This term in English, Class 11 will be basing their English lessons on the novel 'Rooftoppers' by Katherine Rundell. This is a truly fabulous choice to base English lessons around for our Year 5/6 classes because it combines adventure, mystery, and rich language in a way that is both accessible and inspiring. The story follows Sophie, a brave and determined girl who refuses to believe she is an orphan, and her guardian Charles as they travel to Paris in search of her long-lost mother. Along the way, Sophie encounters a hidden world above the city—the rooftops—where she meets Matteo and his band of “rooftoppers,” children who live high above the ground. This setting allows for vivid imagery, descriptive writing, and opportunities for pupils to explore figurative language, all while developing their own creative voices.

The novel encourages deep discussion around themes of family, resilience, courage, and belonging, which are meaningful and relevant to pupils of this age. The characters, particularly Sophie, model perseverance and independent thought, making them excellent for character studies, role play, and diary writing activities. The blend of suspense and lyrical prose ensures that pupils will be both hooked by the story and challenged to think about how language shapes atmosphere and emotion. In addition, the Parisian backdrop offers cross-curricular links to geography, history, and art, as pupils can research the city’s landmarks and culture. Rooftoppers also encourages empathy, as it highlights the struggles of children who live outside the norm and celebrates difference as a strength. Altogether, this novel provides endless opportunities for reading comprehension, creative writing, debate, and drama. By basing our English lessons on Rooftoppers, Class 11 will not only develop essential skills in literacy but also their imagination, empathy, and love for reading.

Reading regularly in Years 5 and 6 is one of the most important habits your child can develop, as it helps them in every area of their learning. At this stage, children are not only practising how to read but are also using reading to discover new ideas, expand their vocabulary, and build confidence with more challenging texts. Regular reading at home and in school supports their writing, spelling, and comprehension, while also encouraging imagination and empathy as they explore different characters and worlds. Most importantly, reading every day helps to nurture a genuine love of books, setting them up with the curiosity and confidence they need as they prepare for the move to secondary school.

Here are some recommended reads for both Year 5 and Year 6.

Year 5 Recommended Reads

Year 6 Recommended Reads

It is really important to practise your spellings and try to earn you spelling badges. Sometimes it is hard to know how to 'practise', so here are some ideas that you could try out!

Handwriting

Handwriting is really important for making us proud of our work and helping to remember spelling. Here is the handwriting policy in case you would like to do any practise at home.