Welcome to Class 3 Mrs Elaine Murphy – Class Teacher Mrs Julie Nairn – Teaching Assistant

Lessons Each day, the children will take part in one English and one Maths lesson. We shall also learn other curriculum subjects: Science History and Geography Art and D.T. P.S.H.E. and R.E. Music French P.E. Computing . Science will be taught by Mrs Lymn on a Tuesday afternoon. French and Music will be taught on a Wednesday afternoon. Mr Perry will be teaching P.E. on a Monday and Wednesday.

Maths Maths lessons will be every day Where possible, Maths lessons will begin with a practical activity, and will involve children learning together through talking and sharing ideas. For those who are ready for a challenge , I shall ensure that there are opportunities available to extend their learning.

English English lessons will take place every day. English lessons will continue to use Talk for Writing which uses spoken language to support children’s ability to embed knowledge. Handwriting will be taught separately three times a week but will always be a focus of our writing. If I feel that your child would benefit from some extra handwriting practice I will speak with you and possibly send home sheets to use to support your child.

Reading As a class we shall take part in Book Talk four mornings a week. On Fridays we shall focus purely upon comprehension skills. We will also have a fifteen minute class read at the end of the day. There will be house points given for those children who read at least three times a week at home, along with the opportunity to wear a ‘readers badge’ for the day. Evidence suggest that a child needs to read, or be read to, for at least 20 minutes per day. In Class 3 we shall be doing half of this. I would, therefore, encourage you to complete the other half to fully support your child.

Assessment Children will be assessed throughout the school year, there will be a more formal end of half term assessment. This information will be used, along with their weekly work to plan specific tasks to further and deepen your child’s knowledge and skills.

P.E. P.E. will take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is important that you provide a P.E. kit for your child. As we approach the cooler weather, please also provide a sweatshirt and pair of joggers to keep them warm as we will continue with outdoor P.E. as long as possible. During P.E. lessons no jewellery or watches should be worn. If your child has their ears pierced, they need to be able to remove these and replace them afterwards independently. Long hair will need to be tied back, if possible please provide extra hair bobbles in their kit. (There will be spares available but not an infinite supply). Finally, please ensure all kit, including plimsolls or trainers are named.

Homework I would encourage you to support and help your child in learning their weekly spellings. Another way to help your child is to practise the times tables, all the way to 12 times. If a child can know these proficiently, it will enable them to solve complex calculations with ease. There will be a homework grid that your child can work from during each term. This will be linked to the current topic (information regarding this can be found on the Curriculum page of the School website). This is not compulsory. And finally… Please read with your child as often as possible. Reading is the key to all learning, if your child is read to or reads to another it will significantly further their education.

Communication I will be out in the playground each morning at 8:40 and again when I release your children at the end of the day. Please use your child’s Reading Log to convey any non-urgent messages as these will be checked every day. If you feel that the conversation needs to be more private or longer, then please contact the School Office to make an appointment. Please let me know anything that you feel may affect your child in their learning (lack of sleep, noisy neighbours, death of a pet, illness of others in the household). I will also speak with you if I feel there is something that needs to be shared – good or bad! Book and a Biscuit will resume next week, continuing to be on Wednesday morning from 08:45 – 09:00. I look forward to seeing you.

Behaviour Policy We have changed our behaviour policy to become more clear and simple for all involved.