On a recent school trip to Portsmouth, the children in Year 4 enjoyed a truly memorable day investigating how land is used in the different areas of Portsmouth and to enhance our understanding of whether Portsmouth is a gateway to the world.

We travelled to Portsmouth Harbour by train, and upon arrival at Havant Station, the excitement grew as we eagerly awaited our trains arrival. The journey was swift, and soon after disembarking at Portsmouth Harbour Station, we gathered to discuss how land is utilised in this area. The pupils found evidence of various transport links, including the Gosport and Isle of Wight ferries, as well as further travel with available train services leading to London.

After our discussion, we walked through to Gunwharf Quays, where we discovered and followed the Millennium chain. The pupils marvelled at the iconic Spinnaker Tower as we made our way toward Old Portsmouth. Continuing our journey, we passed the historic Hot Walls and took time to explore Portsmouth Cathedral before reaching the Garrison Church, noted for its missing roof. During our visit, we discussed Portsmouth’s significance as a maritime city, prompting engaging conversations among the pupils. They actively searched for clues related to the city’s maritime history throughout our walk, fostering an appreciation for its rich heritage.

As we walked, we also practiced compass skills at various points along the way. Using landmarks such as the Spinnaker Tower, we learned to utilise compasses effectively. The children particularly enjoyed this hands-on exploration, and were able to spot other Compasses en route such as the weather vane on the Catherdral and a compass plaque embedded in the ground near the hot walls.

After a wonderful morning of exploration, the children conducted a survey in a designated area to discover why people visit Gunwharf. This further fieldwork activity provided valuable insights into the area’s usage and enabled the pupils to connect their learning to real-world observations.

Finally, we made our way back to Gunwharf Quays to catch our return train to Havant. Despite the grey skies and occasional light showers, the enthusiasm of the pupils remained high, and they relished the opportunity to explore Portsmouth and the surrounding area.

Overall, the trip was a fantastic educational experience, effectively blending exploration, practical skills, and insightful discussions about Portsmouth land use, how it connects to the world and the maritime history which was evident throughout.

What a fantastic day of tennis we had at our school’s inter-house competition! The sun was shining brightly, casting a warm glow over the courts as four houses – Oscar Romero, Mother Theresa, St Mary, and St John Paul- battled it out for the top spot.

The competition was fierce, with each house showing excellent sportsmanship and teamwork. The standard of play was extremely high, with all players demonstrating exceptional accuracy and control of their tennis racquets. We were particularly impressed with the number of precise shots and clever volleys that were executed throughout the day.

In the end, it was St Mary House that emerged victorious, taking home the top prize. John Paul House came in second place, with Oscar Romero House claiming third position. Mother Theresa House put up a great fight but unfortunately finished in fourth place.

Despite the competitive nature of the competition, there were only a couple of balls that went over the fence – but even those were quickly retrieved by our enthusiastic ball boy – Mr Mack!

The Year 6 students did an outstanding job as umpires, ensuring that the matches ran smoothly and fairly. Their enthusiasm and knowledge of the game were impressive, and they did a great job of keeping the players focused and on track.

We are thrilled to have had such a fantastic afternoon and to see everyone having so much fun while showcasing their tennis skills. It left everyone feeling tired but proud. Well done to all participants and congratulations to Red House on their winning performance!

During Summer 1, our Year 4 pupils took part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This was a very special time for the children, who enjoyed a calm, peaceful and reflective opportunity to consider what they wished to apologise for and put right, as they continue to ‘Walk hand in hand with God, to make our world a better place’.

We were very fortunate for two of our Parish priests, Father Jeremy and Father James, to join our pupils in the Unity building to administer this special sacrament. As the children made their confessions in a private and sacred space, Mrs Semple (Oaklands Chaplain) spent some time with the children to create clay models which they could keep and use as a focal point for prayer. Please see the images below…

Hi everyone,

We hope that you have all been having a great week so far. This week, the children in Year Four have been learning all about Judaism and Islam. We have enjoyed making ‘solidarity sandals’ as we pray for refugees around the world, having read the book ‘Four Feet two sandals’ as part of our learning on Islam. The children also had a wonderful time during their interactive session, where the classroom was turned into a Mosque and we listened to the call to prayer and used the religious artefacts to explore and learn about each of the steps of worship – following this, we compared the similarities and differences between the prayer life of Christians and Muslims. We have also had a great time learning about Judaism, and lots of discussions about Yom Kippur as a time of atonement which reminded us of the purpose of Lent in Christianity. Please see the images below of our fun week!

Best wishes,

The Y4 team

In Year 4, we have been working very hard on our stewardship project to support the local community. We have been designing, planning and creating Fiddle/Fidget blankets for elderly people who are suffering with Dementia, as well as for younger children who have ADHD and Autism. We cannot wait to send our blankets to the local care homes as well as to our St. Peter’s pumpkin room, in order to support others. Please see a few sample images below!

We’d like to say a big thank you to all parents and carers who came to support the Year Four children with sewing their sensory items onto their final product for their chosen customer,

We look forward to seeing you all at parents evening next week,

Best wishes,

Year 4 team

This was our question for our Science lessons this week. Here are some examples of the work that the children have been working on this week.

Our STEM day helped us to understand that living things can be divided into groups based upon their characteristics and environmental change and human activity affects different habitats differently.

We collected our research about each of the following habitats:

• Aquatic
• Forest
• Desert
• Tundra
• Grassland

We used information books and Planet Earth documentaries to record key facts about each biome.

Afterwards, we talked about our homes and what was needed to keep humans alive. The children then discussed how they would re-create suitable conditions for the animals to survive within their domes. We also talked about the life cycles of different animals. Our 3D biomes helped us to show a cross – section of each habitat.

And just like that, 2 weeks have zipped by.

The children have had an amazing start to the term in Year 4.  They have been fully immersed in our first English writing Unit based on writing Howlers as seen in Harry Potter. We have been so impressed with the work that they have been producing already and look forward to writing our final Howlers next week!

Our Maths learning has been focusing on the securing of pace value for numbers into the thousands.  Regular use of the times table Rockstars and sumdog apps will continue to help support your child’s learning in school. The log in for these is the same as before.

Don’t forget if you completed the reading challenge to bring in your certificate and medal to show Mrs Porter and receive a prize from school. Also, keep working on your reading passport – bring these in on Tuesdays (kangaroo) and Thursdays (koala) so you can use it in the library to select books that you need to read and to have any you have read signed off by your teachers. Happy reading!

Well done Year four on a successful return to school!

Team Four