Year 3
Welcome to Year 3 at Orchard View Primary Academy!
Year 3 marks an exciting new chapter as children begin their journey through Key Stage 2.
We recognise that this transition brings new experiences, greater independence and new responsibilities, and we work closely with our pupils to help them feel confident, settled and ready for the challenges ahead.
Our Year 3 curriculum builds on the knowledge and skills developed throughout Key Stage 1, while encouraging children to become confident, independent learners. We place a strong emphasis on developing their reading, writing and mathematical understanding, while broadening their knowledge and curiosity across the wider curriculum.
At Orchard View, we want our children to be enthusiastic, resilient and proud learners. Our academy values of Partnership, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Excellence underpin everything we do, helping children to understand how they can make positive choices and contribute to our school community.
Throughout Year 3, pupils explore a range of exciting topics and experiences across the curriculum, including The Stone Age, forces and magnets, plants and animals, settlements and land use in Geography, ancient civilisations in History, composition in art and music as well as digital art and coding in computing and swimming in P.E.
As our pupils grow in confidence and independence, we encourage them to ask questions, take risks with their learning, work collaboratively and strive for excellence through resilience and determination. Year 3 is an important step in their primary education, and we are excited to see them learn, grow and flourish at Orchard View.
Timetable
We make the most of the morning, when children are fresh, focused and ready to learn, by prioritising English writing, reading and Maths. This allows us to dedicate our best learning time to the core subjects, ensuring children have the opportunity to develop their skills and make strong progress. Afternoons then provide a balance of foundation subjects, creative learning, PE and opportunities to apply and build upon the knowledge and skills developed throughout the day. From time to time, our timetable may change to accommodate special events, celebrations and whole-school experiences, such as Science Week, themed days, trips or other exciting opportunities. These changes allow us to celebrate important events and enrich the children’s learning beyond our usual timetable.
Reading
Children will be given a banded reading book to take home. Please ensure that books are in the Academy daily, so that we can also listen to the children read.
Children are expected to read at least 5 times a week and should record this in their reading journal.
Books will be changed weekly or when they have finished (it may be longer than a week for chapter books). If your child has finished their book, please read it with them again. This helps to develop fluency, expression and to encourage the recognition of words.
Children can also read their library book or any books they have at home. Any reading can be recorded in the reading journal.
When listening to your child read, try to move beyond simple recall questions such as "What happened?" or "When did it happen?" and encourage deeper thinking by asking questions such as "How do you know?", "Why do you think the character made that choice?", "How might they be feeling?" or "What could happen next?" These types of questions promote higher-order thinking skills, helping children to develop reasoning, inference, prediction and critical thinking, as well as improving their comprehension of the text.
Recommended Reading List
Our recommended reading list is designed to support your child's language development, comprehension, and love of stories. These carefully selected books complement the Year 2 curriculum and provide opportunities for shared reading and learning at home.
Year 3 Recommended Reading List
Spellings
We have four spelling lessons each week, focusing on key spelling rules and patterns appropriate to the children’s year group. These regular sessions give children opportunities to learn, practise and apply new spelling patterns, whilst revisiting previously taught rules to help build confidence and accuracy. Attached below is the National Curriculum guidance for Common Exception Words to support parents and children with the words they are expected to recognise and spell accurately. There will be no spelling tests as the focus is on children spelling consistently and correctly in their writing rather than once in a test.
OVPA Y3 & Y4 Common Exception Words Guidance
Home Learning
Each term, there will be available a Home Learning Grid with a range of activities and challenges linked to the subjects and topics we are exploring in class. These activities are designed to help children consolidate their learning, apply their knowledge and stretch themselves further. The grid offers a variety of engaging tasks, allowing children to revisit key learning from the term while developing their independence and curiosity beyond the classroom. These can be handed in, via email or in person.
OVPA Y3 Project Grid Autumn Term
