Welcome to Year 3
Elder Class & Elm Class
We are really looking forward to a fantastic year ahead and getting to know both you and your children. Year 3 is an exciting year, full of new opportunities, challenges and experiences as children continue to develop their independence, confidence and love of learning. We have a busy and engaging curriculum planned, with many exciting topics, practical learning opportunities and memorable experiences throughout the year.
We are committed to helping every child feel safe, happy and successful, and we place great importance on building positive relationships with both children and families. We believe that working together is the best way to support children to achieve their full potential, so please do come and speak to us if you have any questions, concerns or information that may help us support your child. We are always happy to help.
We look forward to celebrating your child's achievements and making this a successful and enjoyable year for everyone.
Meet the Team
Mr Toby Ogden Elder Class
Year 3 Teacher/PE and Maths Deputy Lead
- toby.ogden@elburtonprimary.co.uk
Mrs Joanne Young Elm Class
Year 3 Teacher/Modern Foreign Languages Lead
As Subject Leader for Modern Foreign Languages, I am passionate about helping children develop a love of languages and different cultures. I also have a particular interest in the creative arts, especially music, and I am looking forward to teaching the children to play the ukulele this year.
I will be teaching in Year 3 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings, and I look forward to meeting you and supporting your child throughout the year.
- joanne.young@elburtonprimary.co.uk
Mrs Ros Light Elm Class
Year 3 Teacher/Deputy Headteacher
Alongside my teaching role, I am also the Deputy Headteacher. While I teach in class on Thursdays and Fridays, I am fortunate to spend time with the children every day through my wider role in school. Whether I am greeting them in the morning, visiting classrooms, or chatting with them at lunchtime, I enjoy building positive relationships and being a familiar face around the school. I look forward to getting to know you this year.
- ros.light@elburtonprimary.co.uk
Mrs Claire Fry
Teaching Assistant
Mrs Lesley Senior
Mrs Rebecca O’Connor Morrish
HLTA
Keeping in Touch
We value strong partnerships between home and school and believe that regular communication helps children to thrive.
If you have any questions, concerns or information that may help us support your child, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
How we communicate
- Class Dojo will be used to share class updates, reminders and celebrations.
- Important whole-school information will be sent via e mail.
- Teachers can be contacted via email using the addresses listed above.
- Please contact the school office regarding absences, appointments or changes to collection arrangements.
We aim to respond to messages as promptly as possible during the school week. If a matter is urgent, please contact the school office directly.
Thank you for working in partnership with us. We greatly value the support of our Year 3 families.
Learning in Year 3
At Elburton Primary School, we follow a carefully planned and ambitious curriculum that is fully aligned with the National Curriculum. Our curriculum has been designed to ensure that children build knowledge and skills progressively as they move through the school, helping them to know more, remember more and achieve more.
The Long-Term Overview provides an outline of the learning that children will experience throughout the year across all curriculum subjects. Each topic has been carefully selected and sequenced to build upon previous learning, make meaningful links across subjects and deepen children's understanding of the world around them.
We encourage parents to explore the overview to gain an understanding of the exciting learning opportunities planned for Year 3 and how these fit within our wider whole-school curriculum journey. Throughout the year, children will revisit key knowledge and concepts to strengthen their understanding and support long-term memory.
Long term Overview
Year 3 Expectations
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As children move into Key Stage 2, we encourage them to:
- Become increasingly independent and take responsibility for their learning.
- Organise their belongings and take pride in their work.
- Complete home learning regularly and to the best of their ability.
- Develop resilience and keep trying when learning feels challenging.
- Listen carefully and contribute positively to class discussions.
- Work cooperatively with others and show kindness and respect.
- Follow the Elburton Charter and be positive role models within our school community.
What are we Learning This Term?
Our Termly Overview provides a snapshot of the learning your child will be covering this term across the curriculum. It outlines the key topics, texts and areas of study that will be explored in class, helping you to understand what your child is learning and how you can support them at home.
The overview sits within our carefully planned whole-school curriculum and shows how the learning for this term builds on previous knowledge while preparing children for future learning. We encourage parents to take a look and use it as a starting point for conversations about learning at home.
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Termly Overview
PE Information
Elder Class: Monday and Tuesday
Elm Class: Tuesday and Wednesday
Please ensure that your child comes to school dressed in their full PE kit on their PE days so that they are ready to take part in all activities.
