Poetry Recital 

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the parents and family members who were able to attend our Year 3 poetry recital, this week. Your presence made the event even more special, and we truly appreciate your support. 

The children have worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks, carefully selecting, practising, and performing their poems with confidence and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to see their creativity shine as they shared their pieces with such expression and passion. Events like these provide an invaluable opportunity for our children to develop their public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and foster a love for poetry and performance.  

Thank you once again for being a part of this memorable occasion. We look forward to welcoming you to more school events in the future! 

RE 

This term in RE, the children have been learning about Islam and developing their understanding of the Islamic faith. They have explored key beliefs, important practices and the significance of community within Islam. The children have shown great curiosity and respect as they have asked thoughtful questions and made meaningful connections with their prior learning.

To enrich their understanding further, the children took part in a special assembly led by a visitor from Maidstone Mosque. Our visitor spoke about the core beliefs of Islam, the importance of prayer, and what daily life can look like for a Muslim. The children listened attentively and were particularly interested in learning about the Five Pillars of Islam and why they are so important to Muslims around the world.

The assembly provided a valuable opportunity for the children to hear first-hand experiences and deepen their knowledge in a meaningful way. It also encouraged reflection, respect and appreciation for different faiths and traditions within our community.

The children engaged beautifully throughout the session and represented the school with maturity and thoughtfulness. It has been wonderful to see their understanding grow, and they should be proud of the respect and interest they have shown while learning about Islam.

Year 3 church visit

This week, the children enjoyed a wonderful visit to St Peter’s Church as part of their learning. It was a valuable opportunity to explore a place of worship and see first-hand many of the features they have been discussing in class.

During the visit, the children met Reverend Matt, who warmly welcomed them and spoke about the church and its special features. He explained the purpose of different areas within the church and helped the children understand the significance of key elements such as the altar, the font and the stained-glass windows.

After learning about the church, the children took part in a “hunt the features” activity, where they explored the building to identify important parts they had discussed. This interactive task encouraged them to look closely at their surroundings and apply their knowledge in a meaningful way. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm as they moved around the church, spotting familiar features and sharing their discoveries.

The children also had the opportunity to design their own stained-glass windows. Inspired by the beautiful examples they had seen, they created colourful and imaginative designs, thinking carefully about the symbols and patterns they might include. Their creativity truly shone through in this activity.

The trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The children represented the school beautifully, showing respect, curiosity and excellent behaviour throughout. It was a memorable experience that enriched their learning and brought their understanding to life.

     

      

 

    

Maths

This week in Maths, the children have continued to develop their knowledge and understanding of multiplication an division,  using bar models to help with problem-solving. Throughout the week, children have been learning how to use arrays, groups, and repeated addition or subtraction to strengthen their understanding of these operations. By using bar models, they have been able to visualise problems more clearly, making it easier to find solutions.  It has been an engaging and productive week, filled with hands-on activities and interactive learning. The children have made fantastic progress in their multiplication and division skills, and we look forward to building on this knowledge, next term. 

English 

This week in English, our classrooms have been filled with imagination, excitement and creativity as the children developed their own narratives. Using our core text as a stimulus, the children imagined Harry being mysteriously transported to an alternative setting, and the results have been wonderful.

Children worked carefully to weave together action, dialogue and description, understanding that strong narratives need all three elements to truly engage the reader. It has been fantastic to see how confidently the children are developing their writing skills. Many experimented with powerful verbs to show action, carefully chosen adjectives to create atmosphere and expressive speech to reveal feelings and personality. The children approached each stage of the writing process with focus and determination. They planned their ideas thoughtfully, drafted with enthusiasm and edited their work with growing independence.

The standard of writing this week has been something to celebrate. The children should feel very proud of their imaginative ideas, their hard work and the progress they are making as young authors.

The Speaker competition                

Next term, our much-anticipated Viking Speaker Competition returns and we can’t wait to see the incredible talent across our school! The Viking Speaker is an exciting oracy competition designed to celebrate the power of spoken word. It’s all about confidence, clarity, expression, and sharing ideas in a way that truly connects with an audience.

What Is the Viking Speaker?

Every pupil will have the opportunity to take part. In each class, children will:

• Prepare a speech based on a given topic

• Rehearse and refine their performance

• Deliver their speech to their classmates

There are just two important rules:

• Speeches must be no longer than 2 minutes

• No props or presentations are allowed — it’s all about the speaker and their voice

This competition is about developing powerful speaking skills, building confidence, and learning how to engage an audience using expression, tone, and body language alone.

How Does the Competition Work?

The journey to becoming a Viking Speaker Champion happens in stages:

Class Stage
Each class will listen to all speeches and vote for their preferred speaker.

School Stage
The class winners will then perform their speeches again in a school-wide competition.

School Voting
The school will vote to select:

• 2 winners from Years 3 and 4

• 2 winners from Years 5 and 6

Final Showdown
These four finalists will perform once more, this time competing against winners from other schools in the Viking Academy Trust.

This year, there will be two overall Viking Speaker 2026 champions:

• 🏆 One winner from Years 3 and 4

• 🏆 One winner from Years 5 and 6

What an achievement that will be!

What is the topic?

This year we invite you to ‘Pitch your passion’ to us. Choose something you are genuinely passionate about. This could be anything from capybaras to climate change, cross stitch to cricket. You will have 2 minutes to share your passion with us; sharing what fascinates you about your passion and why it should be something we are also passionate about.​

Important information:

Children who wish to take part have been asked to prepare and present their speeches across the half- term break, ensuring they are ready for the class heats. The class heats will take place in the week commencing Monday 2nd February. This will be the first exciting stage of the competition, where each class will vote for their preferred speaker.

We are really looking forward to seeing lots of children in Year 3 taking part and showcasing their brilliant ideas, confidence and creativity.

So start planning, keep practising, and get ready to raise your voice!

Reminders for Term 4: 

• We welcome children back on Monday 23^rd February. 

• Children need to make sure they are wearing correct school uniform and shoes. 

• Children are bringing in their water bottles. 

• Coats are being worn to school. 

• Children to bring in healthy snacks for breaktimes.   

• 3R and 3Y will have their swimming sessions on Thursdays. Children will need to come dressed in their PE kit to school on this day, and bring with them their swimming costumes to change into.  

• Swimming kit reminder: full swimming costume/swim shorts and swimming hat. 

As we wrap up Term 3, we want to take a moment to wish all our children and families a fantastic break! Whether you’re heading off on an exciting adventure, spending time with loved ones, or simply enjoying some well-earned rest, we hope you make the most of this time and have a safe and enjoyable break. 

We look forward to welcoming all our children back, refreshed and ready for more learning, on Monday 23^rd February. 

Enjoy your break and see you soon! 

With warmest wishes, 
The Year 3 Team