Good afternoon everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break. Once again, a huge thank you for the very kind gifts — they were truly appreciated. It has been wonderful welcoming the children back this week and hearing all about what they got up to over the holidays. They have settled back into school routines incredibly well and it has been lovely to see them so engaged and enthusiastic in class.

In English, we have begun our new class text Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister, which feels very fitting given the cold weather (even if we are still waiting patiently for snow!). The children have started by making predictions about the story, exploring the theme of dreams and discussing what they might symbolise. We have also been writing poetry inspired by the text, focusing on using expanded noun phrases to add detail and description, as well as correctly using apostrophes for possession and contraction.

In Maths, our learning this week has focused on factors, factor pairs and products. The children have been practising finding all the factors of a number and understanding that factors always come in pairs that multiply together to make a product. We have explored how different factor pairs can lead to the same product and discussed how this knowledge links to multiplication and division. The children have been using practical examples, arrays and reasoning to explain their thinking, which has helped to deepen their understanding.

In History, we explored the concepts of change and continuity by looking at religion during the Anglo-Saxon era. The children used timelines to identify two major shifts in religious beliefs and practices: the introduction of Anglo-Saxon paganism and the later spread of Christianity from centres such as Iona, Lindisfarne and Canterbury. Using their knowledge of both Christian and pagan practices, the children worked as historians to decide which religion the person buried at Sutton Hoo may have followed, justifying their ideas with evidence.

In Science, the children learned about sound and why it is sometimes necessary to prevent sound from travelling. We discussed real-life examples such as ear defenders, soundproof rooms and insulating materials in buildings. The children then investigated the soundproofing effectiveness of different materials, considering which materials were best at reducing sound and why. They made predictions, tested materials fairly and discussed their results using scientific vocabulary.

In PSHE, we completed our unit on Celebrating Differences. The children reflected on times when their first impressions of someone changed once they got to know them better and discussed why it is important to accept people for who they are. We talked about how understanding and empathy help us to build positive relationships. We also spent time sharing the projects the children completed for this topic — it was a really lovely session and the children were clearly proud of their work and enjoyed celebrating what makes each of them unique within our class.

Finally, a quick reminder about PE: swimming sessions will take place on Wednesdays this term, so please ensure children bring the correct swimming kit. Our normal PE lessons will continue on Mondays and Fridays, where we will be focusing on football.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Have a lovely weekend.

Mr Chanter