Welcome to Year 4

In Year 4, we have three classes which are all named after influential Britons – (Floella) Benjamin, (Lewis) Hamilton and (Ellie) Simmonds.

Benjamin Class Teacher: Mrs Pearce

Hamilton Class Teacher: Miss Hooper

Simmonds Class Teacher: Mrs Bray

Year 4 LSAs: Mrs Froggatt and Miss Evans

Our Learning Support Assistants work across the three classes.

Year 4 are based at the front of the junior school, on the opposite side of the library to Year 3. From our classrooms we can see the Twitten Field and Durrington Library. We enter and exit our classrooms through the outside doors near the car park. The children wait outside here, with their grown-ups, at the start of the day and they meet them here at the end of the day.

Our classroom doors open at 8:45am each morning.  Year 4 break times and lunchtimes are shared with Year 3; break time is 10:25 – 10:40am and lunchtime starts at 12:25pm.  In Year 4, we eat our lunch first then head outside for playtime until 1:10pm when afternoon lessons begin. Our school day ends at 3:15pm when we dismiss children from the front of Hamilton and Simmonds classrooms to parents and carers. Benjamin Class walk from their classroom to dismiss from the same point.    

Every day, you will need your bag, reading folder and reading record card, your drink bottle and your lunch (unless you are having school lunch). Don’t forget to bring your healthy snack for break time too!

Our topics in Year 4 are split into two main themes across the year:

Invaders and traders (history focus)

This topic runs for three half terms - from September through to February half term – and is split into three parts:

• The Romans
• The Anglo-Saxons
• The Vikings

Building on from the Year 3 topic on the Stone Age to Iron Age, we start the year discovering the journey the Romans took to invade and take over Britain.  The children take part in many exciting activities, including a visit to Bignor Roman Villa, which helps them to understand what it was like to be a Roman soldier settling in Britain, as well as what it was like to live under Roman rule. 

In the second and third half terms, we investigate other invaders beginning with the Anglo-Saxons and then the Vikings, discovering what impact these civilisations had on Britain and the changes they brought to the country.  

Sussex by the Sea – coasts and rivers

In the second half of the year – from February half term until July, we become geographers – exploring and investigating our local area. We start by focusing on Durrington, learning how our local environment has changed over time using local maps and photographs.

We then expand our horizons to look at the coast and the rivers around us. We learn about the water cycle and how it links to rivers and seas, about the features of coastal environments and rivers, and go on a field trip to the River Adur to apply our learning and gain inspiration for our sketching, drawing and painting in art. 

In the last half term, we broaden our view still wider, learning about other famous rivers from the different continents around the world and make comparisons with our local rivers.  We use maps and atlases, as well as Google Earth to trace the journey of rivers from their sources to their mouths.   

In Year 4, we aim to ensure that learning is exciting, memorable, practical and fun.  We want the children to enjoy and be enthused by their learning whilst also becoming increasingly confident and independent.  We encourage them to be active learners, questioning as they learn, and collaborating to support and challenge each other and thus improve their understanding.

Year 4 team