Year 3 - Computing - Learning To Touch Type
Fingers at the ready! This week in Computing, Year 3 have been mastering a fantastic new skill: touch typing! Using Purple Mash, the children have been working incredibly hard to train their fingers to find the right keys without constantly looking down at the keyboard. We've been exploring the 'home keys' and discovering just how much faster we can be when we use both hands to type. It takes a lot of concentration, patience, and practice to break old habits, but Year 3 are already showing brilliant progress. Watch out—we’ve got some speedy typists in the making!
Year 3 - P.E. - Learning To Sprint and Skip
Ready, steady, go! Year 3 have been full of energy in P.E. this week as they focused on the fundamentals of sprinting and skipping. The children have been working incredibly hard on their technique, discovering how the correct posture, arm swings, and high knees can help them move faster and with better coordination. It takes a lot of focus to get the rhythm just right, but the class showed brilliant perseverance and enthusiasm throughout the lesson. It was wonderful to see such fantastic effort and sportsmanship in the hall.
.jpg)
Year 3 - Art - Gestural Drawing With Charcoal
This term in art, our Year 3 class is stepping away from tiny sketches at their desks and taking on a high-energy, large-scale creative project using charcoal. Instead of just using their fingers and wrists, the children will be using their whole bodies—stretching, sweeping, and moving to create bold, dynamic marks across huge sheets of paper. By tapping into rhythm and movement, they’ll explore how different gestures create different textures and tones, and the results are looking truly extraordinary!
.jpg)
Year 3 - Science - Sources of Light
This term, our Year 3 mini-scientists are rolling up their sleeves and stepping into the lab to explore the fascinating world of light and shadows. We’re really focusing on practical, hands-on learning, giving the children a chance to ask big questions, test out their own ideas, and figure out how things work firsthand. It’s always a hugely popular topic, and we can’t wait to see their curiosity take off as they get stuck into some brilliant classroom experiments.
Year 3 - PSHE - Learning First Aid For Asthma Attacks and Choking
Today, our Year 3 class took part in an invaluable life skills session focused on first aid. After watching an educational video from the British Red Cross, the children put their learning into practice. They learned how to spot the signs of someone having an asthma attack and the exact steps to take to help them use their inhaler. The class also practised the vital techniques needed to assist someone who is choking, including how to deliver effective back blows . We are incredibly proud of how maturely the children approached these sensitive topics. They showed fantastic listening skills and now feel much more confident about how to stay calm and help in an emergency. You can find out more information here https://www.redcross.org.uk/first-aid/learn-first-aid/videos Well done, Year 3!
Year 3 - Handwriting - Letters of Thanks To Staff
As we approach the end of the school year, Year 3 spent time reflecting on their favourite memories during a very special handwriting lesson today. The children put their best effort into their presentation, using their finest cursive script to write letters of thanks to the school staff. They took great care with their letter formation, spacing, and alignment to ensure their messages looked as beautiful as possible. It was a wonderful opportunity for the class to practice their writing skills while expressing their gratitude to the team for a fantastic year of learning and growth. Well done, Year 3, for your hard work and lovely manners!
Changes to Free School Meals
REMINDER 🚨 IMPORTANT: Free School Meals Rules are Changing! 🚨Please read this update carefully, as all current Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility under the old rules will end on August 31st. To ensure your child continues to receive free school meals at the start of the new term in September, everyone needs to reapply. Old protections are ending, which means if you do not reapply and get verified, your child’s free meals will stop. 🌟 The Big Change: Expanded Eligibility for Universal Credit There is great news for many families. Starting this September, the government has expanded eligibility. The old earnings threshold is gone. * If you are in receipt of Universal Credit at any level (regardless of how much you earn), your child is now entitled to free school meals. This change means hundreds of thousands of additional children who missed out before will now qualify. 💻 The Application Portal is LIVE NOW! Do not wait until September. The portal is open right now, and applying early ensures everything is set up before the first day of school. Who needs to apply? Every family wanting free school meals from September—including those currently receiving them and those who are newly eligible under Universal Credit. How to apply: https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-and-pupil-support/free-school-meals Take action today so your child doesn't miss out on a single meal! If you have any questions or need help with the online form, please contact the school office.
Get ready to Read to the Beat at Blackburn with Darwen Libraries this summer.
Get ready to Read to the Beat at Blackburn with Darwen Libraries this summer. Blackburn with Darwen Libraries annual Summer Reading Challenge for children age 4 – 12 years gets underway from 1st July, with children encouraged to read and rate six library books before 30th September, collecting stickers and prizes along the way. Audio books, eBooks and eAudio (on our BorrowBox app) can all count towards the final total, and this year children can mix and match with a range of reading related challenges too. Enrolment is completely FREE of charge, so don’t delay! Visit your nearest Blackburn with Darwen Library from 1st July onwards and get your Read to the Beat challenge started. Read to the Beat is a partnership between local libraries, The Reading Agency and Universal Music Group.
Year 3 - English - Preparing Playscripts For Performance
Our Year 3 actors and directors have been busy bringing two legendary tales to life this week: The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Instead of just reading the stories, the children stepped into the shoes of playwrights and performers to understand how a narrative transforms from a text into a live performance. The Rehearsal Process The classroom was buzzing with energy as the children worked through the essential steps of theatre production: Script Preparation: Children took ownership of their roles by carefully highlighting their specific parts. The Table Read: A focused read-through helped the groups understand the rhythm of the dialogue and story pacing. Character Development: The children experimented with dramatic voices and expressive physical actions to bring their characters to life. The Grand Finale: Each group took to the stage to perform their playscript live to the rest of the class. The final performances were packed with tension, humour, and fantastic expression—from the panic of the trickster shepherd to the booming threats of the grumpy troll.
Year 3 - Maths - Building 3D Shapes
Our Year 3 mathematicians turned into structural engineers today. We traded our pencils for building materials to take our geometry learning to the next level. By building 3D shapes from scratch, the class got a hands on to create solid objects. We explored the number of vertices, edges and faces. From sturdy cubes to challenging triangular prisms, the creativity and mathematical thinking were brilliant.
Summer Holiday Clubs - Youth Zone
SCHOOLS OUT... let the summer fun begin! ☀️ Our FREE HAF Summer Holiday Club is back with 4 weeks of exciting activities, nutritious hot meals, themed sessions and unforgettable memories for children and young people across Blackburn & Darwen! Whether they love sports, arts & crafts, games, cooking or trying something new, there’s something for everyone this summer. 🧡 📅 20th July – 13th August 🍽️ FREE hot meals 🎨 Exciting weekly themes ⚽ Fun activities every day 📍 Sessions across Blackburn & Darwen Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out! 👉 Book your place today: https://app.holidayactivities.com/parent/providers/blackburn-youth-zone
Year 3 - Geography - Using Ordnance Survey Maps
Our Year 3 explorers swapped their textbooks for OS maps and compasses this afternoon, turning the classroom into a hub of navigation and discovery! As part of their geography learning, the children have been mastering the four cardinal points—North, South, East, and West—and putting their new skills to the test. Here is what our mini-explorers got up to: Finding North: Learning how to hold a compass steady and watching the needle magically align. Cracking the Code: Deciphering Ordnance Survey map symbols to locate everything from churches and campsites to forests and rivers.
.png){kind=logo}
