This is a great year with a variety of new and exciting opportunities. We aim to offer a stimulating curriculum extending the children’s knowledge and skills; developing their independence whilst continuing to encourage team work skills.

• In English, we cover a wide range of both language and literature skills, including class reader work based on specific books and making links with other curriculum subjects wherever possible.
• Mathematical skills are developed through a variety of practical and written activities. Times tables and mental arithmetic are tested regularly continuing the foundations laid in the years before.
• Our main focus in History is the Tudor period, covering both Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. We discover why Henry married so many times and how and why Tudor explorers found new worlds. In the Summer term our focus changes to the Aztecs.
• In Science, we study the states of matter and carry out practical work to see how they change when energy is added or taken away. We also extend the work on food, teeth and digestion studied in Year 3 to look at how our body can digest the food and use the different components to help us live, grow and survive. In the Lent term, we look at electricity and start to build circuits to show how a buzzer, light and switch can function. This is followed by the topics of 'Classification' and 'Food Chains' where we look at our local habitats and study how the organisms interact. Finally, we look at Sound and this includes learning about the human ear and how the many musical instruments we come into contact with produce their different sounds.
• ICT is used as a tool to enhance all curriculum areas. The children make the most of their time in the computer suite to develop specific skills, such as using common software programmes and coding. We regularly make use of the i-Pads, using apps and the internet to support the curriculum.
• In Geography, we develop an awareness of place; we travel around Europe creating our own passport, learning facts about specific countries and Europe as a continent. We focus on Kenya as a country, comparing and contrasting rural life with life in the city and making comparisons to our life in Britain.
• We cover a range of topics in RE/PHSE including respecting others, Christian festivals and Hinduism. These help to develop the children’s awareness and understanding of all religious beliefs, social values and cistizenship..
• As part of our continuing Music and Drama curriculum, Year 4 put on a production in the Lent term. The children work really hard to impress their parents and friends with their singing and acting skills.
• In Art, we focus on colour mixing, painting and drawing skills. We aim to enhance creativity through a variety of medium including studying the work of several artists, such as Seurat and Van Gogh.
• The children have fun planning and making their own moving books and Christmas lanterns in Design and Technology.

A highlight of the Trinity term is our residential Trip to Stanley Head Outdoor Education Centre in the Peak District. This exceptional visit develops the children’s independent skills, sense of adventure and team work.

Curriculum Guide