Introduction to Year Five (Age 9-10)

At IBIS we like to pride ourselves on our family atmosphere and high academic standards and in this Year 5 is no exception. Every member of the class is treated fairly and equally and actively encouraged to build up his or her self-confidence and esteem. This is achieved in a variety of ways; through their academic work and through their social contacts both with fellow pupils and members of staff.

For some academic subjects the children are ability-grouped and at other times they can sit with whom they wish within the class. No child is 'held back' due to his/her academic abilities. We have additional classroom support for EAL and timetabled time for a learning support and development teacher on a regular weekly basis.

Our classroom, like the rest of the school, is very well resourced with up-to-date materials and technology; for example we have an interactive whiteboard which is used for lessons across the curriculum.

Children are expected to bring their own pens and pencils to school but exercise and textbooks are provided. Children must also have a P.E./games kit in the appropriate school colours and bring it to school on the correct days. Please ensure that all items of the P.E. kit have the child's name on. For Year 5 children there is a regular daily requirement of homework for different subjects, lasting between 20 and 30 minutes per day. Unless told otherwise the homework must be completed and returned the next day. Please encourage and support your child with this, but feel free to approach the Year 5 teacher if there are any problems in this area. We wish this to be a positive aspect of a child's learning and not a cause of frustration or anxiety.

During the course of the year there will be various educational visits and other learning opportunities in which we expect all members of the class to participate. There will also be many opportunities for your child to become involved in extra-curricular activities at lunchtimes and after school. These are attended on a voluntary basis but are an excellent way of making new friends and integrating more fully into school life.

If there is ever a cause for concern or you just wish 'to touch base' with the class teacher, please feel free to do so. The door is always open.

Literacy

The school follows the English National Literacy Strategy, which involves the study of a text usually for a week's block. Within this framework word, sentence and text level work is generated. The spelling journal system is used on a weekly basis to individualise a child's requirement for learning to spell effectively. Developing the ability to read is strongly emphasised and in this we have a vast range of graded and non-graded books available. Parents are also actively encouraged to become involved in this as volunteers, listening to the children read at school.

Numeracy

In a similar way to literacy the school follows the English National Numeracy Strategy. This is a carefully graded scheme that introduces new mathematical concepts during the year but also revises and reinforces basic numeracy at regular intervals.

Science

Science topics during the year include forces (gravity and friction), gases, solids and liquids, science related to the weather and weather patterns and life processes (human biology including human reproduction). The science lessons are taught using a combination of both experimental and investigative science.

The school has a separate, well-resourced Science laboratory which is used as appropriate during the course of the year.

History

The History element of the curriculum forms part of integrated studies which is called our 'topic'. The other elements are Geography and some Science. During the year we study the Vikings in the first term and the ancient Greeks in the third term. Some of the key concepts covered include; awareness of the past, chronology/timelines, similarities and differences between 'then' and now, cause and effect, and History from different points of view.

Geography

As stated above Geography forms part of our topic. We study the geographical facets of our major termly topics. In addition, in the first half of the Spring term, the main topic is a study of the weather and climate. In the second half of the term we turn our attention to the environment and to conservational issues.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

IBIS is very well-resourced to teach this area of the curriculum effectively. We have a dedicated computer suite with 16 up-to-date PCs, computers in every class and the school is linked to the Internet on broadband. In many classes, including Year 5, there are interactive whiteboards which form part of our overall teaching strategy.

Curriculum-wise, our school broadly follows the British Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's (QCA) scheme of work for ICT. In Year 5 we study the following areas; graphical modelling, keyboard skills and desktop publishing, analysing data and using complex Internet searches, monitoring environmental changes using sensors, an introduction to spreadsheets and control technology which includes programming using LOGO.

Design and Technology (D & T)

Design and technology encompass several elements in the Year 5 curriculum. There are discrete D&T lessons in which an artefact is planned, designed, constructed and evaluated, then modified if there is a need. For example, we have a 'build-and-race a buggy competition' in the Spring term. There are regular food technology lessons at certain times of the year,
sometimes led by parents. Other D&T is incorporated in Science and topic lessons throughout the year.

German

German is taught for four lessons a week, plus one extra session per week for native German speakers which takes place before regular school begins. The children are divided into two groups according to their experience of the language.

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Bilingual Studies

Bilingual studies (English/German) take place for one hour a week and cover the curriculum followed by an equivalent class in a German Grundschule in local history and geography.

Art

The children learn the visual elements of Art - tone, colour, texture, pattern form and shape through a range of techniques including, painting, modelling (2D and 3D) and printing. Some of the work in this area is related to our studies in other areas of the curriculum such as Art of the ancient Greeks and Vikings.

Music

Music is taught by a specialist Music teacher for one lesson a week broadly following the English National Curriculum. In addition there is a music assembly one morning a week to which parents are most welcome to attend. There are also regular music/drama productions staged during the course of the year.

Personal, Social and Health Education

There is a separate assembly for Key Stage 2 during which a particular moral or ethical topic is introduced. Further discussion follows and during the year many other topics, such as bullying, honesty, fairness and respect, are discussed.

EAL (English as an Additional Language)

Support from a specialist teacher, usually in small groups, is given to children who, we feel, need extra help. The amount of help will depend upon the age of the child and his or her level of English.

Physical Education

During the course of the year a variety of activities are undertaken up to two hours a week. These include; swimming, tennis, athletics, ball sports including soccer, handball, hockey, basketball and educational gymnastics. We have at our disposal a fully-equipped gymnasium only three minutes walk from school, our large school playground and a purpose-built open air sports arena less than 10 minutes walk from school.