Beech Grove Primary School
Spring Term 2025
Head Teacher Message
Happy New Year everyone and welcome to spring term 2025. The time has flown since children started their new classes in September! This Spring term will fly even faster no doubt as the evenings become lighter and the daffodils start to poke through putting a smile on everyone’s face.
As Head teacher of your school, I continue to be so proud of all of the children and the way they have started back since returning from the Christmas break. Their resilience and adaptability remain outstanding.
This was picked up on and noticed in abundance during the schools Ofsted Inspection on the 22nd and 23rd of October. The HMI Ofsted Inspector was blown away of what he described to us as ‘school is an oasis of calm’ for all children at Beech Grove.
“Pupils at Beech Grove are proud of their school, welcoming visitors with exemplary manners and conduct. They understand the school’s ‘next-door neighbour’ principles and the school’s five golden rules well. Pupils consistently show high levels of respect to adults and to one another. They are happy and safe. Highly trained staff put pupils’ needs first in all they do. Pupils thrive in the warm and nurturing environment that the school fosters.” Ofsted 2024/25. What a fantastic first paragraph of the Ofsted Report to read. I’m sure you’ll all agree.
This term we hope to pick up where we left off before Christmas with our children achieving good progress within their core subject areas, due to the tremendous hard-working attitude of themselves and the dedicated staff team here at school.
“Leaders have created a culture of high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils meet these expectations… Behaviour across school is of a high standard. Well-trained staff create a purposeful learning atmosphere. Pupils’ learning is not disrupted by others. ”Ofsted 2024/25.
Children’s classroom and corridor manners remain amazing which continues to maintain a lovely, positive and caring atmosphere around school. The schools “Next Door Neighbour Qualities” of Respect, Tolerance and Kindness are certainly being upheld. The children take great pride in this in and around school and it is wonderful to see. Please keep having a bit of fun at home and test the children regularly on what it takes in school (and the community) to be a good “Next Door Neighbour”!
This term we will also be hoping for some lovely spring sunshine so that children can make full use of our Secret Garden in lesson time and maybe plant some wonderful spring flowers for us all to enjoy (even the ducks!!!). I always think that spring flowers with their vibrant colours and freshness cheer everyone up from the gloom of the long, dark and wet winter months. They are a sign that lighter nights and warmer weather is on its way! (fingers crossed)
Our teachers have lots of interesting activities planned for this term and hope that you will enjoy hearing what children have been working on at consultation meetings/phone conversations, and will support them with their homework and reading outside of school.
Please, please, please x10000 keep encouraging your child to read at home. Reading is the key to everything! The children are showing such a passion and love of reading in school, we hope you will continue this with them at home.
We also hope that every effort is made by you for every child to attend school regularly. It is so important for your child’s development. We can’t continue to stress this enough. (95% and above is GOOD attendance). As a school we need to bet better on the first and last day of terms. Far too many children have these particular days off.
In addition to this being ON TIME every day for school is absolutely vital so that your child does not miss any of their learning. It can be really upsetting and frustrating for children if they come into a lesson that is part way through and they’ve missed vital teacher input and modelling. It can cause them great distress and being left with a feeling of not understanding what is expected of them.
Its really pleasing to see that our ‘lates’ are reducing and that you are all working really hard to support school on this issue. Well done everyone. Keep up the great efforts. Let’s have all the children in on time every day!
Here’s to a really positive Spring term!
John Dixon
Our work for this term
English
Our writing, this term will be inspired by the author’s Philip Pulman and Oliver Jeffers and our Topic on Volcanoes. Our class novel this term is The Firework Maker’s Daughter and we will also be reading Oliver Jeffers’ Fate of Fausto. We will be writing a range of different genres from instructions to help catch a fire giant, dairy entries, news reports, persuasive letters and modern fables. Our poet study this term will be Robert Louis Stephenson.
Reading
In year 3, the children are encouraged to take control of their own reading choices. They will be choosing their own books from the book corner and will bring them home. Most children will bring home chapter books which they may keep at home for as long as they are reading them. In Y3, the children are expected to read at home 3 times each week.
Spelling
Each child has access to our online spelling scheme of work. Your child has been set spelling tasks, individualised to their own needs. Please allow your child to access spelling shed at least once a week.
Homework
Homework is given out weekly and will be a recap of the learning that your child has undertaken in school. We also encourage your child to visit Seesaw regularly. This is our learning platform where you and your child should be able to access all some of their learning and talk with their teachers regularly.
Please see attached letter for details of how to log access your child’s online learning platform.
Maths
In maths, we will continue building on our knowledge of number, increasing our understanding of 3 digit numbers and learning the 3 and 4 times tables. We will learn how to measure length and perimeter, comparing mass and capacity and begin to develop our understanding of unit and non unit fractions.
Times tables
In Year 4, every child takes a times table test. We aim to support them to know all of the multiplication and related division facts to 12 x 12 by the end of Y4. In Y3 we begin to practice their times tables and regularly assess their progress in preparation for Y4.
Please allow your child to access TT Rockstars at least once a week: www.ttrockstars.com
Science
Our Science this term is ‘Rocks, Fossils and Soils’ . We will be comparing and investigating different kinds of rocks and soils learning about the Palaeontologist Mary Anning. In the second half of the Spring Term we will be learning all about the Sun, the moon and the planets.
Topic
Geography
Our geography topic this term is Tremors. We will be learning all about how the Earth is build up of layers and learning all about how and why volcanoes and earthquakes occur.
History
In history we will be learning all about the Ancient Greek civilisation. Finding out about how they lived and how the way they live has influenced our lives today.
PE
Physical Education is an important part of the National Curriculum and just as with subjects such as Mathematics and English your child is required to take part. It is also important for reasons of safety and hygiene that your child has a change of clothing for PE.
Suggested P.E. Kit is as follows:
- Indoor – Plain T shirt and shorts. Plimsoles or trainers.
- Outdoor – during the colder months children may wish to wear jogging pants and a sweatshirt.
- School shoes should not be worn for PE.
- All items of clothing should be marked with the children’s names.
Y3S PE Thursday
Y3W PE Friday
Keeping Safe and Healthy (What we are teaching children to help them keep safe)
In PSHE, we will be looking at what it is like being part of a class team, and being a citizen. In the second half of term, we will be looking at how we can celebrate people’s differences, and what makes us all so special.
Dates for your Diary
Spring Term: Monday 6th January 2025 – Friday 11th April 2025
Half Term: Monday 24th February 2025 – Friday 28th February 2025