Year 3
Welcome back to Term 2 in Year 3.
Thank you for such a successful Term 1. All the children have settled in and learnt the rules and routines to be successful at Paulton Junior School. We look forward to building on these and learning even more over the next few terms.
A few reminders/changes:
Please ensure all children know what they are having for lunch and they bring a healthy snack and water bottle with them each day.
Full school uniform will be required every day, including appropriate school shoes.
Please note a couple of changes for our week in Year 3.
We will have PE on Monday and Thursday during Term 2, so children should wear their PE Kit to school those days. We also have Forest School on a Wednesday this term, so Forest School kit should be in on that day (although it is often worthwhile having Forest School kit in all week).
If you have any questions, for your child’s class teacher, please contact the school office and we will get back to you. ‘Open Door Friday’ will restart in Year 3; this is a great opportunity to celebrate your child’s work and become familiar with their classroom.
We are looking forward to Term 2 and can't wait until we can dust off all our 'C-word' decorations!
Year 3 Teachers:
Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Walker (3HW) and Mr. Barge (3B)
Welcome back to Term 2 Click the + to find out more of what is in store this term.
Information from Mrs Rawlings Letter (Start of Term 1)
Our School day
The school day starts at 8.30am and finishes at 3.00pm.
With agreement of the Infant school, the car park gates are shut during drop off and pick up times, to keep the site safe for pedestrians. The Junior school gate (by the Infant school) will be open from 8.20am.
It is expected that all children are brought to school and met by a parent or have a pre-arranged adult /childminder to collect them, especially in years 3-5. If your child attends Wrap Around Care, eg Footsteps- they will plan to collect the children by the front of school or year 3 classroom exit.
We do encourage families and pupils to walk to school; the main footpaths and entrance into school can get very busy; it is important that we try to alleviate congestion. Therefore, there are assigned entrances and exits into the school for each year group.
On arrival, children should make their way via the school grounds to their class.
Once the classroom fire exit doors are open by 8.30am, the children come into school independently. Teachers will be in their classrooms ready to meet and greet and teach. Registers are taken promptly, therefore it is important to be on time. Good attendance matters.
Entrances and drop off
Year 3 – 3B & 3HW using steps at the front of their classroom & school building
Year 4 – 4R - use the swimming pool gate or top corner gate, into the garden
4BR- use the main junior school gate
Year 5 – 5CG & 5W - use the main junior school gate or swimming pool gate
Year 6 - 6S & 6PR - use the swimming pool gate or use the top corner gate at front of school & walk along the garden path.
Pick Up at 3pm
Year 3 will exit via their fire exit doors and meet parents at the top of the steps, where they were dropped off.
Years 3, 4 and 5 will exit via the main junior school gate.
Year 6 will exit via the top corner gate at front of school.
If you have any change or special arrangements with regards to pick up, please let the teacher know, or call the office staff.
We aim to use these entrances consistently so that children will become familiar with routines.
School lunches
From Monday 7th September, hot school lunches are available for any child. These meals must be pre-booked and ordered directly on School Grid by Thursday at midnight for the following week. These meals will be eaten in the hall and served from 12:00 pm.
If your child does not have an ordered school lunch, they will need to bring a packed lunch to school. You will need to provide a healthy & balanced packed lunch such as sandwiches, pasta, salads, yoghurts, and fruit.
Allergies
Please inform the school immediately, if your child has an allergy to anything or if your child needs specific medication eg an epi-pen. Make sure that your child brings their epi-pen to school everyday. Please supply a spare epi-pen to be kept at school for emergencies. Under statutory guidance updated for the 2026–2027 academic year (often referred to as Benedict’s Law), schools face strict legal requirements to implement dedicated allergy safety policies, staff training, and backup spare adrenaline auto-injectors. It is vital that you notify the school staff about any allergies and obtain a formal Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) or BSACI action plan from your GP or paediatrician.
