Year 4

English

Spy Fox

English in September will begin with a focus on Spy Fox. This short film sees Spy Fox going head-to-hammer head with the evil Dr. Hammer. The children will be creating their own stealthy spy gadgets to help the fantastic fox save the world!

 

Setting description

Throughout Year 4, we will use different habitats as a focus for our writing. One of these is the rainforest. The children will explore the different sounds, smells and feeling of the rainforest and create a wonderful description of this magical setting.

 

Non-chronological report

To go with our first science topic of Animals including humans, the children will get to research an animal of their choice. They will then create a non-chronological report that will help educate the necessary target audience.

 

Computing

Kapow - Further coding with Scratch.

PE

Our PE days for Autumn are a Wednesday and a Thursday. Please ensure that you are wearing your school PE uniform, have long hair tied up and earrings either removed or covered with a plaster.

 

Wednesday: Real PE - indoor
Thursday: Swimming (17th September - 10th December)

Swimming

Year 4 will start their swimming lessons in the Autumn term.

Year 4 will be swimming every Thursday, starting Thursday 17th September. As swimming is a part of the national curriculum by the time your child leaves primary school we expect them to achieve the following: perform safe self-rescue in different water based situations, swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres and use a range of strokes effectively, for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke.

 The children will need the following items:

 GIRLS
A one piece-swimsuit should be worn for the lessons – bikini’s or two- piece type swimwear are not permitted. If your child has long enough hair, plaits are ideal for swimming days as the swimming hat goes on more easily.

 BOYS

Cycle type swimming shorts are permitted (shorts must be well above the knee). Bermuda style shorts or long shorts are not permitted as these can be dangerous. For reasons of safety, the swimwear should be sufficiently tight fitting to allow the freedom of body and limb movement without causing unsafe water resistance. In terms of the legislation that governs this, we are guided by AfPE (Association for Physical Education), Safe Practice in Physical Education and Sport 2012 and the ASA (Amateur Swimming Association).

 Towel.
Goggles and swimming cap are optional.

Please ensure that your child arrives at school beach ready (already in their swimming costume under their school uniform), has a coat, underwear, towel and a bag on that day. We leave school at approximately 9:40am and return at 11:00am. There is no charge for swimming lessons.

PSHE

Identity, society and equality
Democracy

Lesson 1: Pupils learn about Britain as a democratic society
Pupils understand that Britain is a democratic society and what this means
know that there are different political parties who differ in their views
understand that people have opportunities to influence decisions by voting in elections

Lesson 2: Pupils learn about how laws are made
Pupils know how laws are made and the importance of following them
understand the contribution and influence that individuals and organisations can have on social and environmental change
recognise that laws help to keep people safe

Lesson 3: Pupils learn about the local council
Pupils understand that the local council organises services under the guidance of the central government
recognise there are limited resources for the needs of the community
know that people may have different views about how council money should be spent

Drug, alcohol and tobacco education
Making choices

Lesson 1: Pupils learn that there are drugs (other than medicines) that are common in everyday life, and why people choose to use them.
Pupils are aware of drugs that are common in everyday life, such as caffeine, alcohol, tobacco or nicotine products, and when they might be used
can identify why a person may choose to use or not use a drug
are able to state some alternatives to using drugs

Lesson 2: Pupils learn about the effects and risks of drinking alcohol
Pupils know how alcohol can affect the body
explain why drinking alcohol may pose a greater or lesser risk, depending on the individual and the amount of alcohol consumed
know that there are laws and guidelines related to the consumption of alcohol

Lesson 3: Pupils learn about different patterns of behaviour that are related to drug use
Pupils can explain what is meant by the terms ‘habit’ and ‘addiction’
can identify different behaviours that are related to drug use
know where they can go for help if they are concerned about someone’s use of drugs

Exploring Mental Health

Lesson 1: Everyday feelings
This first lesson builds on learning from KS1 focusing on feelings and emotions, how these change over time and what helps people to feel good.

Pupils will learn:
• about the different feelings and emotions people experience; how feelings and emotions change and what helps people to feel good

 Lesson 2: Expressing feelings
This lesson focuses on learning to describe and express feelings and the importance of doing so.

Pupils will learn:
• about ways of expressing feelings and emotions and why this is important

 Lesson 3: Managing feelings
Building on the previous two lessons, this lesson teaches pupils about ways of managing when feelings (especially strong feelings) influence our actions and behaviour, sometimes negatively. Children will consider who is best to help them with their feelings and learn how to seek appropriate help and advice.

Pupils will learn:
• about managing feelings and emotions in different situations
• about getting help, advice and support with feelings and emotions

Physical Health and Wellbeing - In the Media

RE

Gospel

EQ: What kind of world did Jesus want?

 

Christians believe Jesus challenges everyone about how to live — he sets the example for loving God and your neighbour, putting others first. Jesus shows love and forgiveness to unlikely people.

Christians try to be like Jesus — they want to know him better and better.

Christians try to put his teaching and example into practice in lots of ways, from church worship to social justice.

Science

Summer 1 - Animals including humans

• Biology – Animals including humans

   What happens to the food we eat?

  In Science, we will begin exploring the human anatomy and look at teeth and their functions, as well as the digestive system. 

Music

TBC

History

After February Half Term, Year 4 will be focusing on:

 What was life like in Ancient Greece and was it the same for everyone?

 When did the Greeks exist and what is their story?

• To know when and where the Greeks lived.
• To know that the earliest settlers in Greece lived a simple farming lifestyle – similar to pre-historic Britain.
• To know that there are different periods in Greek history and we will focus on the ‘Golden Age’.
• To know that the name ‘Greeks’ was given to the people of Greece later by the Romans.

