Year 5: what to teach and where to find it.
What the national curriculum asks of this year, which parts of the free course cover it, and a term-by-term path through Level 3, Bridge English.
Where to start
Level 3: Bridge English
Level 3 spans Years 5 and 6. We suggest weeks 1 to 18 in Year 5 and weeks 19 to 36 in Year 6. This pacing is our suggestion, not an official one.
If it feels too easy or too hard
Use the placement check, then move up or down a year on this map. Children learning English as an additional language often sit at a different level for speaking, listening, reading and writing: that is normal.
What the national curriculum asks
- Pupils read aloud a wider range of poetry and books with accuracy at a reasonable pace, prepare readings with intonation, and summarise and present a familiar story in their own words (S1, upper key stage 2).
- Pupils should be reading widely and frequently, outside as well as in school, for pleasure and information, and reading silently with good understanding (S1).
- Writing: plan by discussing similar writing; draft by composing and rehearsing sentences, including dialogue; organise paragraphs around a theme; evaluate, edit and proof-read; read aloud their own writing (S1).
- Grammar terminology for pupils (Year 5 content): modal verb, relative pronoun, relative clause, parenthesis, bracket, dash, cohesion, ambiguity (S1, Appendix 2).
- Spelling: the statutory Years 5 and 6 word list of 100 words (S1, S2).
Summarised in our own words from the official documents listed under Sources. For exact wording, always use the official text.
How the free course covers it
| Spelling | The first half of the Years 5 and 6 words, with rules for tricky endings. |
|---|---|
| Grammar | Relative clauses, modal verbs, parenthesis. |
| Writing | Narrative with dialogue, persuasive letter, balanced argument. |
| Vocabulary | Tier 2 words and morphology. |
| Reading | Longer texts and exam-style listening. |
Some strand pages are still being added to the site and will open as they are published. See the full plan for every strand.
Your year, term by term
A suggested path through Level 3. Each week links to the full week on the level page, with lesson outlines and free resources.
School term 1
Level 3, weeks 1 to 6
- Wk 1 Getting to know youpresent simple and continuous; question forms
- Wk 2 School life and organisationadverbs of frequency; have to / don't have to
- Wk 3 Free time and interestsverb + -ing or to-infinitive
- Wk 4 Weekend storiespast simple, regular and irregular
- Wk 5 What was happening?past continuous with when and while
- Wk 6 Life experiencespresent perfect with ever, never, just, already, yet
School term 2
Level 3, weeks 7 to 12
- Wk 7 Our digital livespresent perfect with for and since; How long...?
- Wk 8 Staying safe onlinemust, mustn't, should, shouldn't
- Wk 9 Towns and citiescomparatives, superlatives, (not) as ... as
- Wk 10 News and reportspast simple passive (was built, were found)
- Wk 11 Reviews and recommendations-ed and -ing adjectives; because, so, although
- Wk 12 Review and assessmentTerm 1 grammar
School term 3
Level 3, weeks 13 to 18
- Wk 13 Plans and arrangementsgoing to, present continuous for arrangements, will for quick decisions
- Wk 14 Our future worldwill, might, may for predictions; probably, definitely
- Wk 15 The environmentfirst conditional; unless
- Wk 16 Health and wellbeingshould, ought to; too and enough
- Wk 17 Friends and people we admirerelative clauses: who, which, that, where, whose
- Wk 18 Jobs and skillsbe able to, could; good at, interested in + -ing
Checks and tests this year
- There is no national English test in Year 5. Your school may run its own assessments (GOV.UK, The national curriculum: key stages 1 and 2).
At home
- Talk about the news or a documentary together and ask for an opinion with a reason.
- Encourage reading for pleasure: series, comics, audiobooks and non-fiction all count.
- Ask them to proof-read a short piece of their writing aloud.