Year 3
Welcome to Our Lady of the Rosary Year 3!
Year 3 marks an exciting step into Key Stage 2, where children begin to think more deeply, take on greater responsibility, and approach their learning with increasing independence. It is a year filled with curiosity, new challenges, and opportunities to broaden understanding across a rich and engaging curriculum. We recognise the God-given potential in every child and support them to flourish academically, socially, and spiritually as they grow in confidence and maturity.
Our Learning Environment
The Year 3 classroom is a calm, purposeful, and well-structured setting where children begin to take greater responsibility for their learning. The space is arranged to support independence, reflection, and sustained focus as pupils engage with more challenging ideas. Clear routines help children organise their time and resources confidently, while the layout encourages a balance of independent work, collaborative tasks, and guided learning. Adults support progress through clear explanations, constructive discussion, and modelling that helps children deepen their understanding and approach new learning with maturity.
How We Support Learning
Year 3 follows a rich, ambitious, and carefully sequenced curriculum designed to broaden knowledge, inspire curiosity, and develop secure understanding across all subjects. Learning is organised so children revisit, build on, and deepen prior knowledge, helping them make strong, sustained progress.
Our curriculum includes:
- White Rose Maths, developing confidence and accuracy in number, calculation, fractions, shape, measures, and reasoning.
- No Nonsense Spelling, taught systematically to help children apply spelling rules, patterns, and morphology with increasing precision.
- Letter-join handwriting, continuing to develop fluent, joined handwriting and high expectations for presentation.
- A broad and engaging curriculum across science, history, geography, art, design technology, computing, music, and PE, with Spanish taught weekly as part of our modern foreign languages programme.
- Regular opportunities for discussion, extended writing, independent reading, and meaningful problem-solving.
To support deeper thinking, we use SOLO taxonomy to help children recognise how their ideas develop from simple knowledge to more complex reasoning. Through modelling, sentence stems, and reflection, children learn to explain their thinking, make links, and build on what they already know.
Support is responsive and tailored. Small-group teaching, targeted intervention, vocabulary scaffolds, and supportive feedback ensure every child can approach learning with confidence and success.
Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
Year 3 is an important year for developing maturity and independence. Children learn to manage increasing responsibilities, collaborate respectfully, and respond positively to challenges. Staff support pupils to reflect on their choices, value each other’s ideas, and contribute to a classroom community where everyone feels listened to and respected.
Religious Education in Year 3
RE deepens children’s understanding of Scripture, prayer, and Catholic teaching. Pupils explore Bible stories, the life and teachings of Jesus, and the traditions of the Church with increasing depth and reflection. For many children, this year also includes preparation for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. We support this sensitively and respectfully, recognising that every family’s faith journey is individual. Through discussion, prayer, and thoughtful study, children learn how faith guides our actions and helps us grow in compassion and understanding.
Partnership With Parents and Carers
We value positive, proactive communication with families. Weekly Google Classroom updates share upcoming learning, key vocabulary, and practical ways that parents/carers can support learning at home. These updates ensure families feel informed, involved, and confident in supporting their child’s progress.
We also welcome open dialogue throughout the year and invite families to events that celebrate children’s learning and achievements.
Faith Life in Year 3
Faith is woven into daily classroom life. Children take part in regular prayer, quiet reflection, and moments of worship that help them grow in their relationship with God. They join the wider school community for liturgies, celebrations, and charitable activities, learning how Gospel values guide our choices and actions. For those preparing for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, we provide additional support and encouragement, while ensuring every child feels valued and included whatever their personal journey of faith.
A Place to Grow
Year 3 is a year of growing confidence, challenge, and deeper understanding. Children strengthen their skills in reading, writing, and mathematics while exploring a broad curriculum that widens their knowledge of the world. Our aim is for every child to leave Year 3 feeling confident, inspired, and ready for the opportunities ahead in Key Stage 2.
White Rose - resources for parents/carers
Year 3 'Meet the Teacher' Presentation
Our Autumn Curriculum Newsletter