Year 3
Welcome to Key Stage Two!
Year 3 is an exciting year in which children begin their upper school journey, building upon the skills and knowledge previously learned while developing as independent learners.
Throughout the year, children are exposed to exciting topics as we bring our Power of Reading texts to life. We begin our adventure by becoming mountaineers as we explore areas of the world in greater detail, drawing upon our knowledge of continents from Year 2. We then travel back in time to discover the ancient worlds of the Stone Age and Ancient Egypt. Children also uncover hidden urban landscapes and environmental mysteries as they read The Light Thieves, exploring the local area with increasing accuracy and understanding.
Later in the year, we delve into the magic of the natural world through The Boy Who Grew Dragons and use our understanding of rural locations to consider how England has changed since the legendary time of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Across each topic, children enjoy exciting curriculum days, trips, and workshops, including a Stone Age Day and visits to Wisley Gardens and Windsor Castle. A highlight of the Year 3 calendar is the Year 3 sleepover at school, which helps prepare children for future residential trips. The evening includes a range of exciting activities that develop curricular understanding alongside key life skills such as teamwork and problem-solving.
Beyond our topic work, Year 3 is also the first year in which children receive French lessons. This provides further opportunities for children to discover new interests, skills, and talents.
Throughout Years 1–6, learning is focused on mastering the end-of-year objectives set out in the 2014 National Curriculum. In Years 1 and 2, children follow the Key Stage 1 programmes of study, and in Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 they follow the Key Stage 2 programmes. The National Curriculum for both key stages consists of the core subjects: Mathematics, English, Science, and Computing; and the foundation subjects: History, Geography, Design and Technology, Art and Design, Music, P.E., and RaWV (Religion and World Views).
We have ensured that the knowledge and skills pupils learn in Year 3 build on prior knowledge and prepare them for their next stage of learning. All learning can be found on the Curriculum Web (updated each half term) and in the Curriculum Overview for the entire academic year. Our Knowledge Organisers show the key knowledge children will be learning across our curriculum themes.
