Class Teachers: Elaine Gambin, Marie-Therese Stoddart, Melissa Suen
Welcome
Welcome to Year 4. We hope that your child’s time in Year 4 is both memorable and enjoyable. In Year 4, we believe that we have a very interesting curriculum with a range of topics that will stimulate your child’s love for learning. We plan many of our lessons in a cross curricular manner which we think helps children to learn and thrive. We think that learning in this manner, enables them to research and learn about key themes in depth, which in turn generates high levels of interest and stimulation. We promise to try to provide a range of opportunities for children to engage in learning in a variety of ways, including outside of the classroom, be it going on trips, or attending workshops/having visitors into school. We believe that this helps to reinforce their learning and create enthusiasm about the subject within their topic. In Year 4 it is important for children to develop their independence and resilience, and this is something in which we focus on throughout the year, with your support, in order to prepare them for upper juniors and beyond. We look forward to getting to know your children and yourselves this year and welcome you and your family to Year 4.
Year 4 Teaching Team
| Year Group Leader | Elaine Gambin |
| Class Teachers | Elaine Gambin Marie-Therese Stoddart Melissa Suen |
| Teaching Assistants | Wendy Mariam Sheena Amelia |
| Specialist Teachers | Art - Rosie PE - Chelsea and Bren Music - Dan |
| KS2 SENDCO | Jette Rayner |
Curriculum / Learning
Our School Values for this academic year are: cooperation, community, creativity and consideration.
We will act with cooperation because we are a community
We will use creativity to learn and grow.
We will show consideration as everyone is of equal value and importance.
We want our children to:
Know who they are.
Respect others for who they are.
Never stop learning.
Our Learning
Year 4 follows the Department for Education’s National Curriculum Framework and provides broad and balanced teaching opportunities which promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of our pupils and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
The National Curriculum Framework
The National Curriculum
Mathematics
Mathematics teaching in Year 4 (Lower Key Stage 2) is designed to develop pupil knowledge so that they become increasingly fluent with whole numbers and the four operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – number facts and the concept of place value. Pupils are expected to develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with increasingly large whole numbers. Additionally in Year 4 the programme of study requires pupils to draw shapes accurately and to develop mathematical reasoning so that they can recognise and analyse their properties.
Pupils are also expected to have developed their ability to solve a range of problems, including: simple fractions, decimal place value, memorise their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 times multiplication table, read and spell mathematical vocabulary correctly and confidently and show precision and fluency in their work.
This year, we will be introducing ‘Mastering Number’ to our daily timetable. This consists of 15 minutes where children master multiplication and divisions expressions which will further help them build more confidence, fluency and readiness both for the multiplication check and next steps in their future learning.
Year 4 Maths Knowledge and Skills Maps
Calculation Strategies for Parents and Carers
Helpful Websites to practise times tables.
https://www.timestables.co.uk/
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
Access to age-appropriate resources from London Grid for Learning ( including Purplemash)
Year 4 Mathematics Programme of Study
- Number – place value/addition/subtraction/multiplication/division/fractions/decimals
- Measurement
- Geometry – properties of shape/position/direction
- Statistics
Download Year 4 Mathematics Programme of Study
English
In Year 4 the expectation is that pupils will be able to read accurately and at a speed that facilates them to focus on understanding what they are reading, rather than on decoding individual words. Teaching will be directed towards developing our readers’ vocabulary and the breadth and depth of their reading, creating independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read widely and frequently.
In Year 4 we will be consolidating our pupil’s writing skills, their vocabulary and their grasp of sentence structure. Pupils will build on what they have already learnt, particularly in terms of the range of their writing, grammar, vocabulary and narrative structures. Joined writing is accepted as the norm and pupils are expected to write fast enough to keep pace with what they want to say. Pupil’s spelling of common words should be correct, including common exception words (see below) and other words they have learnt.
Year 4 English Knowledge and Skills map
Year 4 English Programme of Study
- Reading – word/comprehension
- Writing – transcription/handwriting/composition/vocabulary/grammar/punctuation
Year 4 reading lists.
Here are some links to year 4 reading lists – books and stories your child might enjoy.
https://clpe.org.uk/books?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_6mYwbr3gAMVcYBQBh3vGQCvEAMYASAAEgLLS_D_BwE&f%5B0%5D=year-group%3A345
https://www.thereaderteacher.com/year4
https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks2-school-pupils/suggested-reading-list-for-year-4-pupils-ks2-age-8-9/
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/1/100-best-books-9-11/
Science
The main focus of science teaching in Year 4 (Lower Key Stage 2) is to broaden our pupil’s scientific view of the world around them by exploring, talking about, testing and developing ideas about everyday phenomena and exploring the relationships between living things and familiar environments. The key scientific enquiry skills that are expected are: observing changes over time, noticing patterns, grouping and classifying things, carrying out fair tests and finding things out through secondary sources of information.
Year 4 Science Programme of Study
- Electricity
- States of matter
- Sound
- Living things and their habitats
- Animals including humans
- Scientific Enquiry
Year 4 Science Knowledge and Skills Maps
Download Year 4 Science Programme of Study
Foundation Subjects
The following subjects: Art, Design and Technology (D&T), Geography, History, Computing, French (MFL), Music, Physical Education (PE), Religious Education (RE) and Ourselves and Others (PSHRE) are taught within exciting topic lessons over the academic year.
Topics are driven by different subjects (e.g. History and Geography). All foundation subjects will be taught through this cross-curricular approach providing the different disciplines with a practical learning context. Each new topic commences with a planned ‘launch’. Launches may be a workshop, a school trip, a visitor/guest/parent presenting to the year group, the sampling of international foods/dance and/or opportunities to celebrate cultural/religious festivals.
For a more comprehensive overview of the national curriculum use the link for our Curriculum page.
French
Please go to the French tab to find out more about our French learning at school.
Timetable/Routines
Music
- Monday 8:00am – Orchestra
- Boyband – Friday 8:50 Witham Hall
Specialist sessions
- Art Rosie Sawyer
- PE : Chelsea Orrdige-Golding and Bren Amooty
- Music -Dan Shafran
