So far, this half-term the children have immersed themselves in a rich and varied curriculum.  Our English lessons have centred around The Search for the Giant Arctic Octopus by Chloe Savage, where the children have developed their descriptive vocabulary to create vivid settings and have written letters from the ship’s crew—an opportunity to write for different purposes and organise their ideas clearly, just as the curriculum intends for Years 2 and 3.

In Maths, the Year 3s have been strengthening their understanding of addition and subtraction using methods that include exchanging, building the fluency and number sense expected in the National Curriculum for lower Key Stage 2.  The Year 2s have been adding two 2-digit numbers using column addition and subtracting using Base 10 equipment.

 In RE, we have continued exploring Judaism, learning about the customs and meaning of Jewish weddings, helping the children deepen their knowledge of different faiths and religious celebrations.

In PSHE, the children have used role play to explore friendship problems, supporting the development of healthy relationships and positive communication.

Our Geography work has brought mapping skills to life as the class learnt to use compasses and took part in directional challenges, meeting the curriculum aim of using simple fieldwork and developing locational and directional language.  We played a game in the playground where they had to run in the directions of different places in the world, such as Scotland, Antarctica and Australia.

Design and Technology has been wonderfully hands-on, with pupils designing and constructing chairs for a small soft toy, applying the curriculum focus on creating purposeful products and choosing suitable materials for strength and stability.

We have finished the term creatively by making beautiful eco-friendly angels inspired by Hark the Herald Angels Sing, giving children the chance to experiment with materials and techniques in line with the Art and Design expectations.

Altogether, it has been a lively and rewarding term, with learning that reflects both the children’s interests and the breadth of the national curriculum.