Spring – Week 8 – 06 / 03 / 2026
The children have spent the first two weeks of Spring Term 2 consolidating their understanding of fractions and building on their knowledge of times tables. They have then applied this to new areas of maths and completed associated problem solving and reasoning activities, even coming up with their own mathematical scenarios for their peers to solve. I’ve been particularly impressed with their efforts and progress in Maths over recent months so next week’s assessments will hopefully serve as a measurable way to demonstrate and celebrate that.
We had an extremely fun and memorable forest school session during last week’s rain during where we were digging up the central area of forest school in preparation for the planting. Each child took turns in a 5 minute shift to work as a team using either a shovel or pitch fork to aerate the earth before they choose their tasks linked to their area(s) of interest. Lots of fun was had during the downpours and thank you as always to Mrs Sabin for organising the activities.
This Friday served as another lovely moment in the year as we celebrated World Book Day. Our poetry competition has been ongoing this past week and congratulations to all those who took part in their recitals in class. A special mention to both Poesy and Evie for finishing as runners up in our class competition but a huge well done to Francesca who went on to the final to represent our class in front of the whole school. It was wonderful to see the class being respectful to those performing but even more so to the children who carried out their recitals with such enthusiasm, positivity and expression. The class also enjoyed reading with Year 2 and had the pleasure of Mrs Kempson being their surprise reader!
Reminder – date for your diary – Year 4 Showcase – Thursday 26th March at 14:30 in the school hall.
Showcasing our learning on our Spring topic of Conservation.
Spring – Week 6 – 13 / 02 / 2026
As a well-earned rest approaches us, the end of a half term is a good time to reflect on and celebrate another block of learning. Firstly, thank you to the parents and children who attended parents’ evening this past week, it is always a pleasure to share the successes of the children and enhance the relationship between teacher and parent(s) for the benefit of all. One area that arose which I’d like to share is the social aspect and how important it is to build those relationships outside of school too. So as a collective suggestion, make those playdates, cinema trips and fun park dates as often as possible with different children to build connections, confidence and friendships.
This term, the class have continued to strive towards my expectations and further embraced the routines and values which promote curiosity, resilience and collaborative learning. A great classroom culture is key to stimulating inquisitive minds and after the short break we will continue the mantra of 1% gains in our learning & empowering the children to take further ownership of our *Star*Books* Reading area. Special mention to Evie G-F & William G for being only the second and third children in the whole school to earn their Diamond award for three hundred house points.
In Science, the class have being learning about humans and animals & how they can be grouped, separated and classified using different methods such as Venn Diagrams, Carroll Diagrams and Classification Keys. The children then choose a group of animals to produce a double-page spread on – the results were impressive! See below.
Year 4 have continued to enjoy having their three specialist subjects each week. In Mandarin, they have learnt about dates, months and important events in the Chinese calendar.
In Music, they are well on the way in their learning of the songs, dances and instruments that will accompany them on stage at Fairport 2026! The familiar folk favourites ‘Shepherd’s Hey’ and ‘The Ship Sails Away’ have been recited and will continue to be perfected.
Mr Watt has produced some exceptional art over the past month and this culminated in their William Morris inspired layered wallpaper which showcases the art skills learnt. Please see below for a selection of work from Art and Science. Have an enjoyable, fun-filled half term and I look forward to seeing the children share their projects in the first week back.
Reminder – date for your diary – Year 4 Showcase – Thursday 26th March at 14:30 in the school hall.
Showcasing our learning on our Spring topic of Conservation.
Spring – Week 4 – 30 / 01 / 2026
Year four are continuing to show the 3Rs expertly in their learning and are working hard, in line with the expectations established in the classroom. I have been increasingly pleased with the children’s willingness to accept constructive feedback and act on suggested improvements – this is a really good habit that they have no established. Super work Year 4!
The class have enjoyed their opening Spring sessions with three experts in their respective subjects; Mrs Harris (Katie) who teaches Folk Music on Tuesdays, Mr Watt who teaches Art on Tuesdays and Ms Ghung who teaches Mandarin on Wednesdays. The class are really lucky to have these sessions and they have been very eager and responsive to the new areas of learning. Ask your child about what they have learnt so far!
Congratulations to our recent recipients of Cheeky Chops (our class mascot) – Evie, Lexi, Logan, William W, Marty and Rafa – have all expertly displayed resilience, hard work and positivity. Four children are nominated each week and then a game of chance is played to pick the winner. Well done again to our winners and we look forward to more in the coming weeks and months of 2026.
We have been enthralled with our topic on Conservation, which has taken up both our English and History learning, whereby we have written our own balanced arguments on climate change / deforestation / global warming fossil fuels, learnt the water cycle process and explored how to create a map using six figure grid references.
Reminder – date for your diary – Year 4 Showcase – Thursday 26th March at 14:30 in the school hall.
Showcasing our learning on our Spring topic of Conservation.
Spring – Week 2 – 16 / 01 / 2026
In the week before we broke up for Christmas, Year 4 concluded their topic of the Romans in style, as we celebrated with a Roman Day. We finished our whole class Mosaic which was inspired by our visit to the Roman villa in Chedworth & enjoyed an invasion themed Forest School, topped off with pizzas made over the firepit – it was a lovely way to end the term. Thank you to Mrs Sabin for leading the session.
