Year 3
Welcome to Year 3 and Lower Key Stage 2! What a fantastic start the class has made this term. The children have come back brilliantly, showing excellent behaviour by sitting beautifully at their tables. They are eager to learn, putting their hands up confidently to answer questions and share their ideas.
Already, they are beginning to take more individual responsibility, managing their learning packs and whiteboards with care. Every morning, they sign in their reading records independently, setting a great example of organisation and focus.
On the subject of reading, supporting your child to read at least five times a week has a huge impact on their learning. Regular reading helps build fluency, improves vocabulary, and boosts confidence, making schoolwork easier and more enjoyable. When children practise frequently, they become more comfortable with new words and better at understanding stories and information. Reading at home also strengthens their love of books and learning.
If your child reads six or seven times a week, they earn the title of “Star Reader” – a way to celebrate their dedication and progress! Even short daily reading sessions make a difference, so thank you for encouraging and sharing this time with your child. We hope for our children to become confident and enthusiastic readers for life. Next week, we will be in touch regarding weekly spellings and home learning.
This week in English, we kicked off every session with a quick “flashback four” warm-up, revisiting key spelling, grammar, and punctuation points to keep our skills sharp. The children then stepped into the world of instructional writing by completing a “cold task” where they wrote instructions on how to brush teeth. This gave us a perfect chance to practise editing—checking spellings, letter formation, plus those all-important capital letters and full stops. Today’s focus was on the essential features that make instructions clear and easy to follow. To practise, the children had fun instructing me step-by-step on how to make a bowl of cereal—with impressive results, as no milk was spilled!
In maths, we are exploring place value. We have completed number squares to 100 and examined them closely to spot patterns and features. The children were brilliant at finding 1 more or less than a number, and completing missing number puzzles. Our next step was to represent numbers to 100 using dienes, bead strings and bundles – using base 10 and focussing on the fact that one ten is equal to ten ones.
We have begun discussing and representing ideas as title pages about what our ‘Healthy Me’ science topic might include, identified and explained what output and input devices are in computing, as began using 2B pencils to make marks to create art - we found 15 different ways to do this. Mrs Crook, who works in the class in the mornings, took the children for PE, and Miss Spinks led the class to create imagery based on excerpts of music.
Across their learning, the children are writing neatly in their books, carefully setting out their learning and completing all their tasks with enthusiasm and dedication. We are very impressed with each and every one of them and look forward to a wonderful year ahead. Do get in touch with me via email claire.murphy@moulton.suffolk.sch.uk – I very much look forward to communicating with your about your child.
Have a great weekend!
The Year 3 team
Year 4
Hello everyone, here we are at the start of another school year - the summer holidays disappearing off into the distant past... routines back in place and time being an ever present friend. But, it is lovely to be back!
The children have returned with a very positive attitude and have settled into working hard already - well done, them! It has been lovely to welcome 3 new people to the class; Astrid, Mrs Murray and Miss Finney. We have all bonded really well already, and it is as if we have always been a team together.
Our learning this week;-
Maths - With Mrs Murray the children looked at Shapes, particularly perimeter and with Mrs Chittock we have started to look at Place value.
English - With Mrs Murray the children worked on a reading comprehension about animals and with Mrs Chittock we have been looking at some grammar work and wrote a Missing poster for Icarus.
Science - The children were identifying how we know something is living - MRS GREN.
Art - We have started at looking at Anglo-Saxon art.
The class reading book is - Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo.
Times Tables - As we have had 6 weeks of holiday I have moved all the children that were above Orange back to Orange today. I have done this to 'blow the cobwebs out! We tested, and some have moved up. I am sure that if your child was above Orange it won't be long before they will be back to where they were.
Things to know about Year 4:
Not much different to year 3!
In year 4 the children are able to play on the playing field. This means they must have another pair of shoes in school to change in and out of or they won't be allowed on the field. This is to minimise the mud in school, especially as the season changes fully into Autumn and the Winter and Spring.