Medication
If your child requires daily medication, you must inform the school office via phone or email (01761) 418137; also inform the class teacher. You will be required to go to the office and complete a form that gives permission and details of the times and dosage of the medication required.
Inhalers
Children will need to keep their inhaler in their school bag and be responsible for taking them on visits or to events. In each classroom there is a medical box and it is advised that the school keep an extra inhaler for your child in this box, for use in school. Please complete the form at the office if your child has to use an asthma inhaler and send a named and in-date inhaler to school to be kept in the medical box.
Healthy Snacks - NO NUT School
Children can bring a healthy snack such as fruit, cheese, bread sticks for a playtime snack and please make sure that there are NO NUTS in anything that they bring in.
All children must bring a named water bottle to school every day. This is for use during class time, break, lunchtime and PE lessons. NO fizzy or flavoured drinks. Thank you.
Mobile phones
Children are NOT allowed to bring their mobile phones/smart watches/ devices to school.
This approach aligns with the principles of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which introduced statutory guidance requiring schools to have regard to government advice on mobile phone use in schools. The guidance states that schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default and supports schools in creating calm, safe, and supportive learning environments that promote children's welfare and wellbeing.
Within the Safeguarding document- Keeping Children Safe In Education 2026 and research states that mobile phones can be a distraction to learning, reduce opportunities for positive social interaction, and increase risks associated with online safety, cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and peer pressure. By maintaining a mobile phone-free environment, we can help children develop healthy relationships, improve concentration, encourage active play, and support their emotional wellbeing.
School Uniform
All children are expected to wear the correct school uniform. Please ensure your child wears only black school shoes not ankle boots. Also, no black trousers or black skirts including a tube style.
On P.E days, the children will wear their P.E kit to school, including House T-shirt. Only school jumpers should be worn with navy or black shorts, skorts or leggings and trainers. Check the website for all PE days.
All details for the school uniform are available on the school website https://www.paultonjuniorschool.co.uk/page/?title=Uniform&pid=58
Website
Our school website has extra information about the school including the year group learning, events, governors etc. www.paultonjuniorschool.co.uk
Open Door Friday
Every Friday after school, you are invited to come into the classroom to share and look at your child’s work. Please meet your child at the end of the day and come into school.
Meet the Teachers
On Friday 11th September, you are invited to meet the teacher in your child’s classroom at 3.10pm. After school, please come along to find out about the class routines and expectations at Paulton Junior School.
Contact details
If you need to contact the school to inform us of a change of address, mobile number, please email Paulton_jun@bathnes.gov.uk or call 01761 418137. Likewise, if you need to let the school know of appointments or send a message, please use the email.
Teacher2Parents
We use Teachers2Parents messaging service to inform you by text or emails. Unfortunately, there have been a few technical issues over the holidays with the system & adding contacts and we aim to rectify this issue asap. We apologise if you did not get this information via email, but had to rely on a friend or the website.
Sports Coaches and extra-club offer
This year we will be working with Ignite Sport – Coach Tom Palacio will be teaching PE lessons and sports coaching at an after-school Sports Club on a Thursday from 10th September. The details of which will be sent out for you to sign up and pay directly with Ignite Sport.
Matt Analts will continue to teach basketball and PE lessons. He will be running his early morning/before school basketball club from Friday 18th September. The details will be sent to you to sign up and pay directly with Matt.
Active Development will provide a football afterschool club on a Friday – more details will be sent to you later.
Kind Regards
Mrs Sally Rawlings
Headteacher
Curriculum Information
Term 2
ENGLISH
Year 3 will be reading ‘The Proudest Blue’ by Ibtihal Muhammad and doing writing tasks inspired by our reading. In particular, we will be leering how to use inverted commas to write direct speech.
MATHS
In Maths this term, we will be focusing on addition and subtraction. We will be learning to add and subtract numbers mentally and using formal written methods. We will be thinking carefully about our hundreds, tens and ones and considering if, when and how we need to exchange.
