Welcome to Year 3!

Autumn 1

After two weeks back at school, we are settling in wonderfully. The excited about taking on new challenges and learning new expectations that come with being in Key Stage 2 (junior department).

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 are enthusiastic about diving into the new Religious Education Directory (curriculum). We have started with Branch 1: Covenant and Creation. The children will be learning all about how God created the world and everything in it. We will be discussing the importance of keeping Sunday holy and what this looks like for us today in 2025. We will learn the term "Imago Dei" - being made in the image of God and how this means we are made to treat all humans with dignity. We will then move on to writing psalms of praise and thanks to God for creating the whole world.

Our Catholic Social Teaching focus this term is Care of Creation.

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. We will soon move on to reading Stig of the Dump.

Geography lessons have started with the exciting topic of earthquakes and volcanoes, which has sparked a great deal of curiosity among the children. We are hearing questions about volcanoes on a daily basis and we 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! Look at the photos of the volcanoes we created and exploded in our year group photo gallery.

PE lessons take place on Mondays 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.

Our DT topic this term focusses on "Sharing Bread". We will be learning how wheat is grown and milled to become flour, we will also be designing and baking our own focaccia bread. Please keep an eye out on Class Dojo for more information.

Mr Gauci and Miss Yadav 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

In RE we will be moving on to Branch 2: Prophecy and Promise. The children will be exploring how God spoke through the prophets and how their messages prepared the way for Jesus, the promised Messiah. We will spend time learning about the order of Mass, especially the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Year 3's key theme is the Eucharist as it is during Year 3 that many children will receive their First Holy Communion. As Advent approaches, we will reflect on the themes of waiting and hope and we will learn key stories such as the Annunciation and the Visitation. We will also learn the word Incarnation – the belief that Jesus is God made flesh. Throughout the term, the children will create thoughtful reflections and short prayers linked to hope, promise and faith.

Our Catholic Social Teaching focus this term is Preferential Option for the Poor.

This term, the children will continue exploring the book Stig of the Dump by Clive King. They will follow Barney and Stig’s adventures and use the story to inspire imaginative thinking, curiosity and independence. As they read, they will reflect on the characters’ creativity and resourcefulness, particularly their sustainable approach to the world around them. We will continue to focus on developing our comprehension skills, as well as improving our use of grammar and punctuation.

In Maths, the children will work on developing their understanding of multiplication and division. They will use the short written method and explore vertical partitioning with three-digit numbers. Through arrays and practical tasks, they will deepen their understanding of equal groups and continue to make strong links between counting in 2s, 5s and 10s and their related times tables. Division will be introduced as both sharing and grouping, helping to build a secure foundation for future learning.

In Science, the children will investigate rocks and soils. They will examine different types of rocks and explore their properties through hands-on activities, including a permeability experiment with soil samples. Later in the term, they will move on to study the human skeleton and muscles, discovering how our bodies move and function.

We will also begin our History topic of The Stone Age. We will be taking part in an engaging workshop that will take us through the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age (we will learn about the Bronze Age and Iron Age in the Spring Term). We will also be exploring Stone Age art in our Art lessons.