Year 3
Week beginning 7th of September 2026
Welcome back to school after the summer holidays! We were delighted to welcome the children into Year 3 last week, and they made a fantastic start during their first two days. This week, children can look forward to learning more about their new class names: the Bay of Bengal and the Bay of Biscay. We are excited about a wonderful year of learning, growth and new adventures together!
This year, instead of Parent Information Evenings, we have made a welcome video and would like to invite you and your child to see their new classroom after school on Monday 14th September.
Important dates and messages:
Key Dates:
PE days in Year 3 are Tuesdays – please remember to send your child into school every Tuesday in their PE kit.
The calendar section on the website lists all major events throughout the academic year, but here are some reminders:
- Thursday 3rd September – Children return to school for the start of the academic year 2026/2027
- Monday 12th October – Individual and sibling photographs – Frazer Portraits
- Friday 16th October – 170th birthday celebrations. 4 pm – 7 pm
- Friday 23rd October - Break up for half-term
- Monday 2nd November – Children return for term 2
- Wednesday 4th November – Year 4 swimming starts
- Saturday 7th November – St. James’ Open Morning for new parents. 10 am - 12 pm
- Friday 13th November – Mufti Day for Children in Need
- Tuesday 15th December – Year 5 and 6 Carols by Candlelight – church
- Friday 18th December - Break up for Christmas holidays
Worship Theme This Week:
Our worship theme this week is: You are special
"I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well."
Psalm 139:14
Curriculum
This week, the children will continue to enjoy a range of exciting learning experiences across the curriculum.
In English, we will explore the Bay of Bengal and the Bay of Biscay.
In Maths, we will focus on place value while continuing to develop our reasoning and problem-solving skills through Maths Mastery.
Our Bay topic will continue with independent research and creative sea art. We will also enjoy PE, computing, RE and PSHE, with a focus on online identity and online safety.
Our new class book:
Varjak Paw by SF Said
Homework:
Please note that this term's project homework is at the bottom of the page.
The children have been given their project homework and overview. Please choose at least two tasks to complete throughout our project. The children are welcome to complete more if they wish.
We look forward to seeing what they produce in our homework museum.
We also encourage children to practice the statutory Y3/4 spellings.
Spellings
Research shows that learning just 13 of the most frequently used words will enable children to read 25% of any text. Learning 100 high-frequency words gives a beginner reader access to 50% of virtually any text, whether a children's book or a newspaper report. When you couple sight recognition of common and tricky words with knowledge of phonics, that's when a child's reading can really take off.
These word lists contain the first 100 and the next 200 of the most common words children encounter in their reading. The words are listed in frequency order, reading down the columns from the most common, 'the'.
Spellings we are learning in our spelling lessons this half-term:
Reading:
We would love to see Year 3 using their extra time at home to read some brilliant books. If children read three times at home, they get a raffle ticket. Please, therefore, keep a quick record in reading logs – your children can write the title in to help! We would also like to encourage children to bring their reading records to school every day.
Reading books – we would like to remind everyone to have a reading book in school – this can be a school or home book. We want all children to be able to share recommendations and reviews of what we have read recently. We display books we've read in the classroom to get children talking about the stories they love and inspire others to try new titles.
Additional resources
Below are some other resources that you can use for optional work at home:
Recommended reading list:
English reading activities:
English reading activities should include reading an extract or a short story and answering questions. Guidance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Y_67GMkP4
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/7-11-years/reading
- All activities through this link
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zs44jxs
- What are facts and opinions?
- What does an author do?
- What is inference?
https://www.everyschool.co.uk/english-key-stage-2-comprehension-2.html
- All activities through this link
Maths
MyMaths – We will set up MyMaths tasks termly, based on the learning we will be doing this term. Two per week is our minimum recommendation. MyMaths login details are on the back of their reading record.
TTRS should be the main way children practice their timetables. Children should still be completing 3 sound checks and 2 garage bands a week.
However, if they would like a change or focus on particular tables, they can use "Hit the button".
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/ - This website is a good resource to find fun games for children to play, with specified age ranges.
Many thanks for all of your support,
Mrs Johnson and Mrs Allery.