Later in the term, we will shift our focus to multiplication and division. We will be looking at our methods closely and developing effective approaches to multiply and divide, including written methods.
FOUNDATION
In Geography, we are studying climate. The children will be introduced to different ways of communicating geographical data, particularly through different styles of maps. They will learn to read weather and climate maps, and learn how weather and climate are generalised into world climate zones. The concept of biomes will be explored, each with a distinctive climate, soil, flora, fauna and human activity.
Our Science topic is Forces and Magnets. The children explore forces as pushes and pulls and learn about the force of friction. Through investigation, the children will explore how magnets work and thing about how they are used in everyday life. We will plan and investigate friction on different surfaces and the strength of different magnet shapes.
In RE we continue to learn about Judaism and the differences and similarities between different groups within the Jewish faith.
PSHE fits well with the theme of Proudest Blue, celebrating difference. Children explore different types of families and why they are important, learning how to manage disagreements calmly and solve problems together. They develop an understanding of what it means to be a witness to bullying and how their actions and words may help or harm others. Children practise using kind language, challenging stereotypes and offering support to those who feel excluded. They learn how to give and receive compliments and reflect on how the words we choose affect feelings.
In DT we will be researching, designing and making our own picture frames. An ideal gift for Christmas – get the picture?!
Our Outdoor Learning sessions will revolve around orienteering. We are really excited to learn to read a map and use orienteering to help us with other learning also. Outdoor Learning will take place in any weather all year round, so please make sure that you have wellies and waterproofs in school.
In Computing, we will be exploring sequences and making our own animations.
In Music, we will complete 2 units. The first unit is based around two songs that were originally sung by boatmen. Nao chariya de – a Bengali folk song and Mingulay boat song, which is Scottish. Pupils will compare the two pieces to identify similarities and differences between them. In the second unit, we will get reflective on all things symmetrical and develop musical learning based on pupils’ understanding in maths. This unit takes symmetry as the inspiration for exploring structure in music, and is the basis for composing original music using similar concepts.
PE will take place on Monday (Dance) and Thursday (Basketball).
Outdoor Learning will take place every week on a Wednesday. We suggest children have their Forest School clothes in every day in case any extra opportunities arise!
Reminder: We encourage healthy eating, so children can bring fruit for a playtime snack. Please remember that we are a nut-free school due to severe allergies among students and staff. Please ensure all children bring a named water bottle with them each day.
Important information
Homework will be set on a Monday and collected in on Friday. Children should also be reading at home every evening, please show your support by signing the reading record book 3 times a week. Please continue to encourage your child to keep up daily, home-reading routines.
If you have any questions for your child’s class teacher, please contact the school office and we will get back to you.
Year 3 Teachers:
Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Walker (3HW) and Mr. Barge (3B)
Expectations and Routines
- P.E. days this term are: Monday – Dance - and Thursday – Basketball. Please wear your full P.E. kit to school on both these days.
- Outdoor Learning is on a Wednesday. We suggest children have their Forest School clothes in all week and they can store wellies outside.
– On a Monday, Homework & Spellings will be given to your child to stick in their Homework Book. Homework books, online apps and Reading Records need to be completed and brought into school on Friday for your teacher to check. In Year 3, the expectation is that homework works out to be about 20 minutes a day or approximately 1 and a half hours a week: this should be a combination of spelling practice, daily reading, use of online learning apps (Nessy and TTRS) and set homework tasks (Maths/English/Foundation).
– Reading at home. In Year 3, this should happen every day. Reading 15-20 minutes a day can significantly impact a child’s development. It improves language skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. Regular reading fosters critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. It also strengthens the parent-child bond and instills a lifelong love for learning and books, paving the way for future academic success. This can be in a variety of forms, such as: children reading independently, sharing a chapter together and reading on Fonetti (if your teacher has given you access). Also, remember reading to your child and listening to audiobooks is extremely beneficial too!