Since returning for 2026, I’ve been impressed with how the class have resumed the routines and expectations set. New displays, seats and topics always brings excitement and a freshness to the beginning of another term. Our world-renowned StarBooks has had a re-stock of familiar favourites and new authors aplenty as we again big up the book talk and enthusiasm towards reading for pleasure – thank you to those parents who sent in pictures of their children reading in creative places over the holidays; these have been added to the area and make it even more special.
This past Monday marked our first venture to Southam for swimming sessions and let’s just say it was quite the experience. Well done to everyone in the class for getting in the pool and being active. Stay tuned for updates on how the class are developing each week.
The class have really impressed me in both English and Maths this week as we enjoyed our new class novel, Hannah Gold’s The Last Bear, which links to our over-arching Spring term topic on Conservation. We will be writing a balanced argument around global warming, climate change and fossil fuels. In Maths, we tackled equivalent fractions and fractions of an amount – with the children showcasing great resilience, focus and perseverance to work through two challenging topics.
Finally, a thank you to those who came in to see us for the Science Showcase this past Wednesday, as we finally revealed the results of our freezing experiment and the children were able to look back at their predictions when they analysed their results.
Reminder – date for your diary – Year 4 Showcase – Thursday 26th March at 14:30 in the school hall.
Showcasing our learning on our Spring topic of Conservation.
Autumn- Week 14 -12 / 12 / 2025
This past term has absolutely flown by and this is as good a time as any to stop, reflect and congratulate every child in year four on how well they have done over the past four months. From high attendance levels, superb punctuality, to an abundance of certificates and house points achieved, the class have worked their (collective and individual) socks off since the very first day back in September….oh yes they will all need new socks for January as we look to continue to progress, improve and build up those one percents!
On top of our visit to Roman Chedworth and our Roman day on Friday 12th, our projects have supplemented our understanding and have been a real success in helping the class get immersed in the Roman era. With the projects the children have showcased an amazing array of talents, skills and creativity – thank you to all adults who have helped facilitate these too! From LEGO stop animations, Colosseum models, Roman Shields galore, a traveller’s guide to Roman Chester to a recreation of Mount Vesuvius exploding in Pompeii – the projects have really captivated the class’s engagement and confidence when sharing them with the class.
In English, we have been working hard on writing narratives based around the day that Mount Vesuvius erupted in Pompeii. The class have learnt the skills of using an apostrophe for omission and possession, figurative description to add detail and how to create a slow build for a specific atmosphere. These, along other pieces of work, will be finished next week and available for you to read at Thursday 18th Show and Share from 14:30pm. Our whole class Roman Mosaic will also be completed by then too – it’s impressive and coming along nicely, – even if I do say so myself!
Assessments – like all year groups, Year 4 have completed their assessments now. These are always a very useful exercise for a variety of reasons form getting the children acclimated to test conditions to gleaning what the children have understood and retained. The data from these tests will be used to consolidate gaps in their learning and extend their knowledge in the Spring term. These assessments will be available for you to take home after Xmas.
Well done to all the children in year four on an impressive Autumn term. I’m excited for what’s to come with our new topics in Spring term, with children becoming more confident and making more progress – academically, emotionally and socially. Let’s go Year Four!
Autumn – Week 12 – 28 / 11 / 2025
Our newsletter is all about two things this edition – Roman Chedworth School Trip & Forest School!
This past Monday, Year 4 embarked on their first external trip to visit Roman Chedworth. The experience offered the class an exciting opportunity to step back in time and discover what life was like in a grand Roman villa. They started with a detailed and knowledge-rich tour (from Flavious) which explored the beautifully preserved mosaics, bathhouses and ancient artefacts, where they were able to imagine the daily routines of the people who once lived there. A particular aspect of interest was sneaking a peek into the underneath of the Roman baths to see first-hand how they were constructed!
Following the tour of the site, the children were able to ask and answer questions about what they had witnessed or any areas of interest. The interactive displays and hands-on activities in the second half of the day helped bring the history to life, where the class were engaged with Roman culture in a meaningful and memorable way. Our first trip has undoubtedly enriched their understanding of the past but also sparked curiosity and a sense of adventure as they walked through the remains of this remarkable Roman site. I await their projects next week to see where their interests has taken them!
Year Four have been having the best time at Forest School – led by Mrs Sabin – on Fridays. Last week the children continued to explore the new and improved activities on offer, including the giant hammock, traditional swing, mud kitchen under the canopy and of course the ever-popular den building and tree house! Mrs Sabin taught the children how to make friendship bracelets and the class worked collaboratively under supervision to saw wood into section in preparation for their next session – it was a work-out on the arms!
Autumn – Week 10 – 14 / 11 / 2025
This past Tuesday, Cropredy welcomed the Gladiator Steel into our school. He hosted the whole school assembly and shared both motivating and informative stories about his life and health. After generously giving each child a water bottle, sticker and signed postcard, he then held a Q & A before posing for photographs. To say the children enjoyed it, is an understatement! Let’s work on creating more ‘Glimmers’ now year 4.
