Welcome to Sycamore Class 2026-2027

Curriculum Share Letter

Year 3 and 4

Autumn Term 2 (2026)

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Autumn Term 2!

We have another exciting, busy and action-packed half-term ahead of us! As always, the weeks leading up to Christmas seem to fly by, and there is so much we would love to fit in. Hopefully, we will manage to squeeze in all our planned learning, activities and festive experiences while making sure the children continue to enjoy their time at school, develop their confidence and make good progress.

It has been lovely getting to know the children better during our first half-term together, and I am looking forward to seeing them continue to grow, challenge themselves and celebrate their achievements.

Maths

In maths, children will continue developing their understanding and confidence in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We will explore different calculation methods, practise problem-solving and reasoning skills, and learn about area. If time allows, we will also explore Roman numerals and how they are used. Throughout our lessons, children will be encouraged to challenge themselves and apply their mathematical knowledge in different situations.

English

In English, we will explore a variety of books and text types, making our learning as creative, enjoyable and engaging as possible. Children will develop their reading, writing and comprehension skills through discussions, imaginative activities and practical tasks. Our writing focus will include non-chronological reports and short poetry, encouraging children to experiment with vocabulary, structure and language to express their ideas confidently and creatively.

Geography

This half-term, our main focus will be rivers and the water cycle.

Children will explore how water moves around our planet through evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. We will then focus more closely on rivers, learning how they are formed, where they begin and how they travel through the landscape before reaching the sea.

Children will learn key geographical vocabulary, including source, mouth, tributary, riverbank, channel and meander. We will explore how rivers shape the land through erosion and deposition, locate important rivers in the UK using maps and atlases, and discuss why rivers are important to people, animals and the environment. We will also consider how human activities, pollution and flooding can affect rivers and surrounding communities.

Throughout this topic, children will develop their geographical knowledge, mapping skills and understanding through discussions, practical activities, investigations and creative tasks.

Science

Science lessons will continue to be taught by Mr Oliver-Dean.

In science, children will continue learning about classification of living things, exploring how plants and animals can be identified, compared and grouped according to their characteristics. We will also be learning about astronomy, exploring space, the Sun, the Moon, Earth and other planets in our Solar System. Children will develop their understanding of how the Earth moves and discover fascinating facts about space. In meteorology, children will learn about weather and how it changes. We will explore different weather conditions, observe and record weather patterns, and investigate how meteorologists predict the weather. Throughout these topics, children will develop their scientific knowledge and enquiry skills through practical investigations, observations, discussions and creative activities.

PSHE

In PSHE, our focus will be on families and relationships, exploring what makes relationships healthy, positive and supportive.

Children will discuss the importance of kindness, respect, trust, friendship and recognising that families can be different. We will also continue to promote health and well-being, encouraging children to recognise and express their feelings, understand their emotions and think about ways to look after their physical and mental health.

Religious Education (RE)

In RE, our enquiry question will be:

How do people express commitment to a religion or worldview in different ways?

As part of our Human and Social Sciences learning, children will explore how religious beliefs and worldviews can influence people's everyday lives, choices and actions.

We will look at examples from Hinduism and Buddhism, considering how people express their beliefs and commitment through different practices, traditions and ways of living. Children will be encouraged to ask thoughtful questions, discuss similarities and differences, and develop understanding and respect for different beliefs and worldviews.

Music

Music lessons will continue to be taught by Mr Oliver-Dean.

Children will develop and evaluate their musical skills through practical, hands-on experiences with a variety of musical instruments. They will explore different sounds, rhythms and melodies, experiment with creating and composing their own music, and develop their understanding of musical elements such as pitch, tempo and dynamics. Children will also learn to express their ideas, feelings and creativity through music, using musical vocabulary to describe, discuss and evaluate their own compositions and performances.

Physical Education (PE)

This half-term, our PE focus will be rugby and netball.

• Mondays – Rugby with the KAS coach. Year 3 and Year 4 will have their rugby sessions separately.

• Thursdays – Netball with Miss Gabenyte. These lessons will take place with the whole Year 3 and 4 class together.

Please ensure that children have their appropriate PE kit in school for the session.

