Our Year 3 and 4 Easter Disco was a huge success, filled with laughter, music, and plenty of sweet treats! The children danced the afternoon away, kicking things off with an exciting game of Four Corners, followed by energetic Zumba with Mrs Darwin, who had everyone moving and smiling.

There was lots of friendly competitiveness during Pass the Parcel, with cheers echoing around the hall as each layer was unwrapped. During the evening, pupils enjoyed choosing crisps, sweets and chocolate from the ever‑popular tuck shop, which kept energy levels high and spirits even higher!

It was a wonderful event full of happy faces and fantastic dance moves—thank you to everyone who joined in and made it such a memorable Easter celebration! 🐣✨

Today we explored adding single‑digit numbers by using counters and ten frames. Our focus was on making 10 first to help us solve addition problems more efficiently. The children were fantastic—confident, engaged, and excited to show their strategies. It was wonderful to see them building strong number sense and proudly explaining their thinking. We’re so proud of the amazing progress they’re making!

This week we celebrated our final Royal Ballet lesson of the six‑week block, and it was wonderful to welcome parents into the hall to see all the hard work the dancers have been doing. The children proudly demonstrated their growing technique, beginning with beautifully controlled pliés and confident first positions, before flowing through their elegant port de bras.

Energy levels soared during sautés (going on our space rockets) and high skips with high knees, showing how their strength and musicality have developed. We also revisited our favourite warm‑up stretches, including the silly yet effective “spaghettification” stretch, which always brings big smiles while improving flexibility.

To finish, the dancers shared their imaginative space dance, using big, expressive movements and excellent spatial awareness. The room was full of creativity, focus, and joy.

We are so proud of every dancer’s progress—what a fantastic six weeks of ballet! 💫

🌟 Spelling Bee Success! 🐝📚

Today, our school was buzzing with excitement as children from Year 2 to Year 6 took part in our annual Spelling Bee! 🏆✨

Over the past few weeks, pupils have been working incredibly hard to learn their spellings. From tricky letter blends to confident articulation, they have shown real dedication. 💪🧠

When the moment arrived, each participant demonstrated remarkable resilience and courage. Taking the stage in front of the whole school is no small task, yet our spellers stood tall, spoke clearly, and gave it their very best. 🎤👏

We are incredibly proud of every child who took part. Their effort, determination, and enthusiasm made today a wonderful celebration of learning. 🎉📖

A huge well done to all our super spellers! 🌈⭐

This morning, a wonderful selection of our Year 3 children took part in an exciting Spelling Bee, and what a fantastic event it turned out to be! Each participant was challenged to learn a set of spellings in preparation for the competition, representing their house teams with enthusiasm and determination.

From the very first round, the children showed impressive recall, confidence, and teamwork. Their hard work at home and in school really shone through, and they demonstrated brilliant focus under pressure. It was clear to everyone watching just how committed they were to doing their very best.

This week in our Year 3 and 4 Maths Provision class, we’ve been building confidence with adding and subtracting ones from two‑digit numbers. The children have been practising using a range of strategies and are becoming much more fluent in adjusting numbers by small amounts.

We’ve also been getting to grips with 1‑Minute Maths, using it to strengthen our number bonds and improve our subitising skills. The class has really enjoyed the quick‑fire nature of the activities, and it’s been wonderful to see their accuracy and speed improving each day.

It’s been a great week of developing number sense—well done, everyone!

Year 3 had another fantastic session with the Royal Ballet this week as we continued building on everything we’ve learned so far. We began by recapping our previous skills, including our port de bras, balancing, travelling steps and how to use our bodies to show expression and control.

Mr Morris helped keep us perfectly in time by playing the drums, guitar and tambourine, creating a lively rhythm for our dancing. We travelled across the hall with strong leaps, followed by high‑kneed skips, concentrating on smooth timing and soft landings. Our side gallops were full of energy, with children swinging their arms, bending their knees and looking carefully in the direction of travel.

We also practised jumps on the spot and a magical movement called “gathering stars in the galaxy”—renamed “swirl‑tastics” by one imaginative dancer! Everyone finished with a slow, graceful turn, arms stretched wide and bodies moving at different levels.

A joyful lesson full of confidence, creativity and beautiful ballet technique!

In Science this week, Year 3 carried out an exciting investigation to find out which material would be the best for helping a school bag stay visible during the darker months. The children tested bubble wrap, tinfoil, a CD, cardboard and a jumper to see which reflected the most light. To keep it a fair test, we used a ruler to measure the exact distance between the torch and each material, making sure the light source stayed the same each time we changed the item.

After observing and recording our results, we discovered that the CD was the most reflective. This is because a CD has a very smooth, shiny surface, which allows light to bounce off clearly. This strong reflection is much brighter than the light scattered by rougher materials like cardboard or fabric.

The children loved exploring light, reflection and safety—great scientific thinking all round!

Today, Year 3 had a special visit from a volunteer from the NSPCC, who delivered an important Speaking Out, Staying Safe assembly. We began by learning all about Buddy, the NSPCC’s friendly mascot, and how Buddy helps children understand their right to feel safe.

