Year Three - Bumblebees
Welcome to Year 3, your Class Teachers are Sam and Tiarna. Your Learning Support Assistant is Jan.
Key Information
Please see our newsletter and curriculum overviews for details of our topics, events and any key dates.
A reminder that the gate opens at 8:40am for children to enter through the main entrance and are expected to be in class by 8.50am. At the end of the day parents/carers pick up from the classrooms at 3.20pm.
P.E Days
Monday and Thursday
Please ensure your child has their PE kit in school on the correct days.
Contact Information
If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact Sam or Tiarna, please email info@somerdaleet.org.uk or call the school office to book an appointment
At Somerdale Educate Together our approach to teaching Mathematics fosters and promotes our ethos and beliefs that all children can achieve and succeed.
We use the White Rose Maths scheme to form the basis of our planning throughout our school.
You can find out which units your child is currently learning by checking your child's class termly newsletter. You can then navigate to the parent section of White Rose to find more advice on the block of learning and the small steps taught.
You can find support and further information on our Maths curriculum page which includes the Programme of Study and parent guides for each year group, detailing the strategies taught in the classroom and how you can support at home.
To support children to achieve their full potential in writing, quality books are chosen as a termly stimulus for English which will fascinate and engage. The books are carefully selected as it is so important that children see themselves and each other in the books they read. The themes, characters and authors reflect the diversity of our communities to help children develop empathy and inclusion, as well as to build a more realistic view of the world around them. A planned sequence of teaching is followed to enable the children to meet a specific end of unit writing outcome; one for fiction and one for non-fiction. The sequence begins with sharing the text followed by detailed analysis. Key vocabulary and phrases from the text are highlighted and studied to expand the children’s word understanding. Weekly grammar lessons, are followed by opportunities for the children to practice these skills independently in their own writing. Each unit culminates in an end of unit write which will use the learning from the whole unit. Children are taught editing and revising skills in order to improve their own work. This sequence is recorded on the English Working Wall with examples for the children to use as prompts.
Throughout the year, children will write for a variety of purposes and audiences across fiction and non-fiction. Writing to entertain includes description, poetry and story writing. Story writing covers basic story plots from Pie Corbett including wishing, warning, conquering the monster, finding, journey, losing, meeting, rags to riches, fear, and character flaw tales as well as alternative endings to equip them with frameworks around which to base their own writing. Children also focus on a different non-fiction writing purpose including to inform, to argue and to explain, appropriate to their age and ability including a variety of text types: recount (newspaper and diary), report, instruction, explanation, discussion and persuasion. When a text type has been covered there are short burst opportunities for children to revise these throughout the year including outside of the English lesson in Enquiry, Science or Learn Together lessons. Children are supported by guided and modelled writing.
In additional to the above whole school initiatives successfully raise the profile of the school. This includes weekly Star Writers from class work celebrated.
Handwriting
There are high expectations of handwriting across the curriculum areas.
Key Stage 2: In years 3 to 6 cursive handwriting is developed so that children can write fluently with stamina for more prolonged periods.
Capital letters and numbers are used from EYFS to year 6.
At Somerdale we know that reading is an invaluable and lifelong skill that has astonishing benefits for our children. This is why we foster a love of reading in many ways from Early Years to Year 6. Our teachers provide a structured learning pathway that connects Guided Reading with focus texts and children’s inquiry questions, ensuring a deep understanding of reading concepts.
Reading for Pleasure: We use a thematic approach to encourage a love of reading, selecting books based on children’s interests and experiences. Children actively participate in building their classroom bookshelves, linked to their inquiry topics, and have access to a “Class Canon of Literature” where they can explore books that excite them. Many children are often found reading during their free time!
Classroom Reading Culture: Each teacher establishes a daily shared story time, with a class book prominently displayed, encouraging a communal love for reading.
Parental Involvement: We actively involve parents in our reading culture. Home reading is a priority, with children regularly swapping books and using a home-school reading diary to communicate with teachers. Parents are encouraged to engage through phonics workshops for EYFS and Year 1, and home access to Busy Things is updated with the phonics sounds taught in school.
Library and Volunteers: Teachers plan regular library sessions, exposing children to different genres. We also have Priority Reading Groups that read with Reading Project Volunteers, and we’ve built strong connections with the local library in Keynsham to foster a community of reader.
From Year 2 onwards, we use the VIPERS approach for whole class reading sessions. This method helps children develop essential reading skills. Each term, we explore two or three texts, which may include recommended texts, cannon of literature, non-fiction, and poetry.
This approach ensures that children develop a broad range of reading skills while enjoying a variety of texts!
VIPERS stands for:
Vocabulary: Understanding and using new words.
Inference: Reading between the lines to understand deeper meanings.
Prediction: Guessing what might happen next based on clues in the text.
Explanation: Explaining what the text means and why.
Retrieval: Finding specific information in the text.
Sequence: Understanding the order of events in a story.
Each week, children participate in:
Four VIPERS Sessions: These focus on different aspects of reading skills using whole-class reading activities.
1 Reading for Pleasure Session: Dedicated time for children to enjoy books and develop a love for reading.
At Somerdale, we use Spelling Shed from Year 2 onwards to make spelling fun and engaging. Each week, children are introduced to new spelling patterns, receive focused instruction, and have opportunities for independent practice to reinforce key skills. At the end of the week, there’s a quiz on the learned words, followed by a new spelling list and assignment to continue building their skills.
In Year 3, we revisit and consolidate Phases 5 and 6, continuing spelling practice with Spelling Shed. Children have 4 sessions per week, each lasting 20 minutes.
Click Here to view the school assessment overview for 2024-25
Internal Assessment Timetable 2024-25
Subject | Assessment Week | Teacher Assessment | NFER Assessments in Reading & Maths | SAT's Practice |
Term 2 | 2nd December 2024 | All Year Groups | Year 3 | N/A |
Term 4 | 17th March 2025 | All Year Groups | Year 3 | N/A |
Term 6 | 30th June 2025 | All Year Groups | Year 3 | N/A |