PE Kit
- White PE t-shirt
- Elburton PE hoodie
- Navy or black PE bottoms (shorts, leggings or tracksuit bottoms)
- Suitable trainers
- Long hair tied back
- No jewellery, including earrings
Please ensure that all clothing is clearly labelled with your child's name.
Having the correct PE kit helps children to participate safely, comfortably and confidently in lessons. Thank you for your continued support in helping your child arrive prepared for PE each week.
Homework
In Year 3, regular home learning plays an important role in helping children build confidence, practise key skills and develop greater independence.
Children are expected to:
- Read at home at least five times each week, recording their reading in their reading record.
- Practise fortnightly spellings and a task, linked to the Year 3 National Curriculum spelling patterns and statutory word lists.
- Learn and practise times tables at least x3 a week on Times Tables Rockstars, developing quick recall of multiplication and division facts.
- Complete a maths task or task linked to the wider curiculum once a fortnight.
We encourage children to complete little and often, as regular practice has the greatest impact on progress.
Thank you for your continued support at home. Working together helps every child develop the skills and confidence needed to be successful in school.
If homework becomes too much, please let us know and we can make further adaptions. All children are different and we will find the right balance for your family. If we need to prioritise anything it will be reading x5 a week as this is the gateway to all learning.
Reading
In Year 3, we will support children in developing:
- Fluency – reading smoothly and confidently.
- Accuracy – recognising and reading words correctly.
- Comprehension – understanding, discussing and thinking deeply about what they have read.
To support your child, please:
- Read with your child at home regularly, ideally at least five times each week.
- Sign their reading record each time they read.
- Encourage discussion about the book by asking questions about characters, events and vocabulary.
Thank you for your continued support with reading. It makes a huge difference. Reading at home has a significant impact on children's confidence, achievement and enjoyment of learning. Please get a clear routine in place at home and put in those boundaries.
Accelerated Reader
Accelerated Reader is a computer-based programme designed to improve children's reading skills, develop comprehension, and increase reading age.
Reading books are carefully matched to your child's reading ability through a Star Test which tells us amongst other things your child's reading age, words per minute and level of understanding. The levels of fluency and understanding are reviewed regularly throughout the year and book levels are updated to ensure they continue to make strong progress. Reading books are checked regularly and changed when children are ready for a new book. Once children develop fluency we will give them a range to read within on AR. Until then we ask that they read each point three times, passing the quiz before moving up to the next point. We regularly review this and will respond quickly as progress is made through regular practise.
To begin with, children are assigned a specific reading level (for example, 3.2). They will need to successfully pass three quizzes at that level before moving on to the next stage (for example, from 3.2 to 3.3). This helps to ensure that they are reading accurately and confidently before progressing.
As children develop greater fluency and confidence, they are encouraged to choose books within their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This is a personalised range of books that matches their current reading ability while also providing an appropriate level of challenge. Reading within this range helps children to extend their vocabulary, improve comprehension, and continue making good progress.
Children select books from the classroom library that fall within their ZPD range. Once they have finished reading a book, they complete a short online quiz which assesses their understanding of what they have read.
Accelerated Reader also enables teachers to monitor reading progress closely and ensure that children are selecting books that meet their individual needs. Teachers use the information from quizzes and reading records to have meaningful discussions with children about their reading, celebrate successes, identify areas for development, and support them in becoming confident, lifelong readers.
All children need to read regularly at home, as this plays a vital role in their success and enjoyment of reading.
To access a parents guide on the scheme please click on the link below.
Parents guide to Accelerated Reader
AR Bookfinder
You can help your child choose books that are both interesting and enjoyable with AR Book Finder.
We have attached a guide to this for your information.
Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
In Year 3, children continue to develop their spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) skills to help them become confident and effective writers. Throughout the year, pupils revisit and build on key grammar concepts, learn how to use a wide range of punctuation accurately, and develop strategies to improve their spelling.
Children take part in daily Read Write Inc. spelling sessions, which provide structured teaching of spelling patterns, rules and strategies to support accurate spelling in their independent writing. SPaG is taught through dedicated lessons and is also embedded across the curriculum, helping children apply their knowledge in their reading and writing.
Regular practice, discussion and feedback support pupils as they prepare for the end of Key Stage 2 and the transition to secondary school.
On this page, you will find information, resources and useful links to help support your child's SPaG learning at home.
