Welcome to Phase 3
I’m Miss Hagan, Phase 3 Leader for Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6.
Phase 3 is key in preparing children for SATs and secondary school, but most importantly it is about providing the children with experiences and opportunities to develop their God given talents and gifts.
Our vision is that children in Phase 3 develop the life-long skills of independence and resilience and become confident young people who believe that they can achieve!
I look forward to sharing the coming year with you and your children.
Thank you for your continued support!
Miss A Hagan
Daily routine
Both gates, front and back, to the school yard open from 8:40am daily. Your child should be in class by 8:55am, which is when our learning begins. Whenever possible, we try to teach all core subjects in the mornings, such as English, maths, reading and spelling or phonics.
Children are encouraged to bring in a healthy snack for break (fruit) and a bottle of water for throughout the day. Playtime is at 10:45am for Y4, and 10:25am for Y5 and Y6. All children in phase 3 have a 15 minute break in the morning. We do not have afternoon breaks.
Lunchtime is at 12:00pm for Y4 and 12:15pm for Y5 and Y6. All year groups have one hour for lunch. During lunch hour, there are numerous clubs for the children to access including homework club, nurture club and ambassador meetings.
The afternoon is split into two sessions where subjects such as science, RE, computing, PE and other foundation subjects are studied as part of our wider curriculum. At Blessed Sacrament, we use a thematic approach to the wider curriculum - using driver subjects such as history and geography to make links in and across learning. For details of topics, genres and objectives, see the curriculum section of the website above.
In Y4, children are dismissed at 3:25pm from the front gate of the junior yard. In Y5 and Y6, children are dismissed at 3:25pm from the back gate of the junior yard. If your child is in Y6, and as part of their transition to secondary school you would like them to start to walk home alone, please complete the Google Form to give consent which is sent at the beginning of the academic year by admin. Children will not be allowed to leave school premises alone without this.
Homework:
Spellings are given every Friday and times tables can be accessed via TTRockStars using their personal login. Spellings need to be practised daily and children will have a test the following Friday.
Children are encouraged to read at home daily for ten to fifteen minutes both independently and to an adult; we ask for you to support your child in signing their home school contact book each time they read. Their home school contact book will be checked and signed on a weekly basis by their teacher.
Written maths and English homework will be given on a Friday and is due in the following Friday. Children who do not complete written homework will attend homework club during a lunch hour directed by their class teacher.
In Y5 and Y6, children are also set online homework via Reading Plus - they must complete a 30 minute session once a week.
When appropriate, children may also be set additional homework to research curriculum topics to support further immersion in their learning.
Please make sure your child’s reading book and home school contact book are brought into school each day.
Music Tuition:
Y4 music tuition takes place every Friday with Mr Rooney from Resonate. Each child will learn to play ukulele or guitar.
After October half term, Y5 music tuition will take place every Thursday afternoon with Mr Tratt. Band rehearsals for Y5 will take place on a Thursday lunch hour.
Y6 music tuition takes place every Monday afternoon with Mr Tratt and band rehearsals are on a Thursday after school until 4:15p.m. Consent forms for Y6 band are available via the school office. All children must be collected from any after school activities - they will not be allowed to walk home alone.
We are extremely proud of our music curriculum and the children's achievements.
Please encourage your child to practise at home and make sure that they have their instrument in on the correct days.
Mobile Phones:
Children should not bring mobile phones into school. If for any reason you feel that your child needs to bring their mobile phone to school, please discuss this with your child's class teacher. A GoogleForm, which can be sent to you via contacting the school office, must be completed in order to give consent and indicate the days in which the mobile phone is required and why.
It is very important that if you make this request that you have read and discussed the schools acceptable usage policy with your child/children. If the acceptable usage policy has not been signed and returned to school, we will not be able to authorise your request to allow your child to bring in their mobile phone. If the request is agreed, the phone should not be switched on at all in school and must be stored throughout the day by their class teacher. We do not accept any liability for loss or damage to mobile phones on the school's premises.
P.E. Lessons:
Children must bring their P.E. kit in to school for all lessons – red shorts, white t-shirt and suitable trainers. For health and safety, jewellery cannot be worn and all hair must be tied up. Physical education is a very important part of the school’s curriculum, so children who do not bring in a kit will be provided with one by school for the session. If for any medical reason your child cannot take part in P.E. lessons, a note must be provided.
To support the children’s organisation and to ensure that they are always fully prepared to take part in P.E. lessons per week or attend P.E. based extra curricular clubs running, children are encouraged to bring their PE kit into school of a Monday and take it home on a Friday. PE days rotate half termly for each year group and you will be informed by your child’s class teacher via Class Dojo when this happens.
All Y6 children will attend swimming lessons in the autumn term at a local leisure centre. It is a statutory requirement that all children take part and learn to swim 25m by the end of Y6. It is the LA, and school policy, that all children wear a swimming cap and remove ear piercings. Boys must wear swimming shorts and girls a one piece swimsuit.
Y4 will swim in the spring term and Y5 will swim in the summer term.
Spanish:
Our school is a Centre of Excellence for Spanish. Therefore, all children receive one lesson per week with a language specialist and a second follow up lesson with their class teacher.
Assemblies:
A celebration assembly takes place every Friday at 2:50-3:20 for Phase 3, where children’s achievements are celebrated as a phase with a merit certificate from the adult who has nominated them and why.
Collective worship happens every day either in a year group assembly, or in class. In phase 3, children regularly participate in planning and contributing to the daily act of collective worship.