Year 4 have worked so hard this week! In maths we've been heading towards the end of our fractions unit and have been attempting to subtract from mixed numbers crossing the boundary of the whole number. Children have been drawing bar models and number lines to support them with these calculations and we're really proud of their efforts. Next week we shall consolidate all their fractions learning, ready to move onto our new unit of TIME. Please work with your child on being able to tell the time on an analogue clock. By the time children are in Year 4 they are already expected to be able to tell the time to the nearest minute, both past and to the hour. If you do not have an analogue clock in your home, it is possible to set smartphone clocks onto analogue or there are plenty of 'live time' clocks on the internet.

We do have our national times tables check in June - please make sure you are helping your child practice their times tables daily so that they have the best chance to feel self-confident going into the check in June. We sent home each child's heat maps at parents' evening, so please do refer to this to support your children with the facts they find the trickiest. Remember short, daily practice is much more effective that a longer session each week. Try practising as you walk along, driving in the car, any time you can squeeze into your week. All maths will be easier for your child moving forward if they have a secure grasp of their times tables.

In English this week, we have started learning a new book, Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx. The children have been doing quite a lot of independent writing, based on the story. They have written both from the perspective of Marcy, the main character, and her Dad who takes her on an adventure. This story links beautifully with our new History topic, Egyptians - we are all looking forward to kicking this off next week by welcoming back Ben from Treehouse Theatre to lead Play-in-a-Day for us.

Exciting times ahead as we also have our Coronation Day preparation afternoon on Friday 5th May! Remember to let this office know if you'd like to come in and make a Coronation decoration with your child in their class.

Have a brilliant weekend and, as always, thank you for your continuing support.

Best wishes,

The Y4 Team :-)