In English, we have been learning, reciting and performing our poetry to anyone and everyone! We have focussed on free verse poetry linked to our topic of the Romans. The class have really developed their confidence to speak clearly, expressively and in the appropriate tone to engage and excite their audience – poetry is written to be performed after all. Please see below for a selection of the children’s work.
In Art, our resident artist Mr Watt has taught and inspired the child to create some amazing final pieces, using a wax resist technique to create Roman-inspired designs, all free- hand I must add! Please see below for a selection of the children’s work.
Elsewhere, the class have enjoyed starting their new units of work across the following subjects;
PE – Dodgeball & Gymnastics, Science – States of Matter, PSHE – Celebrating Difference, RE – What is the most significant part of the nativity story for Christians today?
Year 4 also had the best time with their first session in the new and improved Forest School, where Mrs Sabin was simply wonderful with the children, sparking their curiosity and fuelling their enthusiasm for all the new activities and the nature around them.
A friendly reminder to please continue to read with your child (we have a new festive shelf in *Star*Books* Cafe) and encourage them to learn their times tables please.
Autumn – Week 8 – 24 / 10 / 2025
Autumn – Week 6 – 10 / 10 / 2025
Firstly – we were simply stunned with the quality of the recently completed Roman Projects that were shared by the children this week – WOW! The care, attention to detail and creativity was evident in abundance with the broad range of work completed. The curiosity generated is an excellent motivating factor to stimulate more learning around the topic for this term.
In class we have been exploring what daily life was like for Romans and the role that Gods & Goddesses played in their lives. This week the children used a Diamond Nine activity to rank and order the Gods / Goddesses that the have been learning about in order of importance. This is a great activity that develops the ability to articulate and apply knowledge as well as provide reasoning.
Massive Congratulations to Marty, Rafa, Camden, William W and William G for superbly representing our year group and school in Thursday’s Football Tournament at Chenderit. The boys all scored goals, winning the majority of their games and finishing in second place. Well done boys!
In Maths, we are building up the children’s fluency and reasoning skills so they can answer complex questions by applying their knowledge to questions and problem solving. One game we are using is ‘Odd One Out’ where the focus is on providing personal responses to the problem and using mathematical reasoning to justify their thinking. Ask your child about it! Please continue to use Times Tables Rock Stars TTRS for your child to learn their times tables.
Finally, the children have LOVED orienteering! Our resident art expert, Mr Watt, created a pirate themed map of the school playground and field for the children to go and find the hidden treasures using a compass and co-ordinates.
Autumn – Week 4 – 26 / 09 / 2025
Year four are continuing to show the 3Rs expertly in their learning and are working hard, in line with the expectations established in the classroom. I have been increasingly pleased with the children’s willingness to accept constructive feedback and act on suggested improvements – this is a really good routine and habit to get into as we near the end of September. Super work Year 4!
The class have enjoyed their opening sessions with three experts in their respective subjects; Mrs Harris (Katie) who teaches Folk Music on Tuesdays, Mr Watt who teaches Art on Tuesdays and Ms Ghung who teaches Mandarin on Wednesdays. The class are really lucky to have these sessions and they have been very eager and responsive to the new areas of learning. Ask your child about what they have learnt so far!
Congratulations to our first three recipients of Cheeky Chops (our class mascot) – Monet, Francesca and William G – have all expertly displayed resilience, hard work and positivity so far this year. Four children are nominated each week and then a game of chance is played to pick the winner. Well done again to our winners and we look forward to more in the coming weeks and months.
We have been enthralled with our topic of Roman Britain, which has taken up both our English and History learning, whereby we have written our own short action sequences, learnt the creation story of Rome (Romulus and Remus) and explored artefacts from the period. News of our first class trip to Chedworth will be coming out next week.
Autumn – Week 2 – 12 / 09 / 2025
Year Four have embraced the challenges and expectations that we have placed upon them with enthusiasm and positivity. They have all worked diligently and tried hard to impress as they adjust to their new routines and the year four curriculum. Myself and Mr Watt have been duly rewarding the cohort’s effort levels with positive praise and house points aplenty. Our class have given out the most house points (all children achieving a Bronze Award) and postcards so far. Let’s go Year 4! Like all classes we spent the first week reminding ourselves about the 3 Rs, being Ready, Respectful and Responsible whilst learning our school’s new vision and values centred around ‘Building Bridges to a Brighter Future’. We focussed our learning around the concept of strong foundations and used that as a springboard into being respectful and showing kindness. Lots of outdoor learning, team building skills and plenty of fun had by all. See below for a summary of pictures, human word art and an acrostic poem that we produced together as a class. This past week has seen further expectations and routines embedded with some sensational firsts like their Folk Music lesson with Ms Harris (Katie), the walking to school virtual assembly, their Mandarin session and the introduction of their topic on Romans. The excitement has been palpable in year four however, and crucially, this academic year will be characterised by rigour, hard work and progress…with a generous sprinkling of fun, laughter, teamwork and positivity.