Footballs - They can come in to school as long as children abide by the rules that I have explained this afternoon, otherwise balls will need to remain at home.
Homework:
Reading - the children are expected to read at home five times a week. This can be their school book or a book from home. If your child reads 6 or 7 times at home then they will be awarded 'Star Reader'. Each week the class with the most Star Readers will win Bookster Bear for the week (a much coveted bear!). I hope Bookster will be in our class most of the time! The reading stickers in the reading record are for school staff only to write on. I have told the children that they are now in Year 4, they are able to take themselves off to read on their own and record it in their book, but, I do expect to see an adults signature at least once a week.
Maths Targets - work on these at home with your child. When you are happy they are able to achieve a target then please sign it and stress to your child that they have to tell a member of staff in the class. We will only check them here if we are told!
Times Tables - I cannot stress enough how important these are, especially as the maths gets harder, quick recollection of number facts are so important. Regular use of TTR has proven to help.
Spellings - These will come out on a Friday to be practised and they should be returned for the following Friday for testing.
I hope this is everything - no doubt I will remember something else after this has been sent out!
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Chittock and the Year 4 team
(email;- emma.chittock@moulton.suffolk.sch.uk)
Year 5
We have had a wonderful first few days getting to know the children. We've all just been practising being back at school and getting into new classroom routines. We have been so impressed already by their enthusiasm. Mrs Grosvenor and Mrs Marsh were so pleased with how many children had gone home and read on Wednesday evening (not that I'm competitive and want to win Bookster Bear every week).
In Maths, we have re-started our climb up Times Table Mountain (which is much harder and higher in Upper Key Stage 2!) Children have initially been moved back to orange to make sure they haven't forgotten number facts or last 'match fitness' over the summer holidays. I think by Wednesday next week, lots of them will be coming home with the new 'beyond gold' levels that we have in Y5. Confident knowledge of timestables is so important for so many areas of the Y5 maths curriculum, so please encourage your child to play TTR to get themselves back in the groove.
In English, we have started our biographies unit. The children have completed their cold task, which will inform me about what I need to cover in the next few weeks. Today, we read a biography of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon. Ask your child what they can remember – he lived a very interesting life before he got to the Moon!
Hopefully, a letter came home with your child on Thursday all about our trip to Thorpe Woodlands next Tuesday. The children will have some time on Monday to ask me any more questions about it before they go. It is a wonderful trip, and I'm sure we will all have a fantastic time – even if the weather forecast is drizzly!
Spellings and homework will be set next week. Homework will come home on Monday 8th and will be due in the following Monday. The children's first spelling list will 'go live' on the 13th and their first spelling test will be the 19th.
Have a restful weekend!
Miss Rutter, Mrs Grosvenor and Mrs Marsh
Year 6
It has been a short but very positive first week in Year 6! We have been delighted with how quickly the children have settled and the enthusiasm they have already shown towards their learning.
In English, we have begun reading Private Peaceful, which links beautifully with our World War I topic. Our focus has been on how authors show characterisation through description, action, and dialogue.
In Maths, we have been working on place value, making sure we can write and record numbers up to 10,000,000 with accuracy.
In RE, we have been reflecting on Jesus’ mission and considering how we might interpret this to guide the way we live.
In PSHE, we have been learning about what mental health means and discussing ways we can take care of it.
There will be no homework this weekend. From Monday, homework will be set as follows:
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Monday, Wednesday, Thursday – a short 10-minute task.
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Friday – a longer piece (45–60 minutes), which is due the following Tuesday.
Reminders:
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Please ensure children bring no metal water bottles to school.
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You should have received an email regarding the height and weight checks. This is an opt-out measure: you must respond within 14 days if you do not wish your child to take part.
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Although it feels early, thoughts will soon turn to secondary school. We will share details of open events as soon as we receive them.
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A date for your diary: our Leavers’ Assembly will take place on Friday 17th July 2026 at 9:05am.
We wish you all a lovely weekend and look forward to another fantastic week ahead!
Nuala Gilmore
