Year 4
Welcome to Year 4! Here we love exploring and learning together. We have high expectations of our pupils and we always give our best to every subject. Children in our class are polite, kind and thoughtful towards others. We are passionate about learning and we love to celebrate success with our peers. When we do not understand something, we work together to find the solution.
During the Autumn term, we study the fascinating Anglo-Saxons and explore what life was like for them. This includes understanding how the Angles and the Saxons influenced and shaped life in Britain, as well as learning about significant individuals who contributed to their way of life, including religious men like St Augustine who played a key role in converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.
In the Spring, we learn more about the continent of Europe, building upon what we know of the UK. During lessons, we identify geographical similarities and differences between different cities and countries within Europe. We recognise different biomes and weather patterns, as well as explore the important political role the EU plays in governing laws in Europe.
During the summer term, we are transported back to ancient Egypt and discover what life was like for the ancient Egyptians, including understanding the ancient ritual of mummification and identifying how life revolved around the River Nile. We learn about Howard Carter’s exciting discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. We even learn to write our own names in hieroglyphs!
In Year 4 we aspire not to have more but to be more.
Year 4 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term 2026
Curriculum Intent
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a unique and special place where our faith is at the heart of all we do. Our children learn to live the Gospel values of love, forgiveness and peace. Within our federation of Aspire London we use the National Curriculum and believe that our children deserve for it to be tailored to their needs. With this in mind we have prioritised the things we want our children to enjoy, experience and remember during their time with us.
Our curriculum at Aspire London has a set of ‘drivers’ developed from the deep knowledge of the pupils and their families within our School community.
The drivers which shape our curriculum ensure we give our pupils aspirational opportunities throughout their primary school years. We provide our children with the wealth of knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community and wider world. The breadth of our curriculum encourages pupils to be ambitious, develop an inquiring mind and a life-long love of learning.
Curriculum Drivers
| Significant People: Aspire London will: Develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world and people, past and present, who shape itProvide identifiable role models to raise ambition and aspiration |
Community: Aspire London will: Immerse the children in the historically rich and diverse nature of LondonGive pupils an understanding of the positive impact of migration and a cultural appreciation of our community |
Equality & Justice: Aspire London will: Empower pupils to be advocates who address issues of prejudice and discriminationEnsure pupils value fairness and resolve differences through positive discussion |
| Environmental Responsibility: Aspire London will: Educate children of the need to protect God’s planet from environmental damageCreate eco- friendly citizens who are aware of the impact of their individual actions and those of the wider world. |
Autumn Term 2026
| English In English, we follow the Jane Considine approach, helping pupils develop sentence confidence, expand vocabulary and ideas, and organise their writing for cohesion and fluency. This Autumn term, pupils will focus on the adventure story ‘Journey’, where they will learn to craft effective sentences using dialogue, metaphors, similes, fronted adverbials, and expanded noun phrases. Pupils will regularly read through and edit their work to improve clarity, accuracy, and overall quality. Whole class reading sessions will take place daily and develop vocabulary, comprehension, inference, and discussion skills. In handwriting, pupils continue to develop a consistent, joined, and legible cursive style, focusing on correct letter formation, appropriate spacing, and fluency, which is applied across all subjects. |
Maths During Maths lessons, we will identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations and read Roman numerals to 100. We will learn to find 1000 more or less than a given number and recognise the place value of each four-digit number. We will round to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000 and estimate and use inverse operations to answer a calculation. We will add and subtract numbers up to four-digits using formal written methods and recall multiplication facts from the X2, X3, X4, X5 and X10. |
RE In our topic The Bible, pupils will explore how it records God’s relationship with His people and how He communicates with us. They will reflect on how these lessons can guide their own lives and study key stories, including God’s call to Abraham and Joseph and their responses. During Prophecy and Promise, pupils will consider the importance of trusting in God, learning from Mary and Joseph, and study Advent as a time to prepare their hearts and minds for the birth of Jesus. Pupils will also prepare for and lead their class Mass. |
Science We will study Electricity. We will look at how to stay safe when using electricity and how to construct a simple series circuit. We will increase our understanding through questioning and research. We will look at switches and understand that they open and close a circuit to stop and start it. We will learn about some common conductors and insulators. |
History/Geography We will be learning about the Anglo-Saxons and why, where and when they invaded Britain. We will look at the influence they made on Britain today. We will learn about the religious beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons and understand the conversion to Christianity by many. |
Computing We will be working on our coding skills and learning about spreadsheets. We will also be learning about how to protect ourselves from online identity theft through understanding that all information put online leaves a trail or footprint. We will discuss the need to balance screen time with other important aspects of life. |
PE Children will participate in weekly swimming lessons, developing confidence and the skills to perform all strokes. In cricket, they will learn teamwork, batting and fielding skills, as well as tactics and rules essential for fair play. They will also evaluate their own and others’ performances, learning from one another to improve. |
Art Linking to the Anglo-Saxon topic, children will learn about Sutton Hoo and the artefacts discovered. They will make detailed sketches in their sketchbooks of key items, including the helmet, jewellery, and weapons. Pupils will research Anglo-Saxon brooches, studying patterns and designs, create their own brooch based on their design, and evaluate their finished product. |
DT Children will research Anglo-Saxon homes and settlements, exploring materials and key features. They will design and make their own Anglo-Saxon dwelling, assembling, joining, and combining materials and components with increasing accuracy, and evaluate their finished product. |
Music We will learn about orchestras and sorting music instruments into groups such as strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. We will sort our classroom percussion instruments into skin, metal, wood and shakers and find out how the different families produce variation in sound. We will continue to use 3 and 4 beat patterns and begin to use 5 and 7 beats. |
PSHE/RSE In PSHE, we follow the SCARF scheme of work. This term, pupils will focus on the topics of Relationships and Valuing Differences, learning how to build positive connections, communicate respectfully, and appreciate diversity among their peers. |
Autumn Term Knowledge Organisers
For speech and language resources and advice and tips for parents working at home with children who have SLCN visit:
https://speechandlanguage.info/parents
BBC Bitesize and Purple Mash are excellent resources for you to use. Click on the icon, have a look and see what you can learn!
