We know that children do best at school when they are supported at home. In order to have the greatest impact on their learning in school we ask that you focus on supporting your child to acquire the key skills for reading, writing and maths. Homework We know that children do best at school when they are supported at home. In order to have the greatest impact on their learning in school we ask that you focus on supporting your child to acquire the key skills for reading, writing and maths. Your child should read every night as we know that reading is the single most important skill for academic success. Children should also focus on learning the spelling patterns which are recorded each week in their home school diary and practising the ‘words we need to know’ for their year group. To support their maths, children should learn the KIRFs (Key Instant Recall Facts) for that half term. These are sent home each half term and are also outlined in the children’s home school diaries. They can also be found in the maths area on the website. All children should have a log in for TT Rockstars; daily practice of their times tables will help secure their knowledge and speed. Children are expected to know all their times tables, up to 12 x 12, by the end of year 4. In June, year 4 children, along with other year 4 children across the country, are required to complete a multiplication tables test which tests the children’s ability to recall random times tables questions within a set time limit (6 seconds per question). Reading should be recorded each night in children’s home school diary; the diary can also be used to send brief messages to your child’s class teacher – children should let their teacher know if there is a message in their diary. Our year 6 children have more formal homework in the spring and summer terms in preparation for their SATs and the transition to secondary school. The expectations for each year group are outlined below and can also be found in your child’s home school diary. 1/1 Expectations for each week Year 3 Reading - daily reading for approx. 15 minutes Spelling - weekly spelling task - searching the books read at home for words matching the weekly spelling pattern/ learning the list of 'Words We Need to Know' Maths - daily practice of the key skills (KIRFs) as outlined for each half term. Year 4 Reading - daily reading for approx. 15 minutes Spelling - weekly spelling task - searching the books read at home for words matching the weekly spelling pattern/ learning the list of 'Words We Need to Know' Maths - daily practice of the key skills (KIRFs) as outlined for each half term. Year 5 Reading - daily reading for approx. 15 minutes Spelling - weekly spelling task - searching the books read at home for words matching the weekly spelling pattern/ learning the list of 'Words We Need to Know' Maths - daily practice of the key skills (KIRFs) as outlined for each half term. Additional homework will also be set for those children attending 11+ clubs or receiving additional support Year 6 Reading - daily reading for approx. 15 minutes Spelling - weekly spelling task - searching the books read at home for words matching the weekly spelling pattern/ learning the list of 'Words We Need to Know' Maths - daily practice of the key skills (KIRFs) as outlined for each half term. Year 6 pupils will be given additional more formal homework in preparation for the SATs and transition to secondary school.

We are very proud to have our own indoor swimming pool here at Hamstel School. Children in years 3, 4 and 5 swim once a week for half the year. Swimming Swimming at Hamstel At Hamstel Junior School, we understand how important it is for our children to learn to swim. Although our indoor swimming pool was forced to close at the end of July 2024 due to the extensive repairs needed, we were still able to provide swimming lessons for children in years 4 and 5 this year by hiring a pop-up pool. Arrangements for swimming next year (2024-2025) will be shared with parents nearer the time. Swimming Lessons When swimming lessons are provided as part of the curriculum, all children are expected to participate unless there is a medical reason to prevent this. If this is the case we must have a letter from you to confirm the reason. Children need a costume, a swimming hat and towel clearly marked with their name, in a waterproof bag. All children are expected to wear a swimming hat. This is to protect hair from damaging the pump and filters and also so that children’s hair will be drier on returning to the classroom. Please do not give your children talcum powder to bring in. The school has a supply of good quality hats for sale, priced at £2.50, that can be purchased via ParentPay and collected from the office. If you are buying your own please do not buy red hats, unless your child suffers from a medical condition that warrants special care whilst in the pool e.g. asthma. Jewellery should not be worn. Ear studs are best left at home on swimming days, but if they are worn the child must be able to remove them as they will not be allowed to swim with them in. Useful Documents Swimming letter Autumn Term 2024 Letter from the CEO of Portico Academy Trust regarding the HJS swimming pool Letter about Distance Awards Guide for Parents & Carers Water & Swimming Safety Awards Outcome 1/1

French French at Hamstel Junior School: We at Hamstel believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn a foreign language at Key Stage 2 and develop an interest in other cultures. In our school, we teach French as part of the school curriculum and believe that by learning a modern foreign language our children will be better equipped to learn languages in the future and be part of the global community both socially and in the workplace. At Hamstel, French is taught in a relaxed and fun atmosphere through a wide array of interactive activities, which focus on children actively participating in lessons and developing the necessary skills and confidence to successfully communicate in the language. Year 3 In Year 3 children will learn: to recognise the main word classes and start to realise the different genders of nouns to have a basic understanding of the usual order of words in phrases and simple sentences to ask and answer questions and respond appropriately to follow simple instructions and link pictures to key words to join in with repeated sections of songs or stories to recognise some familiar words to remember new words when reading to use mostly accurate pronunciations Year 4 In Year 4 children will learn: to recognise and use wider range of word classes (pronouns and articles) to use the correct form of an adjective according to the different noun gender to recognise different sentence forms (questions and negatives - the use of the word 'don't) to recognise the meaning of unfamiliar phrase in sentences to begin to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words using learnt clues to ask and answer a range of questions to use familiar sentences and models, make varied adaptations to create new sentences and phrases to read aloud and perform a learned piece using accurate pronunciation to orally use a range of adjectives Year 5 In Year 5 children will learn: the different forms of some verbs to gain some understanding of extended spoken text to use key sounds to spell topical words to read aloud a short text containing familiar language, using fairly accurate pronunciation to use dictionaries to extend vocabulary on a given topic to express opinions (negative and positive) and reasons in conversation to begin to use different sentence types to write phrase and some simple sentences using adjectives, verbs and word bank Year 6 In Year 6 children will learn: the different forms of some verbs to read aloud and spell unfamiliar words, using known phonemes to use a dictionary to check spelling of topic words to ask for clarification in basic conversations to create sentences verbally using knowledge of basic sentence structure to express meaning to an audience though intonation and pronunciation to write a range of phrases and sentences from memory and adapt them to write own sentences 1/1

Click on the images below to open the information on how to get support from local projects. PTA/Friends of Hamstel About the PTA (Parent, Teacher Association) / Friends of Hamstel All parents and carers of children at the Hamstel Schools and all teachers, are automatically members of the PTA. We also welcome and encourage extended family members, non-teaching staff, and people from the local community with close links to the school to get involved. Meet the Team Chairperson: Kate McCrae Vicechair: Lorraine Walter Secretary: Nina Kirby-Duboux / Ronnie Fisher Treasurer: Melba Whipps The school elected core members: Mrs C Farrell Headteacher of Hamstel Junior School Mrs V Tracy Vice Principal of Hamstel Infant School and Nursery What do we do? We organise a variety of events throughout the year such as a Summer Fayre, Mother’s Day Sale, Raffles and Father’s Day Sale. We aim for our events to be affordable and fun for our children and families and help to raise money for the schools. We have general meetings every term as well as other meetings over the year to plan our activities. All PTA members are welcome to come along. Why do we do it? Our PTA / Friends of Hamstel is a registered charity which raises funds for the schools. Our fundraising contributes towards any projects or new equipment the schools may need to support or enhance the children’s education and day to day school life. Contact us If you would like to join our PTA / Friends of Hamstel then please contact us via either of the school offices. PTA Meeting Dates Please feel free to come along to our meetings or assist us with any of our forthcoming events. We would love to see you. Next Meeting: TBC Calendar of PTA Events Pre-Loved Uniform Shop Our PTA sells a range of good quality second-hand uniform (sweatshirts, cardigans, trousers, skirts, pinafores, shirts and blouses), which has been donated to us. Pre-loved uniform is sold from the cabin at the edge of the main playground (where the year 4, 5 and 6 children exit at the end of the day) from 3:10pm until 3:45pm on the first Wednesday of every month. All items cost from 50p. Card payments can be taken for purchases over £1. School Lottery Both Hamstel Junior School and Hamstel Infant School often work together to raise funds for the benefit of all our children. You can also help to raise money for our school by purchasing both of the below third party sundries. www.yourschoollottery.co.uk * Gates to the Upper School Playground open at 3:10pm. Friends of Hamstel School Easter Egg Hunt Buy your tickets here!

Reading at Hamstel Our aim is for every child to leave Hamstel Junior School able to read fluently and with confidence. We want every child to develop a love of reading in order that they continue to read widely in secondary school and beyond. School Library We are proud of our fantastically stocked school library. Children can choose two books, one of which is a ‘free choice’. Classes visit the library each week and children may also visit at lunchtime to change their books. Individual Reading Books and Reading Colours Children in the infant school follow the Read, Write, Inc scheme to develop their understanding of synthetic phonics. Book colours in the infant school correspond with the children’s phonics knowledge as they reinforce the sounds that the children have learnt. Reading books in the Junior School are colour coded according to the children’s reading age. Each colour contains a broad range of books in order to stimulate interest without overly restricting choice. Children chose a book from their coloured band which they read both at home and at school. They can also choose a fiction or non-fi ction book to read with an adult or on their own from any of the books in the library. Please click the links below for the suggested reading lists for each year group: 10 Boo ks to Re ad in Year 3 10 Books to Re ad in Year 4 10 Boo ks to Read in Year 5 10 Boo ks to Read in Year 6 Reading Lessons Children are taught whole class reading lessons as part of English. To support both our reading and writing lessons, a different core text is shared with the children each term – see below. Our reading lessons focus on helping children develop their reading skills so that they become fluent and confident readers. Story Time Our teachers read regularly to their class to encourage a passion for reading. Our childre n really enjoy being read to by an adult. Class and School Library Time To help the children select great books, classes spend time each week discussing the books that they have read and making recommendations to others. We also have a termly book review competition where children have the chance to win a book voucher. We have 10 recommended reading books for each year group which are chosen each year by our teachers to challenge, encourage and inspire our children. Reading Champions Our Reading Champions are chosen from year 5 and 6 to support a love of reading across the school. The Champions support other children at lunchtime by helping them choose a great book from our outdoor library. Not sure what to encourage your child to read? We have a suggested reading list for each year group which covers a range of genres to inspire every child to develop a love of reading. Star Author Days At Hamstel we welcome children’s authors (our Star Authors) to the school to speak to the children about what inspires them and how they became a writer. Children have the opportunity to enter a special competition as part of the star author day and join our author for a special lunch. Children can also buy copies of their books and have them signed by the star author! World Book Day We celebrate World Book Day each year by dressing as our favourite book character and completing some great literary inspired activities.

Year 3 Home Learning Daily Timetable English Lesson Maths Lesson Science Lesson

Geography From the food we eat to the clothes we wear; the technology that we use, to what we pay for all of these things, human and physical geography maintain a tangible grip on all aspects of our lives. At Hamstel Junior School, our vision is to develop our children into passionate, inquisitive, and reflective stewards of our planet and society. Our geography curriculum is therefore designed to begin equipping our children with the vast knowledge and skills that will see them gradually sculpted into future climate researchers, conservationists, humanitarian workers, lawmakers and world-changers. Year-on-year, the children are encouraged to draw, and build on their prior learning across the curriculum. We seek to deepen their understanding of the formation of the Earth's physical landscapes and how these influence - and are influenced by - the people living within them. Geography is, by its very nature, an investigative subject. It seeks to offer solutions to the problems of today and consider those which may arise in the future. By teaching our children about diverse places, people, natural and human landscapes, we challenge them to look outwardly at the world around them in readiness for their adventures within it. Year 3 In Year 3 children will learn: to make fieldwork sketches/diagrams to use fieldwork instruments to use four figure grid references to use the 8 points of a compass to make plans and map using symbols and keys to identify physical and human features of the locality to identify where countries are within the UK and the key topographical features to name and locate the cities of the UK to describe and understand key aspects of physical geography to use and interpret various resources to locate countries and key features Year 4 In Year 4 children will learn: to explore features on OS maps using 6 figure grid references to draw accurate maps with more complex keys to know location of capital cities of countries of British Isle and UK, seas around the UK, European Union countries and high population and large areas and the largest cities in each continent to describe humans features of UK regions, cities and/or countries to describe how people have been affected by changes in the environment to explain about key natural resources to explore weather patterns around parts of the world to identify where countries within Europe to recognise that people have differing qualities of life, living in different locations and environments to understand why there are similarities and differences between places about how rivers erode, transport and deposit materials about the physical features of coasts and begin to understand erosion and deposition Year 5 In Year 5 children will learn: to identify the physical characteristics and key topographical features of a chosen country to compare the physical and human features of a region of the UK and a chosen country to understand about world weather patterns and climate zones to understand how humans affect the environment over time to identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer of Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night) to understand why people seek, manage and sustain their environment Year 6 In Year 6 children will learn: to use a variety of resources to locate countries and describe features to describe and understand key aspects of physical geography to describe and understand key aspects of human geography and the distribution of natural resources to plan the steps and strategies for an enquiry to understand geographical similarities and differences of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North and South America 1/1

Hamstel Junior School uses ParentPay for all bookings and payments. This means every parent/carer will need an online account. All parents will need their log in information to set up an account. Online Payments & Bookings Hamstel Junior School uses ParentPay for all bookings and payments. This means every parent/carer will need an online account. All parents will need their log in information to set up an account. Please contact the school office if you need any support with setting up your account. The school does not accept cash payments. Pai Pagar Paying for items on Parentpay One-click payments on Parentpay

Start of the Day School opening time: 8:40am - 8:50am End of the Day The school day ends at the following times: Lower school (years 3 and 4) - 3:20pm Upper school (years 5 and 6) - 3:25pm Our School Day Timetable Start of the Day School opening time: 8:40am - 8:50am Registration: from 8:50am Morning playtime - times vary Lunchtime - 5 5 minutes between 11:30am and 1:30pm Afternoon playtime - times vary End of the Day The school day ends at the following times: Lower school (years 3 and 4) - 3:20pm Upper school (years 5 and 6) - 3:25pm Playtime The children have a morning and afternoon break. Children may bring a small snack to eat during the morning break time. A piece of fruit or healthy snack bar is ideal. We do not allow bars of chocolate, sweets or any items containing nuts. Lunchtime The children have a 55 minute break in the middle of the day. Year groups have an allocated slot to eat their lunch in the Jubilee Dining Hall during the lunchbreak. Children may bring a packed lunch or pre-order a School Dinner via Parentpay. Assemblies We have two whole school assemblies each week, on a Monday and a Friday. During the week we also have year group assemblies. Parents are invited to their child's class assembly. Drop Off Children should arrive at school between 8:40am and 8:50am as registration is taken by the class teacher at 8:55am. Please note, that children who arrive after 8:50am will need to enter the school via the main entrance and will receive a late mark. Parents of children in year 3 can wait on the lower school playground from 8:30am (no unaccompanied children please). Children in years 4, 5 and 6 should enter the school via the green gate. We ask that children do not arrive at school unaccompanied before 8:40am. Children with siblings may enter school together via either of the entrances. Collection Year 3 children should be collected from the lower school playground (the same playground they are dropped at in the morning). Children in years 4, 5 and 6 should be collected from the main playground. Teachers will bring their class out at the end of the day. We ask that parents wait behind the barriers and check with the class teacher before taking their child. Parents with children in both year 3 and 4 should pick both children up from the year 3 playground. The school day finishes at the following times: Years 3 and 4 - 3:20pm Years 5 and 6 - 3:25pm Children should be collected at 3:20pm from the playground (3:25pm for children in years 5 and 6). In exceptional circumstances, when a child is not collected on time, they are taken to the school office and parents are contacted. If your child is not picked up by 3:35pm or they are regularly late being collected, a late pick up fee of £5 will be incurred for every 15 minutes they are late. Children not collected by 3:45pm will be taken to DASH. Parents will be charged a late fee of £5 and an additional £5 for the session. Parent will then need to collect their child from the main office at 4:30pm. Thank you for your support. Please let the class teacher or school office staff know if your child will be going home on their own or if they will be collected by another parent or adult other than you . Our Daily After School Hub (DASH) is available every day school is open; places should be booked 24 hours in advance via ParentPay . On the day bookings are not possible.

Year 3 Expected Standard of work This is an example of the standard if fiction text that a Year 3 pupil should be able to read and understand. We would expect that a Year 3 pupil would be able to read this text fluently and with expression. We would also expect that they would be able to answer the following type of questions; Questions about word meaning Which word - in lines 1-5 - means the same as well-known? Questions that ask you to extract information from the passage Where was the house that Tom lived in? Questions that ask you to summarise the text Describe what you know about Tom’s family. Questions that ask you to use the clues in the text to produce a reasoned answer Why did Tom’s secret worry him? Questions that ask you to use the text to make predictions Do you think Tom will stay with his mother all through the story? Explain your answer. Questions relating to the meaning of the whole text In what way does Jack differ in appearance from his brothers? Questions about the author’s choice of language Why did the author describe the wolves’ jaws as dripping? (Line 18) Questions that ask you to compare different parts of the text How you you think the brothers feel about their adventures? How do you think Tome feels about their adventures? 1/1 1/2

Click on the links for additional resources which can be used at home. Educational Resources Literacy Zone Maths Zone Science Zone Online Safety Zone Play Like Share Follow the adventures of Sam, Ellie and Alfie as they form a band and enter their school's Battle of the Bands contest, taking on the mean but 'cool' Popcorn Wizards as they go. Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Band Runner Help the characters from Play Like Share by playing the game Band Runner. Put your online safety knowledge to the test and help the characters to make safe choices! Click here to play. Stay Safe Online Do not talk to strangers online. Only share things with people that you know in real life. Think carefully about what you put online or send to friends. This includes photos, videos, comments and personal information. If something happens online which worries or upsets you, tell a trusted adult. Websites

Every day at school matters to your child's education, academic success and future life chances. The law says that parents are legally responsible for making sure their children attend school regularly. Research has shown that poor attendance is linked to lower exam grades. Attendance Every day at school matters to your child's education, academic success and future life chances. The law says that parents are legally responsible for making sure their children attend school regularly. Research has shown that poor attendance is linked to lower exam grades. Children who attend school regularly also have better social skills and stronger friendship groups. Key Information We hope that you find the information below useful. If you have any queries or worries about your child's attendance then please contact Miss Williams, our Child and Family Support Officer, who will be happy to advise you. When should I keep my child off school? Sickness and Diarrhoea Your child should not come to school if they have sickness or diarrhea. Once they have been clear for 48 hours, they should return to school. COVID-19 As we enter the colder months when coughs and colds usually emerge, we wanted to clarify the school's approach to COVID-19. In line with NHS guidance, we recommend that children stay home from school if they have a high temperature or feel too unwell to carry out their normal routine. Once they are better, they should return to school. If your child has mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or mild cough, and they feel well enough, they can come to school. Children are no longer required to do a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test if they have symptoms. However, if a child has a positive COVID-19 test result, NHS guidance suggests they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test, if they can. After 3 days, if they feel well and do not have a high temperature, the risk of passing the infection on to others is much lower and they can return to school. Reporting Absence to School Contact the school on the first day of absence either by telephone or by email by 9:15am. Keep the school informed if your child is absent for more than one day. Provide medical evidence for absences in the form of appointment cards, texts or pharmacy receipts dated for the absence period for medicine relating to the absence. Contact 01702 468048 office@hjs.porticoacademytrust.co.uk Late Arrivals Being punctual is very important and gives your child a good start to the day. If your child arrives later than 8:50am they will need to enter the school via the main entrance and will be given a late mark in the register. Click here to view more details about our school day and identify your child's nearest entrance to school in the morning. Leave of Absence Please submit a leave of absence form for any absence requests (such a holiday, weddings) during term time. Forms can be collected from the school office or printed from the link below. Forms must be completed and handed in to the office at least one month prior to the leave for consideration by the Head Teacher. Please attach supporting evidence to the form, identifying the exceptional nature of the leave. If your child is absent without permission granted by the Head Teacher the leave will be recorded as unauthorised. The current law does not give any entitlement to parents to take their child out of school during term time. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 prohibits Head Teachers granting leave of absence to a pupil except where an application has been made in advance and the Head Teacher considers there are exceptional circumstances relating to the application. If the leave is granted, the Head Teacher can also determine the number of days the child may reasonably be away from school. All applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to your child’s education progress. A pupil who takes 10 days absence will only attain 94.7% attendance for the school year. 10 days absence also means the pupil will miss 50 hours of education. If the absence is not authorised and the leave is taken, schools are now required to inform the Local Authority Access and Inclusion School Attendance Team. In August 2024, the government document 'Working Together to Improve School Attendance' was published in which guidelines were set out for the issuing of Penalty Notices in relation to unauthorised absence from school. The link to this document can be found below. For further information, please refer to the documents below. Common sense is your best guide when deciding whether your child needs to stay at home. As a general rule, if your child complains of minor ailments (slight sore throat, slight cold or cough, minor aches and pains, slight headache) they should come to school. If their condition worsens during the day, the school will contact you. If your child has a slight ear or tooth ache they should come to school. If pain persists they should see a doctor or dentist. Do not send a child to school with an unexplained rash until you have consulted a doctor. For further guidance, please refer to the NHS website . 1/1 Related Documents Attendance Information booklet for Parents & Guardians Leave of Absence form Attendance policy DfE Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance - August 2024 Portico Academy Trust letter from the CEO regarding 'Attendance' - 13.9.24