Our Year 5/6 Curriculum

Within Year 5/6, our curriculum is taught across the year through our three enquiries. The enquiries all have an overarching question which the children work towards answering through an authentic outcome. Our enquiries are developed by driving and enhancing subjects. 

In addition, our enquiries connect to our DEAL curriculum principles and shape the way the enquiries are planned and delivered.

Our Year 5/6 Enquiries for 2024-25

                  Autumn Term                    Spring Term                    Summer Term

Autumn Term - Do invasions always result in change?

Through this enquiry, our children will learn about Viking invasion, they will compare, contrast and notice trends explaining them using historical terminology.

The children will build on their knowledge from EYFS and KS1, our children will have learned about significant people to them, our community and the world. From Year 2 children will have studied a significant event from beyond living history when learning about the Great Fire of London, analysing its impact on the modern world. Our children will continue to build upon their knowledge of British History and explore the chronology of each significant time period or event that they have learnt about so far.  In key stage two, the children have studied British history in chronological order beginning with the stone age in year 3 and Roman Britain in year 4. In year 5/6 cycle 1, the children will have learnt about modern invasions in WW2 and their impact on the world.

Building on this knowledge, our children in year 5 will revisit invasion in year 6 cycle 1 when learning about the Axis invasion of Poland and the impact this had on Britain and the world.  In year 7, our children will build upon their knowledge of History to discuss and debate various historical concepts (such as: society, empire, worship and monarchy) that they have begun to explore at Rivendell. They will continue to investigate the disciplinary knowledge of continuity and change and construct defendable claims about the past using sources of evidence.

Through Design and Technology children will understand the significance of the Viking longboat to the success of their invasions. In Geography, children will use maps to understand the geographical impact of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions on the UK. In PE, invasion games will support the children’s understanding of some key vocabulary.

Our Autumn Term Authentic Outcome

Click on the link below to hear the Year 5/6 Podcast answering the question -

Do invasions always result in change?

We published our Podcast at Perlthorpe Education Centre and had this amazing reply from Magnus the Yarl:

Skol Shield Maiden Lauren Newdauter (Lauren daughter of New (Newson))

Thank you for the podcast, it must have been made by Odin and Loki, I can hear the voices of Viking and Saxon children coming from the air. I loved the facts you shared about the Horrid repulsive Romans and the disgusting smelly Saxons. Oh, and don’t forget the wonderful Viking warriors 😊

It makes my heart sing and the Gods shout to know you have all worked so hard on your topic. Thank you for sending it to me, I might see you all in the summer raids 😊

Spring Term Enquiry - Should your circumstances determine your destiny?

Through this enquiry, our children will extend their knowledge of the causes of climate change and the impact of famine. They will further explore similarities between Italy, the UK and Brazil. Through their geographical enquiries they will express balanced opinions about the geographical issues surrounding displacement and refugees using sources of evidence to support their ideas.

This enquiry builds on from EYFS where the children will have learned about their local community, in town in which they live and compare this to other countries around the world with a particular focus on Brazil and Italy.  In year one, children will have acquired the knowledge of human and physical features when studying the four home nations, moving into Year 2 where the children will have explored different types of settlements across the world’s seven continents and the advantages and disadvantages of living in these places. They will have learned about contrasting climates and habitats describing them using geographical vocabulary.

 This knowledge is then deepened in key stage two, in year 3, where our children have learned about human and physical changes as they explore what causes an earthquake and other natural disasters.  They will also begin to develop their understanding of social impact as they learn how people from the UK support others through charities who respond to natural disasters. In year 4, the children will learn about topography and physical features of their locality and the effects of flooding on agriculture as a key theme. In cycle one of year 5/6, our children year 6 children will have compared Brazil and other South American countries to the UK including the impact of climate change and how socio-economically developed both countries are.  Our children in year 5/6 cycle one, will explore the displacement of British children and Jewish families during WW2 in the autumn term. In the spring term, our children will learn about the human impact on our environment when learning about the Amazon Rainforest and the nine South American countries which host it. #

In the secondary curriculum, our children will apply their primary knowledge to further develop their understanding of global patterns of world development and explain the human and physical features of other countries in our world, for example, Russia. From their study of our local area, children will learn to make links to the wider world through globalisation.

This enquiry also closely link to RE, British values and protected characteristics. In Science, our children will learn about nature vs nurture when studying evolution and inheritance and can explore this through the lens of circumstance and destiny.  In PE, our pupils will learn about Paralympians who have overcome adversity to determine their own destiny.