 

Which city state would you prefer to be from and why?

• To know that Ancient Greece was split up into different city states, each ruled in its own way.
• To know that Athens and Sparta were the 2 most important states.
• To know the similarities and differences between the ways of life in the two states of Athens and Sparta (location, how they were ruled, military, education, view and role of women etc).

 

Why was there a lot of conflict in Ancient Greece?

• To know that the city states were often rivals and went to war.
• To know that the threat of invasion from the Persians made the Greeks fight on the same side.
• To know some equipment and formations used by the hoplites during battles.
• To know that the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great, defeated the Persians.

 

What do artefacts and archaeological sites tell us about culture and everyday life?

• To know about the daily life of people in Ancient Greece (rich vs poor, work, homes, clothes, entertainment) .
• To know that the Ancient Greeks believed in many different Gods and Goddesses.
• To know that only men could be full citizens and give reasons why they had a better life than women.

 

What did the Greeks achieve and how have they influenced our lives today?

• To know some of the key achievements of the Ancient Greeks (alphabet, democracy, architecture, science).

Geography

Location – Europe

Enquiry - Where is Europe and what are its key characteristics?

 

Assessment

Formal assessments of children’s learning across the Curriculum will take place once every term. However, continual assessments of children’s learning will take place every day, from questioning, observing and marking children’s work.

 School Council

Throughout the school, two children from each class are selected to represent their year group on the school council. Children who wish to participate prepare a speech or presentation of no longer than five minutes, explaining why they would make a good school council member. During the presentation, they will put forward practical ideas for how we could improve school life. Their peers will then vote for who they think will make the best councillor.

Reading

Reading at home is very important. Please encourage your child to read aloud each evening and discuss what they have read. You can support your child by asking them questions about what they have read, help them to make predictions and explore what a character is thinking and feeling. We will continue to use whole class guided reading, looking at a text together and studying various different comprehension skills. 

 

Spelling

This weeks spellings are words that are homophones or near homophones:

Accept

 

Except

Knot

Not

Peace

Piece

Plain

Plane

Whether 

Weather

Times tables

As some you may be aware, the National curriculum requires that by the end of year 4 children should know their times tables up to 12 x 12. So this is the term to really push this at home and help children to master their multiplication and division facts. Learning by rote is one option (the old fashioned way!) and we use Numberlink boards at school (more information on the school website under the ‘About us’ and then ‘Curriculum’ tab). There are lots of great interactive games/ apps available on the net too. This is a good place to start: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/times-tables  

Multiplication Tables Check (MTC)

You may have heard announcements about the Multiplication Tables Check coming in for year 4 children. Here’s what you need to know:

• We love maths. It’s an awesome subject to learn and to teach.
• Maths is a big subject and we appreciate there’s more to it than times tables and there’s more to times tables than learning them off by heart. However, a lot of the rich, interesting maths is all about the multiplicative relationships and these are hard to fully grasp without fluent recall of the tables. For that reason, learning the tables is fundamental – they are a key facilitator to the maths that sits on top. We’ve always believed that.
• They will be done during the week commencing 2nd June 2025.
• The results of the test are not published publicly, they’re not going to end up on a league table and they’re not to worry about. There’s no pass or fail, there’s just a score out of 25 marks. They’re not to be used to compare children, they’re for us to reflect on so that we make the most of our provision. We’re actually looking forward to seeing how well we do.
• The checks consist of 25 questions. The questions will only be multiplication and they will go up to 12×12. There’s nothing novel about the questions and they don’t require problem solving so there’s nothing to trip them up.
• The checks are all about remembering the multiplication facts. That doesn’t mean we’ll forget all about the concepts, patterns, structures and relationships in multiplication. We’re going to be learning those too, partly because they go hand in hand with excellent recall.
• There are concerns shared in the public domain that this is “yet another test”. The government has been careful to call it a “check” and that’s important. It signals their intention to keep it low-stakes and we should remember that the data could prove useful to us.
• Given that the questions are relatively simple, age appropriate and the length of the check, which is carried out on a computer, is no more than 2½ minutes, we don’t think the checks are onerous.
• Tests in themselves don’t cause anxiety. It’s the perceived cost of not doing well. For that reason, we will actively downplay the checks with the pupils. The only thing that will stress the children is if we repeatedly refer to the checks in class or at home, even casually in front of them when they’re not supposed to be listening.
• So we will not ever be saying “Remember you’ve got the multiplication checks coming up.” Or “We must practice because you’ve got the checks this year.” We just won’t mention them. Please be supportive of that and refrain from referring to the checks at home too.

1. As far as they’re concerned, when it comes to the day itself, they’re going to have the computers or tablets out so it will just seem like the teachers have chosen to do something slightly different today.
2. You may notice us taking even more initiative when it comes to learning the tables with more options for home learning. If you are practising with your child, remember you’re practising for the benefit of their wider maths education, not for them to get a high score on the tests. So please enjoy the opportunity to work with your child and remember to hold back on comments about the checks.
3. Please be supportive of our approach in parent-parent communication channels. It’s important that we get behind the checks for the benefit of all our children.

 If you have a question or want to offer your thoughts on any of the above, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

 Mr Langhan and the Year 4 Team

Lost uniform and equipment

Please ensure all clothes, lunch boxes, bottles etc are labelled. There is a box of lost property in the Year 4 classroom which is never empty and a cloakroom which is always scattered with lost items. Please encourage children to take responsibility for looking after their belongings and to check that lunch boxes ,and bottles in particular are taken home daily.

Important Documents

 Written Calculation PolicyNational Curriculum Calculation ExamplesSpelling List Years-3/4Reading VIPERSCurriculum Overview Year 4

Useful links: