WELCOME TO YEAR 3

It has been wonderful to welcome the children back after the summer break. Some of them have grown so much since the end of Year 2! We are very pleased with how well they have settled into Year 3 and are already showing enthusiasm and positivity towards their learning.

We have started the year by focusing on place value, helping children to develop a secure understanding of the value of numbers. This provides an important foundation for future learning.  As the term progresses, we will move on to addition and subtraction, followed by multiplication and division. The children will develop their calculation skills and learn how to apply them when solving a variety of mathematical problems.  Our daily fluency sessions, known to the children as "Tough 10" are going very well. A major focus this year is learning times tables up to and including the 12 times tables. Children will take part in weekly times table tests every Friday and we look forward to celebrating their achievements with certificates.  Homework will now be set weekly and will be linked to the times tables being practised in class.

In English, children take part in either a daily phonics group, focusing on reading and writing, or a writing group. Whichever group they attend, reading remains a vital part of their learning.  We would greatly appreciate your support by ensuring your child reads at home every evening whenever possible. Regular reading makes a significant difference to children's confidence, fluency and overall progress.

The children are very excited about our topic this term. From now until Christmas, we will be learning about the Stone Age to Iron Age. This fascinating topic will help the children develop an understanding of life in prehistoric Britain and many of our Art activities will be linked to this learning.  In Science this term, we are studying Rocks, which links well with our learning about the Stone Age. During the second term, we will move on to learning about Light.  We place a strong emphasis on developing children’s investigative and enquiry skills through practical activities, which Year 3 always enjoy.

This term's PE lessons are Basketball and Gymnastics.  We are sure the children will enjoy both of these activities. Please remember that no jewellery should be worn on PE days for health and safety reasons.

In RE, we will be focusing on Christianity over the next two terms. The children will explore What is it like for someone to follow God? and What is the Trinity and why is it important for Christians? Lessons are already proving very exciting. This term, the children will be learning how to send and receive emails, helping them develop important digital skills for the future.

Thank you for your continued support. We are looking forward to an exciting and successful term of learning together in Year 3.