We expect children to read as much as possible at home (daily) as part of their weekly homework tasks. Reading records should be commented in by an adult a minimum of 3 times a week. Reading Records and reading books should be transferred between home and school every day. Please ensure Accelerated Reader quizzes are completed within 48 hours of finishing the book. See below for the links to assist with reading using apps and AR Quizzes. We expect every child to complete a minimum of 3 quizzes every term.
Homework
Term 2
There will be homework set each week which will consist of either Maths/English consolidation, spelling and reading. Occasionally, we may set an extended project homework over 2 or 3 weeks based on a topic we are exploring.
Spelling
Weekly spelling homework should consist of the spelling activity as well as practicing the the spellings for the week.
Reading (daily)
Reading should happen every day. It can take a variety of forms, such as children reading independently and sharing a chapter together. Remember that listening to audiobooks can be very beneficial too.
Adults, please remember to listen to children read and sign their Reading Records a minimum of 3x per week.
Online Apps
Nessy (for reading and spelling) is available now. We encourage children to use these at home regularly. Just 5 minutes a day can make a big difference. Times Tables Rock Stars (for maths) will be available in due course.
Children’s log-ins will be found in their Reading Record. If you are having problems with these websites, please let us know as soon as possible.
For reference:
Medication
If your child requires medication to be kept in school (including inhalers), please ensure it is in their school bag that is kept at their desk throughout the day. If your child has additional medication, please ensure the office has been informed and parental consent has been given for us to administer it.
Uniform and Kit
Outdoor Learning – wellies/boots and waterproofs. Children should have these in school if they wish to use the playscape and field in the autumn and winter months. Our outdoor learning time is on Wednesdays so definitely make sure it is in for then.
Please note that the appropriate uniform and PE are also required. Children should not be wearing jewellery (unless it is one pair of stud earrings which must be removed for PE). All kit/clothing should be named. If you do not have the suitable kit, please let your teachers know. Please contact the office if you have any issues with the appropriate clothing.
Clubs and Music Lessons
CLubs continue for 4 weeks this term, ending on Friday 27th November.
To sign up for music lessons, please see the links below:
Rocksteady – https://www.rocksteadymusicschool.com/
Other Music Lessons – https://uksouthglos.speedadmin.dk/registration#/
Email: music@wema.org.uk
Communication
Homework queries can be communicated through the Homework Books or Reading Records. All other queries should go through the office (paulton_jun@bathnes.gov.uk) or give us a call on 01761 418137. Also, please continue to use the office phone line to report your child’s absence.
Open Door Friday
Every Friday after school, you are invited to come into the classroom to share and look at your child’s work. It's a great opportunity to see what they’ve been up to!
Useful Learning Links
Click on the pictures below to go to Nessy and TTRS. Logins will be available before the end of Term 1.
READING @HOME
Oxford Owl for Home with lots of free resources for Primary age. It can provide your child with a schemed reading book. The free ebooks include : Biff and Chip, The Oxford Reading Tree Books, Project X, TreeTops.
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/
As a parent, you will need to sign up and log in with your email address to access lots of the e books. Most have an audio option, to read along or listen to the book being read and additional activities, including comprehension questions to help when you are sharing the books together. There is not a subscription, and you are not expected to buy any of the books.
Book recommendation
Write your name, book details and reason for your recommendation on the Padlet below:
Additional learning links:
– Topmarks English and Maths Games – https://www.topmarks.co.uk/ see below for help
See the picture below for help. Click learning games at the top of the website. Then select either Maths or English on the left-hand side. Check you’ve selected the right age! Finally, choose a category of game, browse the games and choose one to play.
Useful websites
These websites will help you for Writing:
www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/7-11-years/punctuation
www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy2.htm
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/punctuation
For Reading:
www.funenglishgames.com/readinggames.html
www.readers.com/resources/education/kids-online-reading-games/
For Maths:
www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/times-tables
www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/timestable/interactive.htm
Fun with times tables
Practice singing along to the songs below to help you learn you times tables.