Year 4

What to expect in Year 4

Times tables, confidence, and fun!

Congratulations! Your child is in Year 4. This can be a year in which teachers nurture and encourage the feelings of independent thinking, learning and decision making. So just what can you expect if you have a child in Year 4?

They already know the routines for the Juniors; they have already realised that they have to do homework; they already understand that they are expected to learn a lot in a year; they can dress themselves (mostly!). Read on for Oxford owl's guide to life as a parent of a Year 4 child here:   

What to expect in Year 4 (age 8–9) at school | Oxford Owl

Welcome to Year 4!

We are really looking forward to welcoming you all back to the start of a fantastic academic year!

Mrs Pring will teach 4P and Mrs Hodge (Monday to Wednesday) and Mrs Steward (Wednesday to Friday) will teach 4HS. Mrs Biggs and Ms Stappleton will also be supporting you with your learning in both classes, while Mrs M. Baker and Mrs Biggs will be covering PPA on a Wednesday afternoon. We are all here to help you with any questions or problems you may have, so please do not hesitate to ask. Parents/carers should ring, email or make an appointment through the school office and we will get back to you as soon as we possibly can. Your happiness at school is very important to all of us. 

Here is some important information about your school week:  

Daily Equipment

Each day you will need:

• a water bottle
• your packed lunch (if you are not having a school dinner)
• healthy snack for break time as this is no longer provided in KS2 (fruit, cheese, yoghurt, vegetable sticks)
• appropriate coat for weather conditions as we will be outside as much as possible

P.E.

4 HS: P.E days will be on a Tuesday and Friday.  No children should bring a PE kit to school. Please wear appropriate P.E kit to school on those days. Prepare for these sessions to be outdoors unless weather does not allow for this. If your child wears laced trainers, please ensure that they can tie their laces before coming to school.

4P: PE days will be on a Monday and Friday.

Reading Books

You will have one reading book to read that will go between home and school daily. Please do bring your reading book and reading record to school everyday as there will be opportunities to read independently and to the class teacher and teaching assistant. Rewards for regular reading in and out of school will be given.

You should be reading every day at home (if possible) and, as a minimum, three times a week. Research into learning shows that the more that you develop your comprehension skills and understanding of vocabulary the better you will do in school across the whole of the curriculum. Please do give reading the priority it needs and make sure you keep a list of, and look up, any tricky words you come across- there is a space in your reading diary to make a list of these.

Further useful information to support your child in reading can be found on Oxford Owl, using the following link: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/at-school/year-3-at-primary-school/

Times Tables are an important aspect of year four, due to the statutory Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), which takes place in June.  Please follow this link for more information. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multiplication-tables-check-information-for-parents

It is essential that you practise your tables regularly. By Year 4, the National Curriculum states that children should know all of these up to 12 x 12 by the end of the year, so if you are still learning them, make sure to practise daily. The more confident you are with your tables the easier other aspects of maths will be.

In year 4, we run a times tables 'Olympic Challenge,' in which children work their way up from finalist to Olympic level when they are secure on each set of multiplication and related division facts. This test will take place weekly.

We will also be encouraging children to use TT Rockstars as regularly as possible. The times tables set in the garage area will be matched to their level on our Olympic challenge, while the sound check feature is very similar to the MTC that the children will complete in June. As an incentive for regular times tables practice, we will be rewarding those children who have spent the most time practising each week.

Spellings

Spellings will be sent out at the beginning of the year, with guidance on how to support your child at home. They will be tested in school throughout the term and practised as part of ongoing phonics sessions. There will no longer be a weekly spelling test within the school blue books, but you will be kept up to date with how your child is progressing at parents evenings.

We look forward to a very successful year ahead.

Best wishes,

 The Year 4 team

 Homework :

Reading at least 3 times a week.

Times tables practise on TTRockstars (paper based copies if you would rather)

Spellings will be given out at the beginning of term. Practise 5 - 10 of these each week.

Optional but beneficial: Maths CLIC challenges will be sent home weekly, to enable further practice.

Useful links to use at home

Please use the links below to support home learning.

If you forget your passwords at anytime please let a member of the Year 4 team know so we can help.