The children discussed the different types of abuse in an age‑appropriate way, focusing on the key message that nothing is too small or too big to talk about. Together, we identified our trusted adults—both in school and at home—who children can speak to if they ever feel worried.

Everyone learned the Childline phone number, 0800 1111, and practised the actions to help them remember it. The session reinforced that every child has the right to speak out, be heard, and stay safe.

Year 3 showed fantastic listening, thoughtful questions, and a strong understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

Comic Relief in Year 3!

Today, Year 3 had a fantastic time celebrating Comic Relief! The classroom was brighter than ever, with children proudly wearing their favourite red items of clothing—from cosy jumpers and bright T‑shirts to fun accessories. It was wonderful to see everyone joining in and showing their support.

We started the morning with a special Comic Relief assembly, where we learned all about the important work Comic Relief does. The children listened beautifully as we talked about how this special day helps raise money for people who need it most—both here in the UK and around the world.

Why do we have Comic Relief?

Comic Relief was created to use the power of kindness, community, and laughter to help others. The money raised goes towards charities that:

• Support families facing poverty
• Provide safe places for children
• Help improve mental health and wellbeing
• Offer vital support during emergencies

It’s all about making a difference and helping everyone have the opportunity to live a safe, healthy, and happy life.

Year 3 really embraced the spirit of the day. We talked about how even small acts—like wearing something red or making someone smile—can help create big change.

Well done, Year 3, for showing such kindness, enthusiasm, and empathy. You helped make Comic Relief a meaningful and memorable day!

In French this half term, we’ve been learning all about fruits. This week, the children practised naming familiar fruits such as apple, peach, pear, banana, cherry, plum, orange, apricot, strawberry and kiwi. They also worked on choosing the correct French article: un or une for singular fruits, and les for plurals. Using words like une pomme, un abricot and les fraises, the children created simple sentences to say which fruits they like or dislike. Through speaking games and partner practice, the class is becoming much more confident and enthusiastic about using French in real conversations!

During Science Day, our class explored a deliciously fun question: Which digestive biscuit makes the best dunker? Children tested four types—plain, milk chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate caramel. Before investigating, most pupils predicted that the milk chocolate caramel digestive would perform best. They reasoned that its extra layers and sticky caramel would help it hold together for longer when dunked.

After carefully carrying out our fair test and counting how many dunks each biscuit could survive, we discovered that most of the children were right! The caramel digestive proved to be the strongest dunker. A tasty experiment and great scientific thinking!

Together Time was a wonderful chance for parents and children to learn side by side. As part of our DT Textiles topic, pupils revisited the sewing skills they learned last lesson, including the running stitch and back stitch. With support from their grown‑ups, the children used these techniques to join two pieces of fabric together, building confidence and accuracy as they stitched. The classroom was full of teamwork, creativity, and proud smiles as everyone shared in the joy of making something by hand. Thank you to all the families who joined us—your support makes these moments truly special.

This morning, Year 3 enjoyed an energetic and engaging musical assembly from the Travelling by Tuba duo. Designed to inspire pupils across the primary range, the session delivered exactly that. The performers introduced a fascinating collection of unusual wind and brass instruments—many completely new to the children—and filled the hall with humour and captivating storytelling.

Pupils were taken on a musical journey around the world, encountering remarkable instruments such as the Chinese dragon‑headed trumpet, the Swiss alpine horn and giant Tibetan dungs. The children were amazed by their size and unique sounds, and the duo’s lively delivery kept everyone thoroughly entertained.

Year 3 especially enjoyed joining in with rhythms, actions and musical challenges. The performance also reinforced learning across music, history, geography and science, creating a rich cross‑curricular experience. The children left the hall buzzing with excitement and eager to share their favourite moments from this memorable musical adventure.

In our first science lesson on Light, Year 3 explored how we see objects and what happens in darkness. We began with a cardboard box filled with small play objects hidden inside. With the lid closed, we asked: Can we see the objects? The children quickly discovered that we couldn’t. We then pierced a single hole in the box and checked again—still no objects! Adding more holes didn’t help either; everything remained dark.

Next, we shone a torch through a hole at the top of the box. This time, the children noticed that they could see some of the objects directly in the torch beam. But when we shone the torch through a side hole, nothing appeared. Why? Because light travels in straight lines, and without the beam reaching the objects, they stay hidden.

We finished by learning that darkness is the absence of light—a great start to our new topic!

In today’s Computing lesson, Year 3 explored creating media through stop‑motion animation using the Chromebooks. We began by looking at how stop‑motion works and how a series of still images can be combined to create the illusion of movement. The children were excited to try it themselves and used simple stick‑figure characters to animate actions such as kicking a ball, throwing a ball, and other small movements.

We also learned about onion skinning, an important tool that helps animators see a faint outline of the previous frame. This made it easier for the children to make tiny, gradual adjustments and keep their characters’ movements smooth and consistent.

