Welcome to Year 4

Our Year 4 children are taught in one class –  Willow.

The teaching staff in Willow class are Mrs Morris-Taylor, Miss Sheridan, Mrs Blythe, Mrs Stokes and Miss Pergusey.

Times Tables are a key skill for year 4 and all children should continue to practice those they have already been taught – 2, 5, 10, 3, 4 and 8. We will be revising these in school alongside learning the 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12 times tables. All year 4 children take the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in June to assess the fluency of their times tables recall. This involves answering 25 multiplication calculations, with 6 seconds for each question, on an iPad. Children will have plenty of opportunities to practice this in school but using Times Tables Rock Stars at home can also help prepare your child for this statutory assessment. The following website provides a similar experience to the formal test: https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/. The same website has many other activities to help practice all times tables.

Year 4 have Swimming on Monday afternoons and PE Tuesday mornings. On these days, children may come in wearing their PE kits.

Homework is set on a Friday and should be returned the following Friday (this gives children who have busy weekdays time to complete it over the weekend if necessary). Each child will have a Reading Record in which they should record their reading at home and at school, and this should be brought into school each day in their book bag. These Records should be handed in on Fridays, so that we can ensure children are meeting the minimum expectation of reading at home at least 3 times a week and award Bookworms to those that have met, or exceeded, this requirement. Children should take responsibility for changing their reading books when they are finished. Spellings being taught in class that week, will follow the termly homework sheet and be stuck in homework books for children to practice. We will run a homework club on Thursday lunchtimes for anyone who would like extra support, or just a quiet space, to finish their homework.

Children will need personal water bottles and will also need to keep a pair of wellies in school so we can maximise our opportunities for outdoor activities.

Throughout this year, we will be putting a lot of focus on developing a growth mindset. This principle focusses on the fact that our brain is a muscle and we have to build that muscle over time, just as we would any other muscle in our body. We often discuss how we may not be able to do something yet, but we can get better at things over time and with practice. It would be greatly appreciated if you could help to reinforce this message at home, particularly when supporting your child with their homework. This is something we are really passionate about instilling in the children as this positive outlook will help them to build their independent learning skills.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email us at willow24@fairford.gloucs.sch.uk (Willow)