Welcome to Year 3! After two weeks back at school, we are settling in wonderfully. The excitement to take on the challenges of the year ahead is evident.

Our class rules have been established and we are already hard at work. The positive approach to learning is very encouraging, and we have been delighted with the progress the children are making.

In RE, we have been discussing the concept of home. The children gave thoughtful explanations about what transforms a house into a home. We reflected on Jesus’ home and wrote prayers to thank God for our own homes. We also explored the idea that God has created a home for all of us, welcoming us into His family. The children have been writing their own Psalms, singing together, and expressing gratitude for God’s love through their own independent Psalm writing.

In Maths, our current focus is on number and place value. The children are beginning to master identifying hundreds, tens, and ones, and are using a variety of tools to represent place value effectively.

In English, we are focusing on instructions and their key features. The children have already written their own sets of instructions and had fun with a picture game based on them. Please encourage them to share these activities with you at home.

Geography lessons have started with the exciting topic of volcanoes, which has sparked a great deal of curiosity among the children. We are hearing questions about volcanoes on a daily basis, and are thrilled to see that some of you are even conducting research at home. We have been exploring the volcanoes in the Ring of Fire and can now identify their locations. Additionally, we have studied the layers of the earth, including the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. Well done to everyone for your enthusiasm!

PE lessons take place on Tuesdays and Fridays. This term, we are exploring different movements, and the children are always eager and excited to participate. We are also improving our understanding of the importance of staying physically active.

Mrs Religa and Mr Gauci want to express our gratitude to everyone for a fantastic start to the year. Please remember to read daily, review what you have learnt, and strive to follow Jesus' teachings. We are excited about the year ahead and are confident that we will accomplish amazing things together.

Autumn 2

This term, the children enjoyed reading Stig of the Dump by Clive King. They engaged with the story enthusiastically, connecting with Barney and Stig’s adventures and their imaginative, independent way of exploring the world. The characters’ creativity and resourcefulness, especially their sustainable approach to life, inspired us all.

In Maths, we focused on multiplication and division. The children practised using the short written method and explored vertical partitioning with three-digit numbers. They developed their understanding of equal groups through arrays and made strong connections between counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s and their related times tables. Division was introduced as both sharing and grouping, helping to build a solid foundation for future learning.

Our Science lessons focused on rocks and soil. Pupils examined the different types of rocks and investigated their properties through hands-on activities, including a permeability experiment with various soil types which proved very popular. Later in the term, the children studied the human skeleton and muscles, gaining a deeper understanding of how our bodies move and function.

In Religious Education, pupils explored Baptism and Anointing, and reflected on Bible stories that highlight the joys and challenges of both planned and unexpected visitors. We welcomed our families to join us for the Harvest Liturgy, a special moment of gratitude and community. As Christmas approached, we learnt about the Annunciation and the Visitation, culminating in a joyful Christmas Concert with all of KS2 and our families.

Spring 1

This term, the children explored the magical world of legends and myths, with many choosing The Stolen Spear by Saviour Pirotta as their favourite book. In English, we focused on improving and editing our descriptive writing. The children wrote vivid scenes, settings, and character descriptions inspired by the story, using rich vocabulary, such as imaginative adjectives, adverbs, personification, and a range of time and cause conjunctions to bring their work to life.

In Maths, we continued to develop our multiplication skills, particularly through calculations involving exchange and identifying related facts for multiplication and division. We explored unit fractions, comparing and ordering them, and applied our understanding in real life contexts by interpreting scales in measurement. Bar models and number lines supported our understanding of how fractions work and how they relate to the whole.

In Science, we studied the wider picture of the earliest humans in Britain. We learnt about Homo sapiens, the prehistoric Ice Age, and life during the Palaeolithic Era. We explored the experiences of nomadic people, the transition to hunter-gatherer societies at the end of the last Ice Age, and the development of settlements in the Mesolithic Era. The children were especially fascinated by the Neolithic stone settlement of Skara Brae in Scotland. Our workshop gave pupils the opportunity to observe and study Stone Age artefacts up close, sparking lots of curiosity and discussion.

In Religious Education, we deepened our understanding of the Liturgical Year, helping us to appreciate the seasons of the Church. The children enjoyed creating booklets about The Feast of Our Lady and studying the Pilgrimage Psalms. Writing the Gloria prayer encouraged thoughtful reflection on how we praise and glorify God. We also explored the Liturgy of the Word and the importance of gathering together for Mass.

Spring 2

Warmer days welcomed us into a new term with the exciting mystery story Spy Dog by Andrew Cope. Lara, or GM451, as she is known to the Government, is a highly trained special agent working on top secret missions for the British Secret Service. The children absolutely loved the story and were inspired to create their own spy pet character profiles and timetables. Their imaginative writing would certainly give publishers plenty of fresh ideas! Using complex and compound sentences, along with personal and possessive pronouns, helped pupils craft suspenseful and engaging stories. We also thoroughly enjoyed celebrating World Book Day by dressing up as our favourite book characters and presenting them to the class, which was an excellent opportunity to practise our oracy skills.

In Maths, we explored different units of measurement and practised converting between them. We learnt the importance of converting measurements to the same unit before comparing, adding, or subtracting. Practical activities involving scales, volume, and capacity helped solidify our understanding. The children also deepened their knowledge of 2D shapes by learning how to measure and calculate perimeter.

Science this term focused on plants. We studied the life cycle of a flowering plant, including germination, pollination, seed formation, and seed dispersal, and investigated how different variables affect plant growth. It was fascinating to explore the functions of each part of the plant, especially the role of the roots in absorbing water and nutrients. We concluded our topic with an educational trip to London's well known Kew Gardens.

In Religious Education, we studied the stages of Mass, including the Communion Rite, the Offering of the Gifts, and the Eucharistic Prayer. This deepened our understanding and encouraged us to reflect more meaningfully on our relationship with God. We also entered the season of Lent and celebrated Mardi Gras with the whole school community, which was a joyful occasion.

Summer 1

We began our Summer term with The Firework Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman in our English lessons. This adventure story offered the children a wonderful opportunity to explore themes of courage, perseverance, and self-belief. They wrote heartfelt letters from Lila’s perspective to her father, who doubted her dream of becoming a great firework maker. The children also brought their creativity to life through play scripts, showcasing their enthusiasm for performance and drama. Their character descriptions revealed growing confidence in their writing. Pupils particularly enjoyed our poetry unit, producing beautiful calligrams and shape poems filled with imaginative language. Towards the end of term, we began reading The Romans: Gods, Emperors, and Dormice as an introduction to the fascinating world of ancient Rome.

In Maths, we focused on developing our time reading skills. The children learnt to read both digital and analogue clocks, and practised converting minutes into hours. We also explored money, learning how to add and subtract different amounts, and how to convert pounds into pence. Solving word problems involving money helped pupils understand the real life applications of their learning.

Our Science topic this term was light. We investigated natural and human made light sources, including ultraviolet light from the sun, learning how it affects us even though we cannot see it. We also explored the properties of opaque, transparent, and translucent materials, and carried out experiments to observe how the size of shadows can change depending on the position of the light source.

In Religious Education, we focused on the energy of wind and fire, and identified Bible stories where these elements are symbolically used. We learnt about the Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, with a particular focus on the significance of Pentecost. As the term came to a close, we began a new topic, Choices, starting with The Parable of the Two Sons, a story that reminded us that actions speak louder than words.