Year 4

Welcome to the Year 4 class webpage.

I’m very excited to be teaching Year 4 this year. 

At Hollybush we have designed each term around one of three themes: Explore, Discover and Create.  Explore is our Autumn term theme with a specific focus on Geography, Science and Computing.

The core subjects of Maths and English will take place each morning except Fridays when I have my planning time.  On Friday morning, Matt, our PE specialist, will take a session of PE and Mrs Eley will deliver a reading comprehension session which I will have planned.  See below for a more detailed look at the weekly timetable.  Of course, from time to time this will change.

You will see from the weekly timetable (see below) that the children will have 2 hours of PE: one delivered by Matt (Tag rugby) and one by myself (basketball).

For maths we follow the White Rose Year 4 Scheme of Work.  This provides excellent resources for both teachers and parents.  The scheme is based on a mastery approach to maths.  You can find out more about this on the curriculum part of the website under ‘maths’.  In June 2025 all Year 4 children in England sit the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC).  For more information about the MTC please see below.

In English this half-term, we will be focusing on narrative based around two books: Fly Eagle, Fly! by Christopher Gregorowski (story retold on YouTube) and Iron Man by Ted Hughes.  Narrative is an excellent genre to develop children’s writing especially sentence structure.  You will see from the Y4 writing checklist (see below) what the national expectations are for Year 4.  Page 3 of this document outlines the ‘working at the expected standard’.  In second half of the term, we’ll switch to non-fiction and the children will develop their skills at writing a non-chronological report.

Two areas of science will be covered during the Explore term.  The first is called, 'Animals Including Humans'.  The children will expand on their learning from year 3 about how animals, including humans, need to get nutrition from what they eat. They will explore the different organs of the digestive system in humans and the functions of teeth in both humans and animals.  The second topic, 'Living Things and their Habitats' will allow the children to explore a variety of ways to identify, sort, group and classify living things. They will learn how animals are split into 'vertebrates' and 'invertebrates' and begin to consider the differences between living things within these classifications.

In computing the children will explore computer systems and networks followed by learning about digital recording and creating their own podcast!  

For a more detailed look at what the children will be learning in the different subjects please click on the Explore Long Term plan.

For each subject and specific learning block we have developed knowledge organisers.  These are helpful summary of what will be taught and what the children need to learn.  Click below to take you to the relevant knowledge organisers for this term.