Teacher: Mr Barnes

Teaching Assistants: Mrs Gerbrands, Mrs Reader, Mrs Lane  

PPA Teacher: Mrs Cairns (Tuesday afternoon)

Welcome to Year Four

My name is Mr. Barnes, I have been lucky to work at The Rosary for the past three years. I lead both science and PE within the school, and I’m passionate about making lessons fun, engaging, and full of energy for the children. I especially love teaching PE, with rugby being one of my favourite sports. It's incredibly rewarding to see the kids enjoying physical activity while developing their skills and teamwork..

Our School Day

To find out details of how the Y4 pupils spend their time, please take a look at the timeline of our school day. Important times to note are arrival time (8.40am) and registration (8.50am). It is important the children are at school and settled in time for the day to begin.

Curriculum Support

The English national curriculum means children in different schools (at primary and secondary level) study the same subjects to similar standards - it's split into key stages with tests. If you would like to know more about each individual subject please visit our Curriculum Page. Each term our class topic will link in to the curriculum in a way that brings the subjects to life for the children. 

Spring Term Topic

This term, our pupils will explore where our food comes from and how it reaches our plates. Through hands-on activities, discussions, and experiments, children will learn about farms, local produce, and the journey from farm to fork.

They will:

• Investigate how different foods are grown, caught, or produced.

• Learn about seasonal fruits and vegetables and their benefits.

• Discover the importance of healthy eating and making sustainable food choices.

• Explore cultural foods from around the world and understand where they originate.

Our aim is to inspire curiosity, encourage healthy eating habits, and help children understand the connection between food, people, and the planet.

PE

Our PE day is on Wednesday. The children will need to wear the Rosary PE kit to school on this day. We also take part in 'Fitness Fridays' with the rest of the school so the children will also need to wear PE kit every Friday. Please click here to find out PE kit requirements.

Forest School

We are very lucky to be able to offer regular Forest School sessions to all our classes at the Rosary School. Our grounds are perfect to help the children connect and engage with the outdoors, and learn through active and exciting tasks and challenges such as den building, making a fire or tools, and identifying insects and birds. Y4 Forest School sessions are every three weeks on a Friday morning.  Children will need to wear Forest School kit to school on these days, details of which can be found along with the session timetable, as links from the Forest School page.

Reading & Book Change

The children are encouraged to read the books they choose at school regularly. We now have completely new reading books which is very exciting! Please read with them at least 4 times a week and record your comments in their yellow reading record. When they are familiar with the book they should change it for a new one. Our book change days are Friday. The children will also participate in whole class guided reading taking place 3x a week. 

This term in English, our pupils will embark on an exciting adventure with our topic “Dragon Slayer.” They will explore dragons through a non-chronological report, learning how to write detailed, factual pieces about these mythical creatures.

Children will:

• Research different types of dragons, including their habitats, diets, and abilities.

• Learn how to organise information clearly using headings and subheadings.

• Develop their use of descriptive language and factual vocabulary.

• Practice writing reports that are engaging, informative, and structured.

This topic encourages creativity, improves research skills, and helps pupils develop confidence in writing structured non-fiction.

Rainbow & Read Write Inc Spellings

Our Rainbow Spellings in each year group focus on 'tricky words' that are commonly misspelled or do not follow regular rules. These words are re-visited two years in a row and are tested regularly. In Y4 we continue to practise Read Write Inc Spellings which focus on the rules of spelling. 

Maths Spring Term

This term, our pupils will focus on developing their understanding of key mathematical concepts, including:

• Multiplication and Division: Building fluency with times tables, solving word problems, and understanding the relationship between multiplication and division.

• Addition and Subtraction: Practising written methods and mental strategies to solve a range of problems with increasing confidence.

• Shape: Exploring 2D and 3D shapes, their properties, and how to describe and compare them.

Through practical activities, problem-solving tasks, and challenges, children will strengthen their number skills and develop confidence in applying maths in everyday situations.

Rainbow Maths

There is a National Curriculum requirement for children to know their times tables up to 12 x12 by the end of Year 4, at which point they take an online test. To support this objective, children from Y2 onwards take part in regular Rainbow Maths tests. Each new academic year they start on 'Red' and work their way up through Orange, Yellow and so on. The document below shows what is required for each colour.

The Multiplication Tables Check will be administered in the three-week period starting June 2026.

Our Class Saint - St. Josephine Bakhita

Feast Day: 8th February

For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed.

Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of 7, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was resold several times, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan.

Two years later, he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venice’s Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine.

When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian Sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephine’s behalf. The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885.

Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. In 1902, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where she assisted her religious community through cooking, sewing, embroidery, and welcoming visitors at the door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters’ school and the local citizens. She once said, “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!”

The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. She was beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.

Additional Curriculum Resources

For further resources to support your child across all subjects, please visit our Curriculum page which features links to many useful sites.