We have spent time talking about the exciting journey ahead and discussing what we would like to achieve during our time in Year 3. The children have shared their personal goals, ranging from improving their reading and writing, to challenging themselves in maths and becoming more confident in class discussions.
Together, we have also created a set of classroom expectations to guide us throughout the year. These expectations focus on showing respect, working hard, supporting one another, and always trying our best. By agreeing on these values as a class, we have built a strong foundation for a positive and productive learning environment where everyone feels encouraged to succeed.
Maths
We have started the year in maths by focusing on our Place Value topic. This has given the children the chance to build a strong foundation for their mathematical learning by understanding the importance of number value and how digits work within our number system. To support this, the children have been exploring a range of concrete resources, such as base-ten blocks, place value counters, and number lines.
English
I have chosen to share with Year 3 one of my favourite stories as our reading for pleasure book this term. It has been such a joy to introduce the class to a story that I personally love, and even more rewarding to see how much they are enjoying it too.
In our English lessons, we are currently reading UG: Boy Genius of the Stone Age by Raymond Briggs. The children have really enjoyed exploring this humorous and imaginative story, which has captured their interest with its quirky characters and playful illustrations. We have started by exploring the detailed pictures together, discussing how the illustrations add meaning, humour, and depth to the story.
As part of our sequence, the children will soon be planning and creating their very own comic strips inspired by UG. This will give them the opportunity to combine their writing skills with their creativity and artwork, experimenting with how pictures and words can work together to tell a story.
Science
In Science, Year 3 are exploring the topic Animals Including Humans. We have begun our learning by investigating the human skeleton and thinking carefully about the important role it plays in our bodies. The children have discovered how the skeleton provides support, protects vital organs, and allows us to move.
To bring this learning to life, we enjoyed a practical activity where the children created their own skeletons.
One of our Legacy principles this term is “It’s all about the team!”. To bring this to life, we have been taking part in a range of fun and engaging team building games that encourage cooperation, communication, and problem solving. During these activities, the children have had the opportunity to reflect on their emotions thinking about how they feel when working as part of a group, celebrating successes, and overcoming challenges together.
Alongside teamwork, we have also focused on two other important Legacy principles: “understanding shared goals” and “constantly strive to improve.” The children showed real determination to listen to one another, work collaboratively towards a common purpose, and think about how they could do even better next time. It has been wonderful to see how quickly they have embraced these values, putting them into practice in a supportive and positive way. Year 3 should feel very proud of how they have started to grow both as individuals and as a team.
In Year 3, I make it a priority to offer the children a rich and varied range of inspiring experiences. This includes welcoming visitors from different creative, professional, and community backgrounds, giving pupils the chance to learn from new voices, ask questions, and connect their classroom learning with the wider world. This week, Year 3 were incredibly fortunate to welcome local artist Aaminah Snowdon into their classroom for an inspiring art workshop.
The session began with the children getting to know Aaminah and exploring her unique artistic style. They were eager and enthusiastic, asking a wide range of thoughtful and perceptive questions about her techniques, her inspiration, and her journey as an artist.
After the introduction, Aaminah led a step-by-step tutorial, demonstrating how she creates her expressive animal paintings. The children were especially excited to try out her methods themselves, producing their very own robin artwork. Throughout the session, Aaminah spent time with each group, offering guidance, encouragement, and expert tips to help them develop their skills and gain confidence in their painting.
It was a memorable experience for everyone, and the children left feeling inspired and proud of their beautiful creations.
The children have been thoroughly enjoying their outdoor learning sessions with Mr Sims, making the most of our wonderful natural spaces. Over the past few weeks, they have taken part in a range of exciting, hands-on activities that link beautifully with their classroom learning.
As part of their Stone Age topic, the children worked together to design and build their very own Stone Age houses using natural materials such as mud, sticks, and leaves. This messy, creative task helped them to understand how people once lived and to develop fantastic teamwork and problem-solving skills.
To mark World Mental Health Day, the class took time to slow down and relax by creating beautiful nature mandalas on the ground. Using leaves, petals, stones, and twigs, they made calming patterns that encouraged mindfulness and appreciation of the world around them.
More recently, the children have been exploring natural printing techniques, experimenting with different plants and leaves to make their own unique prints. They have loved discovering how each leaf makes a different shape and texture!
In Year 3, we love to celebrate every success, big or small! Our classroom is full of positivity, encouragement, and recognition for all the amazing things the children achieve each week. From homework stars to subject-specific awards, we take great pride in acknowledging effort, progress, and enthusiasm across every area of learning.
One of the highlights of our week is our Reading Raffle. At the heart of our classroom is a shared love of books and reading for pleasure. Every time children read at home or share a story with their family, they earn raffle tickets for our special draw. The lucky winner gets to take home Gerald the Giraffe, our class reading mascot, for the week!
Gerald comes with a snuggly blanket, a mug of hot chocolate, and a bag of popcorn — the perfect ingredients for a cosy reading adventure. Children love spending time with Gerald, and it’s a wonderful way to celebrate the joy and relaxation that reading can bring.
We are so proud of the way our Year 3 children support one another, celebrate each other’s successes, and show such enthusiasm for learning.
Year 3 had an exciting visit from a personal training instructor, who brought energy, enthusiasm, and plenty of fun to our day! The visit linked perfectly to our Science topic on Movement and Nutrition, helping the children to see how what we learn in the classroom connects to real-life health and fitness.
To start the session, the children took part in an interactive Science quiz, testing their knowledge about how our bodies move, how our muscles work, and why eating a balanced diet is so important. Next came the highlight of the day, a lively boot camp session led by Mrs Oosthuizen. The children took part in a range of fun fitness challenges. The children were also inspired by Mrs Oosthuizen’s marathon medals and her passion for living a healthy, active lifestyle. It was a fantastic way to combine Science and PE, helping the children understand how movement and nutrition keep our bodies strong and healthy
Year 3 have been diving into the wonderfully weird and imaginative world of Tim Burton’s illustration style! The children were fascinated by his unique use of dark lines, exaggerated features, and whimsical characters. They spent time studying examples of his artwork, discussing how his illustrations tell a story and express powerful emotions in a fun and unusual way.
After exploring his style, the children set about creating their own Tim Burton–inspired self-portraits. They experimented with bold outlines, expressive eyes, and quirky details that made each piece completely unique. It was fantastic to see their confidence grow as they realised that art doesn’t have to be “perfect” — it can be creative, expressive, and full of personality!
In our computing sessions, the children took their creativity even further by designing and producing their own stop-motion animations. Using digital tools, they brought their imaginative characters to life, showing fantastic teamwork, patience, and problem-solving skills along the way.