Well done to all the children in class 5 for a fantastic half-term you’ve been amazing! Everybody has worked so hard and achieved so much, you should be really proud of yourselves.

Last week was our assessment week and the children did really well, the week highlighted just how much progress everyone has made over the first half-term. Our focus in English was a formal written report and to aid them with this the children gathered their own notes from our class book so that they could refer to them during their independent writing. We looked at examples of formal written reports and the children used highlighters to pick out the key features and points showing an exceptional depth of knowledge and understanding.

In Maths we looked at multi-step problems and how we could use the RUCSAC method to work through questions in a logical and accurate fashion. With so much to concentrate on and so many decisions to make for each problem the children worked efficiently and effectively to show deep understanding of the four operations. We finished the week with a consolidation task that was set out as an investigation in a sweet factory which the pupils loved and really applied themselves to. From this task it was clear to see that everyone’s confidence has improved since the start of term as there was some great mathematical thinking and reasoning going on.

This week in English we have focused on letter writing. We identified the features and their purpose at the start of the week before moving onto persuasive devices and writing persuasively to try and capture a reader’s attention. On Wednesday our focus was modal verbs which indicate certainty or possibility. The children were really enthused and produced some extremely persuasive sentences that they have then utilised today when writing their letter.

We have made a brief start to our third block of Maths this week as we looked at timetables. It was only an introduction session but all the children took a great deal of time to work efficiently and effectively, producing some great discussion and attention to detail. We will be carrying on with this block after half-term. The children participated in their fourth arithmetic test of the term at the start of this week. Everybody is doing so well in these tests, me and Mrs Allen are extremely proud of the way the children approach each test and the determination they show to succeed. This is certainly reflected in the scores they have attained so far.

There is no homework for half-term because the children may want to have a go at the writing competition.

Thank you to all the children and parents in class 5 for welcoming me into the school this term, enjoy your break and I’ll see you after the holidays ready to get back into it.

Thanks, Mr Sudlow.