Year 3
It’s been a short but energetic return to school – after a lively first day, the children have quickly settled back into their routines and are working with great focus.
Don’t forget we’re still on a mission to win the weekly visit from Bookster Bear! Keep logging those reads at home – we’re yet to clinch victory this year.
We’re excited for our trip to Audley End House and Gardens next Wednesday. Please return the (pink!) permission slips by Monday 28th April. Children should wear school uniform with school shoes or trainers, as we’ll be on our feet exploring. A light coat or waterproof (just in case the weather has ideas of its own), packed lunch, and water bottle are also essential.
There’s a lot of learning packed into this half term. In English, we’ve started persuasive writing. After an initial ‘cold task’ where children tried to convince me to visit their favourite places, we explored the persuasive techniques authors use. These were highlighted in Go Ape leaflets (in pairs), and then in a reading comprehension about Colchester Castle, which we’ve also answered questions on individually and started to recite aloud – complete with actions!
In maths, we’ve dived into adding and subtracting like fractions (they have same denominators) – the children are showing confidence. We’ve also started breaking down whole numbers into fractional parts, remembering that a whole number, as a fraction, has the same numerator and denominator.
In science, we’re exploring how plants transport nutrients and water, with an experiment planned next week. Our new geography topic, ‘Our Local Area’, kicked off with discussions about whether Moulton and Newmarket are rural or urban, touching on population, density, and local industries like farming and horse racing.
In PSHE, Miss Spinks introduced the concept of earning, spending and budgeting. In RE, Mrs Chittock began our exploration of Sikhism. And in French, the children enjoyed bringing Le navet énorme (The Enormous Turnip) to life through spirited roleplay – a thoroughly entertaining end to the week!
Wishing you a relaxing weekend – fingers crossed the sunshine sticks around for our trip (we’ve braved it in a blizzard before… never again, please!)
The year 3 team (Miss Murphy, Mrs Dobson and Mrs Troughton)
Year 4
Ahoy, Year 4 Parents! News Afloat! 🚢
This week we’ve launched a brand-new theme,
The Titanic’s tale — a tragic dream.
From lifeboats scarce to icebergs wide,
We’re sailing through history, facts as our guide!
In Maths we’ve gone below the line,
With negative numbers — and doing just fine!
Temperatures dropping, but spirits are high,
These clever crew members reach for the sky!
And if that’s not enough to make them beam,
Burwell House is the ultimate dream!
They’re counting the days with giddy delight —
Adventure awaits, it’s soon in sight!
Have a great weekend
Mrs Chittock & the team.
Year 5
It has been lovely to be back in the swing of things this week. I can't believe that we've started our final term. The summer term is a very busy one for Y5.
Next week, we will start our swimming sessions. I will send out more information next week and have lots of chats with the children to make sure they all know what they are doing and feel comfortable with it all.
Later in the term we will have our Bikeability sessions - that is a fun but rather chaotic week for me! This is the term where we display our acting skills and put on our summer term play. Y5 have already shown some tremendous dramatic potential so Mrs Gilmore and I have high hopes for this year's production.
In English, we have completed a reading activity about Charles Dickens. Today we read an extract of Oliver Twist and investigated the wonderful vocabulary Dickens used. We will be using Oliver Twist as our inspiration for our next unit of work.
On Thursday, we had a go at writing sentences using the same word as both a verb and a noun (I love eating toast. I toasted the Bride and Groom). It really showed us the importance of being able to identify a determiner and pronouns - they often give clues as to what the next word will be.
In Maths, we have continued to look at fractions. We recapped addition fractions, discussed subtracting fractions and introduced calculating with mixed numbers. They have done brilliantly with this very long fraction unit (but we love a fraction in Y5). Next week, we move on to percentages!
We've started our new history topic: The Victorians. On Tuesday afternoon we learnt how Victoria was able to inherit the throne when the system favoured boys. Her grandparents, George III and Queen Charlotte, had 15 children, so it was very unexpected that the daughter of their 5th child inherited the throne!
In Computing, we continued to develop our Scratch games. We may have a final development session before inviting another class to come and test them out. In RE, we delved into the Easter story in detail. In Science, we learnt about mammalian reproduction. We looked at the life cycle of placental mammals in detail, but we also had a look at marsupials and monotremes. The children asked some brilliant questions and used lots of their previous knowledge to ask even trickier questions, which kept me on my toes.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Rutter, Mrs Marsh & Mrs Nichols.
Year 6
It's been a busy and productive first week back!
We’ve hit the ground running across all subjects, and the enthusiasm from the class has been fantastic to see.
In science on Tuesday, we wrapped up our topic on 'How I Work' by exploring what makes up a healthy and balanced diet. We discussed the main food groups and learned about their roles in supporting different functions of the body. We explored examples of foods in each category and talked about how variety and moderation are key to maintaining good health. To build on this, we examined food packaging and nutritional labels in detail, learning how to read and interpret the information provided. The children were particularly interested in comparing labels and discussing which options might be healthier and why. This helped reinforce the idea of making informed and thoughtful choices when it comes to what we eat.
In computing, we have started an exciting new unit on animation. To introduce the concept, the children created their very own flip books—an engaging and hands-on way to understand how a sequence of still images can create the illusion of movement. I’ve seen some incredibly imaginative designs already, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how these ideas will evolve into digital animations in the coming weeks.
In maths, we are continuing our work on algebra. This week, we’ve focused on solving both one-step and two-step equations, using logical reasoning and inverse operations. We’ve also begun revisiting some core mathematical concepts to strengthen our overall understanding. Specifically, we have reviewed the order of operations (BIDMAS), which is crucial when solving more complex expressions. Additionally, we’ve been practising how to multiply mixed number fractions by whole numbers—this has challenged many of us to apply our knowledge of improper fractions and multiplication strategies.
In English, we’ve been refreshing some of the key elements of grammar in preparation for our upcoming assessments. We’ve focused on identifying and using the passive voice and distinguishing between standard and formal English in different contexts. Another key area of learning has been understanding the difference between phrases and clauses, and how each functions within a sentence. These revision sessions are helping to clarify important concepts that will support the children in both their writing and comprehension.
To support learning at home, we’ve sent home some revision materials for both maths and English. These are designed to reinforce the work we’ve done in class and will be particularly helpful for consolidating knowledge ahead of future lessons and assessments.
SATs Week:
They begin on Monday 12th May with the grammar, punctuation and spelling on this day.
Tuesday - reading
Wednesday - arithmetic and reasoning 1
Thursday-reasoning 2
For these days, we are requesting that the children are in school for 08:00, and no later than 08:15, please. This will enable us to give the children a snack; settle nerves and answer questions before making a prompt start.
If your child is unwell on any of the days, please call the office before 08:00. Your child will still sit their papers when they return (timetable variation), and if this is the case, we will make contact with you.
On the Friday, we will be hosting our annual post-SATs themed party. This year, the theme will be 'the wild west', and children are invited to come in costume.
We will do everything in our power to make this a stress-free and enjoyable process. Your children have worked INCREDIBLY hard all year, and we are so proud of them. We're very excited to party.
Home learning is revision and consolidation from this week in maths. The children are expected to spend an hour with maximum focus, but there is more, should they wish to practise some more skills.
Have a super weekend
Mrs Gilmore