Once they understood the technique, pupils worked in pairs to capture their own short animations, carefully moving their figures a little at a time. The class showed fantastic creativity and teamwork, producing some brilliant first attempts at stop‑motion!

What an incredible World Book Day we have had in Year 3! Mrs Rose and Miss Edge (also known today as Snow White and Happy!) were absolutely amazed by the creativity and effort the children put into their outfits as they welcomed the children into the classroom. Our classrooms were filled with a magical mix of characters, from Willy Wonka and Where's Wally to Dorothy from Oz, a Roman soldier, Matilda, Disney princesses, action heroes, Mr Men characters, Harry Potter, Darth Vader and even some brilliant David Walliams characters. We began our day with a whole‑school assembly, thinking about what we find fun and how reading can bring joy, imagination and excitement into everyday life.

After assembly, we had the fantastic opportunity to join V&A Schools Live: Primary Read and Draw-Along webinar. We listened to the wonderful Cressida Cowell, who shared how she carefully planned her How to Train Your Dragon series from the very beginning, using meticulous notes and ideas to build her world. She also read from her collection, transporting us into the adventures of Hiccup and Toothless. The children especially loved the step-by-step draw‑along where they created their very own illustration of Hiccup. It was a brilliant experience that inspired creativity, storytelling and a deeper love of reading across the year group.

This week in Year 3, our young scientists took part in an exciting hands‑on investigation all about light—and more importantly, how it behaves. Our mission? To discover how light travels and why we sometimes can’t see objects, even when they’re right in front of us.

🔍 Our Science Challenge

We began with sealed cardboard boxes. Inside each box, we placed a selection of mystery objects—things like toy animals, cubes, dice, and small classroom items. On the top of each box, we carefully made small holes and peered inside.

But… nothing!
Even with our eyes right up to the holes, we couldn’t see a single thing inside the box.

True to our role as scientists, we stopped and asked ourselves the most important question of all:
“Why can’t we see the objects?”

💡 Our Investigation

Next, we added torches to our experiment. When we shone the torch through one hole, something amazing happened—we could suddenly see one object, but only the one directly below the beam of light.

The rest of the box remained dark.

This led us to an exciting discovery…

✨ Our Big Scientific Conclusion

We realised that:
💡 Light is needed for us to see objects.
💡 And light travels in straight lines.

Because the torch’s beam travelled directly downward, we could only see the item exactly in its path. Anything outside that straight beam stayed in darkness, hidden from view.

In Computing this half term, the children will be learning all about how animations are created. In our first lesson, we explored different types of animation and discovered how a simple sequence of images can be brought to life. The children were fascinated to learn that traditional flipbooks use this exact technique, showing pictures that change slightly from page to page to create movement. After looking at some examples, the class designed and made their very own flipbooks. They experimented with drawing small, gradual changes and were delighted to see their characters “come alive” when the pages were flipped quickly!

This half term in Design Technology, as part of our Textiles topic, the children have been exploring a range of existing pencil cases. They investigated what each pencil case was made from, how the materials felt and why different fabrics might have been chosen. The class also examined how each product was constructed, looking closely at zips, seams and stitching. We compared pencil cases with just one compartment to others with several sections, discussing which designs we preferred and why. This hands‑on exploration has helped the children understand what makes a textile product both functional and appealing.

Our Year 3 scientists had a fantastic time exploring the different layers of soil through a hands-on classification experiment! Using a range of sieving tools—including colanders and fine-mesh sieves—the children carefully separated a mixed soil sample into its distinct components. As they sifted, they observed how the pieces of organic matter and plant materials formed the humus layer, followed by the finer particles of topsoil and the denser subsoil beneath. The activity helped pupils understand how each layer plays an important role in supporting life and healthy ecosystems. The session was filled with curiosity, teamwork, and plenty of muddy excitement as the children discovered what lies beneath our feet.

We had a fantastic start to our ballet lessons today when The Royal School visited us for the first of six sessions, and we absolutely loved every moment of it. We began by trying out pliés and learning how important good posture is in dance, thinking carefully about engaging our abdominals and gluteus maximus muscles to help us stand tall and move with control. Miss Gough explained that holding our bodies correctly can make us feel better and more confident too. One of the highlights was pretending to be astronauts, moving slowly across the hall with long, extended actions as if we were floating in space. We then explored constellations, using our bodies to create still, balanced shapes inspired by the night sky. The live music from Mr Morris, who played guitar with a tambourine under his foot, made the lesson even more magical. We can’t wait for next week!

Year 3 had a fantastic Geography lesson this week learning all about climate zones around the world, including tropical, arid, temperate, polar and Mediterranean climates. To bring their learning to life, the children explored the daily weather in Manaus (Brazil), London (UK), Nuuk (Greenland), Cairo (Egypt) and Seville (Spain). They researched temperatures, sunshine, rain and wind for each location before writing and presenting their very own weather forecasts. After watching real forecasts for inspiration, the children created brilliant scripts that showed off their growing confidence, research skills and understanding of how weather changes across different climate zones.