Hello, I’m Mrs C Slater and would like to give your child a very warm welcome to Year Three. I am extremely excited for the new school year. Please find below some information about the organisation for this school year.

Year 3 Class Staffing:

Miss Shepherd will support teaching and learning on a Monday and Tuesday and Mrs Qayyum will support teaching and learning in class on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  This year, Miss Shepherd (HLTA) will cover my PPA time on Friday mornings.

Units of Study:

The subject areas that your child will be covering will be shown on a curriculum overview which will be emailed home at the beginning of each term.

Homework Activities:

Please make sure your child reads at least three times a week and their homework diary is signed. In addition, children will be asked to log on to Times Table Rockstars and Spelling Shed three times a week. Learning times tables, spellings and reading frequently at home will develop their confidence and achievement in school.

At the beginning of each half term, children will be set an enrichment challenge. These tasks will generally be related to the topic work that they are undertaking. These challenges will provide the children with the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning; children can use their creativity and choose how to present their work. Children will be asked to choose their two favourite challenges from the homework grid and hand them in by end of the half term. 

Times Table Rock Stars/ Numbots/ PurpleMash/ Spelling Shed

All children have their own personal login details to Times table Rockstars, Numbots, PurpleMash and Spelling Shed. Please find all login details at the back of your child’s reading record.

Reading at Home:

We want to inspire children to read for pleasure at home. Children have books available in class or in the school library for reading at home. I would appreciate it if you could encourage your child to read for at least five minutes a day as part of their homework. It is expected that you sign your child’s reading record at least three times per week to say that you have listened to them read.  Comments about fluency, accuracy or confidence can be added to the reading record which should be returned to school every day along with their reading book. Please remind your child to bring their reading book in to school every day.

Reading in School:

The timetable in each KS2 class allows a daily guided reading session in addition to daily English lessons.

Activities taking place may include:

Guided reading with class teacher or teaching assistant;

Independent comprehension;

Independent reading using own choice of book from library, class books or from home;

Follow-up activities e.g. book review, blurb writing etc.

P.E:

We will have two sessions of P.E. each week, your child will need to come into school in their full PE kit.  Kit may be required at other times but prior notice will be given. Our PE sessions will be on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please note it is school policy for earrings to be removed for PE lessons.

P.E. Kit – Our PE kit consists of a white t-shirt with the school logo, plain black shorts or black jogging bottoms/leggings, school hoody/jumper and trainers (not pumps as we will aim to be outside as much as possible). Please ensure all kit is named.

I hope you understand our new routines in Year Three; I very much look forward to meeting you all. In the meantime, if you would like to discuss anything contained within this information sheet or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

P.E. Lessons: 

Year 3 will have P.E. lessons on Mondays and Fridays. On these days children should wear their P.E. kit and school jumper/P.E. hoodie to school. P.E. kit comprises of a white tee-shirt with the school logo, plain black shorts or plain black jogging bottoms/leggings, school jumper/school P.E. hoodie and black pumps/trainers. Kit may be required at other times but prior notice will be given. Please ensure that cardigans/jumpers/hoodies are clearly named. Please can you also make sure that all jewellery, for example earrings, are removed on those days.

This is a national curriculum subject and unless medical advice prevents your child from participating, in which case we would need a written note to that effect, then your child must have the correct kit to join in with these sessions. 

Reading At Home: 

We want to encourage children to read for pleasure at home. Children will select a book at an appropriate reading level to read at home. Books, along with a reading record, will be sent home each day. Please encourage your child to read for at least 10 minutes a day to yourself, another adult family member or an older sibling. Comments about how fluently, accurately or confidently your child has read at home can be added to the reading diary which should be returned to school, along with the book, the following day. Children will be expected to answer questions to assess their understanding of the text once they have completed a book.  

Reading in School:  

In addition to English lessons there will be daily guided reading sessions. Activities taking place may include:  

Guided reading with class teacher or teaching assistant;  

Language and text comprehension work; 

Library sessions;  

Independent reading; 

Follow-up activities e.g. book review, blurb writing etc; 

Book Buddy sessions; 

One to one reading. 

Each half-term we will also enjoy reading a class novel together, this half-term we are starting with the classic ‘The Spy Master’ by Jan Burchett. 

Homework Activities: 

Each week your child will bring homework activities to share with you.   

If homework is to really help your child and fully advance their learning, then it needs to fulfil two purposes: 

The activity should involve your child in explaining something they have learned at school. 

The activity should be one which draws upon the situation and resources of the home. This means that school-learning is transferred to real-life contexts. 

Homework is the one time in the week when your child can share with you some of his/her school learning. Allowing them to ‘be-the-teacher’ and to explain an activity or process to you is one of the best ways of helping them.  However, homework should not be a chore or source of conflict yet it is a key part of consolidating learning, therefore it is important for children and families to set routines that fit into family activities. Children are not expected to spend more than 2 hours over the week completing the tasks which will focus on the development of core skills. 

A homework activity booklet will be sent home on a Friday to be returned the following Wednesday. This will include key tasks focussed on times table facts, phonics, spellings, English and Maths.  In addition to these weekly core tasks, the children will have an enrichment challenge grid from which they can select three tasks to be completed over each half-term. These tasks will cover learning from the wider curriculum and are designed to provide the children with the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning; choosing how to present their work and the areas of learning they would like to research and cover.  

Any feedback about how well your child did with a piece of homework is always welcome therefore please add any comments to work being returned to school. 

I look forward to meeting you over the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you would like to discuss anything or have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me via the school office and we will arrange an appointment.