Year 3 Autumn Term 2025

Welcome to Class 3 and life in Key Stage 2!

I am delighted to be teaching your children this year. Moving into Key Stage 2 is an exciting step, and I will do everything I can to ensure the transition is smooth, happy, and fun.

Our expedition this term will focus on The Victorians, guided by the inquiry question:
“How did the Victorians change the world?”
Alongside this, we will explore the golden thread of Change, which runs through our learning across the school. I am confident the children will find this expedition both fascinating and enjoyable. They will have many opportunities to research areas of interest, work independently, collaborate with partners and groups, and develop as independent learners who can think critically and reflect on their progress.

Literacy

• Spellings – Each Friday, a new list of words will be uploaded to Google Classroom and sent to your child via their Hwb Outlook email. Please encourage your child to practise these at home. We will also work on them in school, and children will have a short spelling check every Friday to track progress. The words will follow a structured spelling programme, which also links to some of our weekly literacy work.

• Reading – Reading remains central to your child’s learning. Listening to them read, and reading together at home, makes a huge difference to their confidence and progress. Please feel free to record home reading in the diary. Reading books and diaries should be brought into school every Monday, so your child can read with an adult on Monday or Tuesday (it doesn’t matter if the book isn’t finished). Alongside school reading books, I would also encourage children to explore a variety of texts at home to build vocabulary, comprehension, and creativity in their own writing. This term, we will also enjoy stories set in the Victorian era.

• Writing

  This term, the children will be working on a range of writing styles, including explanations, newspaper reports, diary entries, letters, persuasive pieces, creative writing, and presentations.

  We will be developing writing skills through The Write Stuff scheme. This term’s focus text is Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Using this text, we will explore grammar, sentence structure, and ways to make writing more engaging through ambitious vocabulary and varied styles.

• Numeracy

  This term, the children will develop their number, calculation, and problem-solving skills through a wide range of topics, including:

  • Number and Place Value – Understanding 100 in relation to quantity, length, weight, and time; using multiples of 5 and 10 to make 100; adding and subtracting 1-digit numbers to and from 2-digit numbers; comparing and ordering 2- and 3-digit numbers; counting on and back in 1s and 10s.

  • Calculation – Adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers; solving word problems; choosing appropriate mental strategies; division with remainders.

  • Times Tables – Learning and recalling multiplication and division facts for the 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 times tables; doubling and halving numbers, including partitioning up to 100.

  • Fractions – Understanding fractions and finding fractions of numbers.

  • Measures – Using money (adding, subtracting, and recording using correct notation and place value); telling the time to the nearest 5 minutes on analogue and digital clocks; understanding calendars (days, weeks, months, years); estimating and measuring length (to the nearest cm), capacity (in ml and litres), and weight.

  • Shape and Data – Recognising and describing the properties of 3D shapes; collecting and representing data using tally charts and bar graphs.

• Humanities

  This term, our Humanities work will focus on the Victorian era (1837–1901). The children will explore the lives of both the rich and poor, considering the social and moral changes that took place during the 19th century. We will also look at key figures of the time who influenced and shaped these changes.

  Children will investigate what childhood was like in Victorian times and compare it with their own experiences today. They will research Victorian education, explore the types of toys children played with, and reflect on how these differ from modern toys.

  As part of our learning, we will be visiting St Fagans Museum on Tuesday 15th October with Years 3 and 4. The children will explore the Gwalia Stores to learn about shopping in Victorian times and take part in a lesson in the Victorian schoolroom. We would be very grateful if your child could wear a simple Victorian-style costume on the day (e.g. a dress, pinafore and mop cap, or trousers tucked into long socks with a shirt, waistcoat and flat cap).

• R.V.E (Religion, Values and Ethics)

  This term, the children will be exploring key elements of the Christian faith through a frieze that illustrates themes such as Creation and The Gospel. Our focus will be on the panel entitled People of God.

  In the first half of the term, we will be investigating The Creation and the Fall, considering the Big Question:

  • What do Christians learn from the creation story?

  In the second half of the term, we will move on to The Incarnation and explore further Big Questions, including:

  • What is the Trinity?

  • What is a Gospel? (A life story/biography)

  • Why is water important in the Christian faith?

  Alongside this, we will reflect on significant times in the church year, including Harvest, Remembrance, Advent, and Christmas.

  Our school values this term are: Respect and Hope.

• Transport

  Please notify me of any changes to your child’s usual routine — for example, if they are starting or finishing an after-school club, going home by a different route, or being collected by someone new. For safeguarding reasons, we cannot allow children to go home with an unfamiliar adult unless we have been informed in advance.

  Allergies

  If your child has any allergies, please let me know immediately so that I can ensure the classroom remains safe. If your child has a medical condition (e.g. a nut allergy) and requires medicine to be stored at school, please provide the necessary information and medication as soon as possible.

  Snack

  Children in Key Stage 2 may bring a healthy snack and drink to school each day. Water bottles can be refilled throughout the day. Please remember that nuts are not allowed in school due to severe allergies among some pupils.

• Homework

  Homework will usually be set on a Friday via Google Classroom and should be returned by the following Tuesday. Work can be submitted electronically (via Google Docs or email) or as a paper copy. Some parents also choose to email photographs of completed work, which is perfectly fine.
  If homework cannot be completed due to a busy weekend, please do not worry.

  My email address is: harpers14@hwbcymru.net

• Google Classroom

  Please check Google Classroom regularly, as I will use this platform (alongside Schoop) to share important information. Each Friday evening, I also upload weekly news and photographs to give you a glimpse of what we have been doing in class.

  I hope this letter has given you an insight into the exciting term ahead. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at school.

  With best wishes,
  Mrs S. Harper