary in context: They should be able to use context to deduce the meaning of new vocabulary, and understand how the meaning of words can change depending on the context.

Key Skills in Reading:

• Reading fluently with understanding.

• Making inferences and justifying opinions with evidence.

• Analysing the use of language and structure in texts.

• Understanding vocabulary in context.

2. Writing

In Year 5, children are expected to:

• Write in a variety of forms: Children should be able to write for different purposes and audiences, including stories, reports, letters, and instructions, using the appropriate style and tone.

• Use complex sentences: They should be able to write using a range of sentence structures, including complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, although, if).

• Use accurate punctuation: Children should use punctuation correctly in their writing, including commas, apostrophes, colons, semi-colons, and quotation marks. They should also use direct and indirect speech correctly.

• Spelling and grammar: Children should be able to spell most words correctly, including those with complex spelling patterns (e.g., 'ce' vs. 'se', silent letters). They should also understand and apply grammatical rules, including subject-verb agreement, and the use of tenses.

• Organisation of writing: Children should be able to organize their writing into well-structured paragraphs, and use cohesive devices (e.g., furthermore, in addition) to link ideas together.

Key Skills in Writing:

• Writing for different purposes and audiences.

• Using complex sentences and varied punctuation.

• Spelling words correctly and applying grammar rules.

• Organising writing into well-structured paragraphs.

• Using cohesive devices to link ideas.

3. Mathematics

In Year 5, children are expected to:

• Number and place value: Children should be able to read, write, order, and compare numbers up to 1,000,000. They should understand the place value of digits in numbers up to 7 digits and know how to round numbers to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000.

• Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division: Children should be able to perform all four operations with larger numbers and use formal methods for addition, subtraction, and multiplication. They should also be able to divide with remainders and solve problems involving these operations.

• Fractions, decimals, and percentages: Children should understand fractions, decimals, and percentages, and be able to convert between them. They should also be able to add and subtract fractions with the same denominator and multiply fractions by whole numbers.

• Geometry: Children should be able to identify, describe, and compare angles, including acute, obtuse, and reflex angles. They should also be able to identify and classify 2D and 3D shapes based on their properties, including symmetry.

• Measurement: Children should be able to convert between different units of measurement (e.g., from millilitres to litres, grams to kilograms) and solve problems involving length, weight, capacity, time, and money.

• Statistics: They should be able to read and interpret data from a range of graphs, including line graphs, and use this data to solve problems.

Key Skills in Mathematics:

• Reading, writing, and comparing numbers up to 1,000,000.

• Performing calculations with large numbers.

• Understanding and converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages.

• Identifying and classifying angles and shapes.

• Converting units of measurement and solving related problems.

• Interpreting and solving problems from different types of graphs.

4. Science

In Year 5, children are expected to:

• Living things and their habitats: Children should understand the life cycles of different living organisms, including mammals, amphibians, insects, and birds. They should also understand the process of reproduction in plants and animals.

• Properties and changes of materials: Children should learn about the properties of materials (e.g., solubility, conductivity) and understand how materials can change states (e.g., melting, freezing, dissolving) and react with other substances.

• Forces: They should learn about different types of forces, including gravity, friction, and air resistance. Children should also understand how forces can affect the motion of objects.

• Earth and Space: Children should learn about the solar system, including the names and order of the planets, and how the Earth orbits the Sun. They should also understand the rotation of the Earth and the causes of day and night.

• Changing States of Matter: They should understand how materials can change state (solid, liquid, gas), and explore how temperature and other factors can influence these changes.

Key Skills in Science:

• Understanding the life cycles of different living organisms.

• Exploring the properties and changes of materials.

• Investigating forces and how they affect objects.

• Understanding the solar system and the Earth’s movement.

• Understanding changes in the state of matter.

How Parents Can Support Learning

Here are some ways you can help support your child’s learning at home:

• Reading: Encourage your child to read regularly, including books, newspapers, and magazines. Discuss the themes, characters, and key ideas with them, and ask them to explain the meaning of unfamiliar words.

• Writing: Encourage your child to write for different purposes, such as creative writing, reports, and diaries. Help them with spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and support them in organizing their writing into paragraphs.

• Maths: Practice multiplication and division facts together, and explore word problems that involve all four operations. Use real-life scenarios, such as shopping, cooking, or measuring, to reinforce their mathematical understanding.

• Science: Encourage your child to observe the world around them and conduct simple experiments at home, like growing plants or testing materials. Discuss scientific concepts such as gravity, forces, and the solar system.

If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to contact us. We are here to help and support both you and your child throughout this important year!