Year Three Curriculum Newsletter Spring 2026
Joy Excellence Service For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:11-12
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION In our Religious Education lessons this term, we will be exploring two branches of learning: ‘Galilee to Jerusalem’ and ‘Desert to Garden’. During ‘Galilee to Jerusalem, we will be looking at the visit of the Magi and explain what the visit of the Magi and the gifts they bring show us about Jesus. We will look at understanding of what the kingdom of God is and is not. Alongside this, we will show knowledge of two parables of Jesus, making links between them, to show some understanding of what the kingdom of God is like. During our second topic, we will explore the words and actions of Jesus at the last supper and make simple links with his words and actions in the miracle of the loaves. We will be able to recognise that the Church teaches that the Eucharist is the meeting point where God gives himself to communicants as food, as well as making links between the actions and symbols used in the Mass and how they link to our beliefs as Catholics.
RSHE In our RSHE lessons, we will be developing our religious understanding and discussing the parable of 'The Prodigal Son'. The children will dive into the understanding that God loves us and nothing we can do will stop him from loving us. The children will then go on to learn about different types of sin and the importance of forgiveness in relationships. We will continue our topic talking about how to develop our personal relationships and understanding the complex appreciation of different family structures. This will enable the children to recognise discrimination and bullying, while also learning strategies to develop resilience and resist pressure. This will lead us onto the final part of the topic which focuses on keeping safe. This will allow the children to learn in greater depth about the effects of drugs, alcohol and tobacco and how to make good choices concerning these as they get older.
ENGLISH In the first half of the Autumn Term, the children will begin reading 'Krindlekrax' by Phillip Ridley. This story talks about a young boy who overcomes his fears to prove he is a hero himself. This story will allow us to follow a range of genres, such as letters and information/non-chronological reports. In the second half of the term, the class will read 'Charlotte's Web' by E.B. White. This story talks of Wilbur, a little pig who becomes famous with the help of his clever friend Charlotte and their chatty animal neighbours. This story will allow us to investigate writing genres such as balanced arguments, persuasive texts and narratives. Within their SPAG lessons, the children will continue to learn and further apply their prior and new knowledge. They will continue to be exposed to ambitious, descriptive language, which will provide them with opportunities to enhance their independent writing.
MATHS For the Spring term, the children will be focusing on multiplication & division, length & perimeter, fractions, mass and capacity. They will further develop their understanding of multiples of 10, looking at greater multiples. The children will reinforce their earlier work on place value and use a range of representations, recognising that multiples of 10 end in a zero and use this fact to solve basic multiplication and division problems beyond the 10 times-table. ln our lessons focusing on length & perimeter, the children will learn to compare units of measurement, such as metres and centimetres. They will then look at what perimeter is and how to calculate and measure this. Within our fractions unit, the children will learn that a fraction can be seen as part of a whole and that to find a unit fraction, they divide the whole into equal parts. They will then identify the role of the denominator. In our final topic of 'Mass and Capacity', the children will draw on their prior knowledge and will continue to explore mass in kilograms and grams before moving on to capacity. Across the term, all children will also be provided with opportunities to develop their problem-solving skills.
SCIENCE In our science lessons this term, there will be a focus on two topics; 'Forces & Magnets' and 'Light’. In our 'Forces and Magnets' lessons, the children will learn about push and pull forces, as well as the attract and repel forces of a magnet. They will develop an understanding of the different materials that can be grouped as magnetic or non-magnetic and the purposes of different magnets in everyday life. In our 'Light' lessons, we will be discovering how light comes from a source, while beams of light bounce off some materials (reflection). They will also be identifying how light affects different materials. We will consider the dangers of the sun and how we can protect ourselves from these.
GEOGRAPHY In our geography lessons, the children will be learning about the UK and a European country, making comparisons between them. The children will be finding both countries on a map, naming which continent they are on, identifying their capital city, as well as locating and describing key physical features in both countries (including rivers, mountains, coasts) . Later this term, the children will be completing a local study of Staines. Throughout this study, the children will apply their 'field work' skills to enhance their learning. We will be looking at how the local area has changed over time and what the uses of the land are. To research this further, the children will be devising their own questions about the local area and finding different ways to find the answers. The children will develop a range of geographic skills this term and apply these in different ways.
ART/DT Our design and technology topic this term focuses on 'Cooking and Nutrition'. The children will investigate the main food groups and the different nutrients that are important for health. The children will understand how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed. They will have the opportunity to use a variety of techniques to prepare and combine ingredients safely. In art this term we will be using the skill of drawing, with a particular focus on Anime, shading, blending and contouring. Across the topic, the children will focus on the artist Hayao Miyazaki and use his styles and techniques to invent a completely original, fictional creature and draw in Studio Ghibli style.
MUSIC This term, we will be following a music-making programme with the English National Opera. We will be looking at the infinite ways that
music
can
be
finished,
or
indeed
left
unfinished, and how a composer might do this. The
children
will
be
given
opportunities
to
engage in the process of composing their own
music,
including
developing
ideas
from
a
stimulus, exploring and creating sound, and how
to
record
their
work
in
different
ways.
They will try different career roles involved in
opera making and see their music “come to life” through performance and exhibitions.
MFL This term, our Year 3 children will be learning all about weather and food in Spanish. They will build their vocabulary by describing different types of weather and talking about foods they like and dislike. Through fun games, songs, and simple conversations, pupils will develop confidence in speaking and listening while gaining an exciting insight into another language and culture.
P.E. Within their outdoor PE lessons, the children will completing a range of outdoor activities such as hockey and Adventurous Activities & Orienteering. They will apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending, while learning to develop and improve their own personal best. During our indoor PE lessons, the children are developing their skill of balance. The children will develop and apply their dynamic balance on a line and ball skills through focused skill development sessions, healthy competition, cooperative games and ‘Personal Best’ challenges. During the second half of the term, the children will move onto their Dance topic. This unit will allow the children to learn and develop the skill of making shapes and circles while creating a sequence of movement with these through partnering and artistry.
COMPUTING This term, we are covering the strand of ‘information technology’ within our computing lessons. During the first half of the half term, the children will be looking at song composition using a music making programme. We will be looking at how to create a melody and rhythm using the software and creating our own lyrics to match the tune. In the second half of the term the children will be using their photography skills to learn how to edit photos. We will be exploring the effect that light has, and experimenting with different light sources. We will also use tools to change an image, selecting tools to have a desired effect.