SMART LEARNING

Children are rewarded with house points and privileges for getting involved in their learning, showing enthusiasm and taking responsibility for their education, including following up their schoolwork at home.

I strongly believe that every child should have opportunities to discover their own talents, interests and strengths throughout their primary school journey. By the time they leave in Year 6, I hope every child will have discovered something they really love or feel proud of being good at.

This could be sport, maths, singing, acting, playing an instrument, creative writing, art or simply showing exceptional kindness, care and understanding towards others.

Please continue encouraging your child to be a SMART LEARNER, take pride in their achievements and develop independence and responsibility for their own learning.

The home learning activity grid offers a variety of optional challenges for Year 3 and 4 children to explore. Children can highlight activities as they complete them throughout the term.

These activities are not compulsory, but I strongly encourage children to try as many as they can. I always look forward to seeing their fantastic work and sharing their achievements with the rest of the class!

Reading

Children are encouraged to be SMART and read daily.

All reading is valuable, particularly when children are encouraged to explore new vocabulary, discuss what they have read and answer questions about the text.

Please continue recording all reading in your child's reading record book. I check reading records every Friday to celebrate regular readers and encourage positive reading habits.

Our cinema ticket reward for the child who makes the greatest improvement in reading throughout the term will also continue!

Please try to read with your child regularly and sign their reading record, even if they are already fluent readers. You are very welcome to add positive comments, questions discussed or interesting new words discovered together.

Children can read age-appropriate books from school, home or the library.

Spellings

Spellings will continue to be practised throughout the week and tested every Friday.

There will be a maximum of 10 spellings per week, and children are expected to practise these at home as well as in school.

Children can use Spellingframe with their individual logins to practise at home from this term. We will also start using Spellingframe during school activities.

I will keep you informed about your child's progress.

Times Tables

Developing quick and confident recall of multiplication facts remains an important priority in Years 3 and 4.

In Key Stage 1, children usually focus on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables.

In Year 3, children are expected to recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 times tables.

In Year 4, children work towards confidently recalling multiplication and division facts for all times tables up to 12 × 12.

Of course, each child develops at their own pace, and we will continue supporting children according to their individual needs and previous knowledge.

Children have opportunities to practise their maths skills using Mathletics, and regular practice at home is highly recommended.

In our maths lessons, I will continue providing Times Tables Mental Maths challenges several times a week for children who wish to practise and challenge themselves.

Please remember that Year 4 children complete a statutory online Multiplication Tables Check in June, so regular practice and confidence with times tables are particularly important.

Homework

From Year 2 to Year 6, homework will typically include:

1. Daily reading – 10 minutes per day during the school week.

2. Weekly spellings – to practise at home using Spellingframe.

3. Maths practice on IXL – 50 minutes per week, equivalent to 10 minutes daily during the school week.

Thank you for continuing to support your child's learning at home. Even small amounts of regular practice can make a significant difference to their confidence and progress.

Classroom Support

I am delighted to have a wonderful team supporting Sycamore:

Mrs Warwick and Miss Dean will be providing small-group support for some children, while Mrs Jobber will continue providing one-to-one support in the classroom.

Our support staff arrangements will be:

• Mrs Warwick: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

• Miss Dean: Tuesdays and Fridays.

• Mrs Jobber: One-to-one classroom support (Mondays-Thursdays).

• Mrs Noble: One-to-one classroom support (Fridays).

• Miss Peer: LSA  (Tuesday mornings).

Finally...

As we approach the Christmas season, we have a particularly busy but wonderful few weeks ahead. Alongside our learning, we hope to enjoy the excitement, kindness, creativity and sense of togetherness that make this time of year so special in our school community.

If you have any questions, concerns or need any support, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I am always happy to work together with you to support your child as best as I physically can.

Thank you, as always, for your continued encouragement, kindness and support. It really does make a difference.

We are looking forward to another happy, productive and successful half-term and wish you and your families a blessed lead-up to Christmas.

Best regards,

Miss Alina Gabenyte
Mrs Jobber, Mrs Noble, Miss Peer, Mrs Warwick and Miss Dean

Year 3 and 4 Team