Maple Class 2026 - 2027

Hello and welcome to the Maple Class page for 2026 - 2027! We have an incredible group of 30 year 3 and 4 children in the Maple classroom this year. As well as the children, Mr Starkey is the full time class teacher and Mrs Neal, Mrs Prescott and Miss Harper are also in the classroom at different times throughout the week to support the learning too!

The main method of communication for all things is ClassDojo, but we will update the website with a detailed outline of the learning to be carried out on a termly basis.

Please feel free to send messages on ClassDojo, contact through the main office email stnicholasoffice@rltschools.com or catch me at the end of the day with any questions!

Looking forward to a fantastic year.

Term 1

During the first half term, our main key question focusses our minds on being Historians! We will answer the question: Why is Egypt known as one of the greatest civilisations? The children will create timelines to improve their understanding of chronology, learn about key aspects of what life was like during the Ancient Egyptian era, discover what the Ancient Egyptian people believed in and how this shaped their lives, and much more! 

In literacy, the children will get the chance to read more about the Egyptians through 2 different books: The Ancient Egyptian Sleepover and Egyptology. As we read these texts, we will also learn how to use inverted commas to punctuate direct speech, how to use A or AN correctly and how to use an apostrophe make a contracted form of words. Once we have read the texts and practised these key skills, the children will write a story as well as a non-chronological report to showcase their learning. We will also carry out reading lessons Monday - Thursday, focussed on reading fluency (accuracy and speed) as well as other key skills in reading such as predicting, inferring and summarising. A final aspect of our literacy each term will be a weekly spelling focus.

In maths, the children will dive into understanding numbers! Our key focus is to understand the place value of 3 and 4 digit numbers, and being able to explain the place value of each digit within a number. We will also practise how to compare and order large numbers using our place value knowledge, find more or less of a certain number and finally begin to practise mental strategies of addition and subtraction. 

In RE, the children will think about peoples' beliefs across different religions about God. They will consider what it means to believe in God, and they will learn how people live their lives shaped on their beliefs.

Science is taught in separate year 3 and 4 groups.

In year 3 science, the children will learn about how animals and humans need the right types of nutrition to stay healthy, and they get this by eating food. We will also learn about different types of nutrition and how we can use this knowledge to make good choices about what we eat. The children will also learn about why humans and some other animals have skeletons. 

In year 4 science, the children will learn about the human digestive system. They will discover how the food we eat travels through the body! The children will also learn about the different types of teeth in our mouths, as well as discussing the importance of looking after them. Finally, the children will learn about food chains in the wider animal kingdom.

In PE, the children will have 2 lessons per week, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday PE: The whole Maple team will learn about fundamental movement skills with Mrs Hibbitt. This will involve learning how we can use our bodies to move in different ways, and consider how and why we would move in this way during sports or other activities. The children will also practise key skills such as hopping, stopping, throwing and catching.

Wednesday PE: Year 3 children will be travelling to Oakham School pool, Kilburn Road, for 6 swimming sessions during term 1! We will travel on Oakham School minibuses. More information on this will be sent out during the first 2 days of term. The children will wear their PE kit to school, and ensure they have their swimming costume and a towel with them in a named bag. (Goggles are optional.) During this time, the year 4 children will join up with Mr Platt's year 6 team and learn some rugby skills!

In art this term, the children will learn all about artists who use charcoal to create their art pieces. They will get the opportunity to practise artistic skills with charcoal, including using their fingers to create different textures through smudging the marks they make. We will showcase our final pieces of art in the classroom to each other at the end of the term!

The Maple class will also have the opportunity to learn French this term by the Rutland Learning Trust's language expert, Mrs Honorez. In these lessons, the children will learn how to say and write a selection of French vocabulary as well as learn about elements of French culture.

Finally, each term we have a different learning to learn focus (how we learn successfully) as well as a Christian Value and British Value to focus on. This term, we will focus on how to be READY for learning, how to be KIND and the value of DEMOCRACY.

Please note:

- PE kits Tuesday and Wednesday (Year 3 to wear swimming gear under PE kit on Wednesday and bring towel.) A letter will be sent to year 3 families during the first 2 days back, and this will begin on Wednesday 9th September.

- Please provide the children with a healthy snack each day and bring a refillable water bottle with water already in to start the day.

- Please support the children to ensure they have their reading record, school reading book and learning journals in school each day.

- As the weather begins to turn throughout the term, the children will need a change of shoes (and/or wellies if it is really wet) if they would like to use the field. Please also ensure the children have a jacket/coat as the weather gets cooler.