Practice Book 3 Table of Contents
- Unit 1: Adding the prefixes dis- and in-
- Unit 2: Adding im- to root words beginning with m or p
- Special Focus 1: Orange words (Statutory high-frequency exception words)
- Unit 3: Adding the suffix -ous
- Unit 4: Adding the suffix -ly
- Unit 5: Words ending in -ture
- Special Focus 2: Homophones
- Unit 6: Adding -ation to verbs to form nouns
- Unit 7: Words with the /k/ sound spelt ch
- Unit 8: Words with the /sh/ sound spelt ch
- Special Focus 3: The short /i/ sound spelt y
- Unit 9: Adding the suffix -ion
- Unit 10: Adding the suffix -ian
We spend two weeks on each unit. Spellings set for homework are a combination of the focus unit and the statutory words shown below. The chidlren do a wide range of activities to help embed.
Statutory Spellings
Parents Guide to Year 3 English
Supporting Maths at Home
Regular, short practise helps children develop confidence and fluency in maths.
Use maths in everyday life
- Count money and work out change.
- Tell the time and read timetables.
- Measure ingredients when cooking.
- Compare prices, weights and lengths.
Practise key facts
- Learn times tables and related division facts.
- Recall number bonds, doubles and halves.
- Count in different multiples.
Talk about maths Ask questions such as:
- How do you know?
- Can you explain your thinking?
- Is there another way?
- What pattern can you spot?
Useful websites
- Times Table Rock Stars
- Hit the Button
- Topmarks Maths
- White Rose Maths
Keep it positive
- Praise effort and perseverance.
- Encourage children to learn from mistakes.
- Celebrate progress, however small.
Little and often is best. Just a few minutes of maths practice each day can make a big difference.
Parents Guide to Year 3 Maths
Celebrating Success
At Elburton, we believe that recognising effort, achievement and positive behaviour helps children grow in confidence and develop a love of learning.
Throughout the week, children are celebrated through:
- Positive praise for demonstrating our school values and learning behaviours.
- Class Dojo points awarded for effort, resilience, kindness, independence and following the Elburton Charter.
- Sharing outstanding work and achievements with classmates and other members of staff.
- Opportunities to celebrate successes in class and during whole-school assemblies.
Each Friday, we celebrate a Star of the Week. This award recognises a child who has shown something special during the week, whether that is:
- A positive attitude towards learning
- Excellent behaviour and role-modelling
- Outstanding effort or perseverance
- Kindness and respect towards others
- Significant progress or achievement
- Living out our Elburton Charter values
We love celebrating the successes of every child and helping them to feel proud of their achievements, both in and out of school.
E-Safety
Useful Learning Links
Reading
📚 Oxford Owl
Free ebooks, reading activities and parent support.
Oxford Owl
📚 MyON
Online books and Accelerated Reader access.
MyON
📚 Accelerated Reader
Reading quizzes and book finder.
Accelerated Reader
Maths
🔢 Times Table Rock StarsPractise multiplication and division facts.
Times Table Rock Stars [play.ttrockstars.com]
🔢 NumBots
Develop confidence with number bonds and mental maths.
NumBots [play.numbots.com]
🔢 Hit the Button
Quick-fire maths games for times tables, division facts and number bonds.
Hit the Button [topmarks.co.uk]
🔢 Topmarks Maths
Interactive maths games linked to the primary curriculum.
Topmarks Maths
🔢 White Rose Maths
Videos and activities linked to the maths curriculum.
https://whiteroseeducation.com/
Spelling and Writing
✏️Oxford Owl
- Writing and spelling activities.
- Year group guidance for parents.
- Free ebooks and English resources.
✏️ Pobble 365
Daily picture prompts to inspire writing.
Pobble 365
✏️ BBC Bitesize English
Grammar, punctuation and writing activities.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zv48q6f
Science and Wider Curriculum
🌍 Explorify
Fun science investigations and discussion starters.
Explorify
🌍 DK Find Out!
Information books, facts and quizzes.
DK Find Out!
🌍 National Geographic Kids
Geography, animals and world learning.
Closing Message
We are so excited for the year ahead and all the learning, growth and fun it will bring.
Thank you for your support and for being such an important part of your child's learning journey. Together, we look forward to helping every child thrive, celebrate their achievements and create many happy memories throughout the year.