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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Spellings in year 5

9 replies

Jetcatisback · 27/09/2016 07:27

My DD has just started year 5, and is (as I'm often told by her teachers) one of the brightest in her class. I know that the curriculum has changed, so I thought I'd ask here before saying anything to school just in case there's a reason for it, but yesterday she came home with year 3 and 4 spellings, saying that as not everyone gets them all correct then they have to do these words. I quickly tested her on 12 out of the 80 words (at her request) and she got 2 wrong so I can see the need for revision. My worry is what about the year 5 spellings? DD tells me (and is confirmed by her homework book) that these are the spellings they'll be working on this year.

I know I'm waffling but I'm wondering if words like disappear, occasionally, separate etc are part of the new curriculum which is my DD was told they have to learn them this year as they didn't learn them last year?

Also, as an aside, DD is particularly gifted in maths, a couple of year back I got a letter stating she would be on the G&T register for it. She is very proud that she knows all her times tables, but is getting a little frustrated with school. They have some sort of display of all the planets, and depending on where you are up to with your tables, you get to move to a certain planet. From the start of year 5 DD tells me she is "hovering around in outer space" (teachers words) as there's no where for her to be put, and her teacher frequently says "I don't know what to do with you as you already know them all". Dd finds this hilarious, and I'm jollying her along etc, but I can see that she just isn't learning/doing anything new. At what point should I be saying something, if anything?

For context, DD had a horrendous year last year away from school, and was (and still is to some extent) frequently distressed by it, and school have been absolutely amazing and supportive with her. I guess my worry is that with a NQT last year and another this year, she's not going to be challenged enough.

I would appreciate any thoughts please

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Original poster

Jetcatisback · 27/09/2016 07:29

Not that I'm saying NQTs don't know how to challenge, but perhaps aren't quite as experienced as to know when to switch from pastoral support to academic - particularly when DD can, errr, be a drama queen!

OP posts:

ladyvimes · 27/09/2016 07:34

The spelling guidance from the government is very vague. At our school the children complete it by Christmas in Year 5 and then revise them for the rest of Year5 and 6.
Your dd will have plenty of time to revise Year 3/4 spellings and cover Year 5 spellings. There are no new spellings for Year 6.
Hope this helps.

ladyvimes · 27/09/2016 07:37

Also do you have a parents evening coming up soon. This would be a good time to query whether your dd is being challenged.
To be fair if they should know their tables by Year 5. Does your dd know all the corresponding division facts? Can she use her tables to solve fractions of amounts?

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 27/09/2016 07:55

The new curriculum has a list of 100 words for years 3 and 4 and another 100 for years 5 and 6.

There should be time to teach the year 5 and 6 words and spend some time revising the year 3-4 ones.

user789653241 · 27/09/2016 08:18

My ds is in yr4, but he gets really easy spelling as well. I really don't stress about spellings, if she is good at it anyway.
Times table is a issue for my ds as well. Try doing it with decimals for more fun and challenge.(0.5 or 0.05 instead of 5, etc.)
It may still be quite easy, but at least she gets a right sense of using a decimal numbers.

user789653241 · 27/09/2016 08:31

My ds's school made him learn up to 20 x 20 and he has instant recall, but I thought it was totally pointless. how far can they go?

Original poster

Jetcatisback · 27/09/2016 09:02

That's very helpful thanks all. lady she knew all her tables at the start of Y4, which is why I'm a little concerned she's not learning anything new. I do decimals and divisions with her, but she's not doing them at school.

Much more reassured about the spellings though, many thanks!

OP posts:

user789653241 · 27/09/2016 09:16

Op, my ds knew all the times table before starting school. They made him learn up to 20 x 20 in yr1. I have given up expecting school to stretching him for maths long time ago.
We do challenging things at home, and at school, he try to find challenge in what is given to him.
But school is not all about maths, so he still enjoys school.

redskytonight · 27/09/2016 12:17

DD is in Y6 but they are spending a lot of time revising words they are already meant to know at the moment before moving onto "Year 6 words".

If she knows her times tables, she could be practicing fast recall - this is a big thing at DD's school - they are given grids or lists of questions and have to complete them as quickly as possible. Does she have a sum dog login? DD is obsessed with beating her scores on there!

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