Year 4

Year 4 2025/2026

Mr Emes 4E

emesg@leighton.cheshire.sch.uk 

Mrs Jones/Mrs Sayer 4S

jonesh@leighton.cheshire.sch.uk 

Other familiar faces to our classrooms:

Mrs Prince   Mrs Woods

Year 4 Autumn Overview

What are we learning?

Subject	Autumn 1	Autumn 2	Subject	Autumn 1	Autumn 2
Maths	Power Maths Place Value Addition & Subtraction Number Sense	Power Maths Area Multiplication and Division Number Sense	Art & Design	Habitats Artist: Daniel Mackie painting, drawing, colour
English T4W	The Whale Setting Narrative Newspaper Report	Leaf Outsider Narrative Information Report - Polar bears	D and T	Seasonal Food & Healthy Eating (Food & Nutrition)
Science	Sound	Electricity	Humanities	Europe (including Russia) Rivers	Remembrance Day What did people have to sacrifice during the war - rationing Influential Person - Mary Seacole
Computing	Coding	Online Safety	Religious Education	What kind of world do we want to live in?	What do Christians believe God is like?
P.E.	Netball O.A.A.	Basketball Hockey	Music	Ukulele lessons	Ukulele lessons
Personal Development	New Beginnings No Outsiders	Family and Relationships No Outsiders	German	Welcome to School days, weeks, months, numbers to 20, school rooms and classroom objects	My Town, Your Town fireworks poem, instructions, places in a German town, German shops' names

Reminders

P.E. will now be on Tuesday (Basketball) and Thursday (Hockey) - please send your child into school wearing full PE kit on these days.  

Water bottles  
Please clean the bottle each evening and send in with fresh water daily - not juice.
This helps us adhere to current safety regulations. 

Supporting your child’s learning

Our Year 4 webpage contains links and guidance to involve you in your child's school learning journey. We very much view you as our team. Without your support, our aims are harder to achieve. This can be done through practising times tables, spellings and reading together. 

Reading

We ask that children read for at least 30 minutes five times each week. Books sent home do not have to be completed all at once, and we strongly encourage an equal amount of questioning to ensure the text and vocabulary has been understood. If you are not sure how you can do this, please ask and look at this link https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-comprehension/ .

We have added a document that contains recommended reads for Year 4 children.  We will do our best to update this as the year progresses. Please let us know if there is a book that your child has really enjoyed and wish to have added to this document.

We have found a website that contains a large number of book recommendations for all year groups.  It is called 'The Reader Teacher' and can be located at https://www.thereaderteacher.com. Please let us know what you think of the recommendations.

Remember that when your child has read a book that they can complete a reading comprehension quiz on Accelerated Reader. 

If you feel your child needs more books than we can provide, please look at the Cheshire Libraries catalogue of online books.  Membership will be required.

Reading Online

https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/

Freckle and Times Tables Rockstars Online Platforms

The Multiplication Check will take place in June 2026. Please ensure your child spends at least three minutes on Times Tables Rockstars EVERY day. Focus on times tables in this order: x2, x5, x10, then x3 and x4, followed by x6 and x8, and lastly x9, x11, x7 and x12 times tables. Regular practice will ensure success.

Times Table Rockstars is a great learning platform for practising times tables.

Homework will start the first week back after half-term. There will be a 10-minute set of questions to do from a Maths and English CGP Workbook.

Spellings

By the end of Year 4 pupils are expected to read and spell the words listed below. Please give your child the best chance at learning these by choosing a few each week and practicing how to read and spell these. The Year 1 and 2 Spelling List is also available to view here.

Classic / Earlier‑20th‑century titles

1. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White — A beautiful story of friendship.
2. The Borrowers by Mary Norton — A tiny people living beneath the floorboards.
3. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett — A classic tale of discovery, growth and friendship.
4. Just William by Richmal Crompton — Humorous short stories of a mischievous boy called William.
5. Green Knowe (series) by Lucy M. Boston — Ghostly/haunting yet gentle stories set in an old manor house.
6. Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl — A father‑and‑son adventure, full of heart and mischief.
7. The Iron Man by Ted Hughes.

 Modern / contemporary titles & series

8. Beetle Boy by M. G. Leonard (first of the “Beetle Trilogy”) — A thrilling middle‑grade adventure with beetles at its core.
9. Dial a Ghost by Eva Ibbotson — A fun ghost story, accessible for Year 5.
10. Song of the River by Gill Lewis — Environmental story, short‑chapters.
11. The O.D.D. Squad: Attack of Aunty Enchanty by Stuart Heritage — Fun, accessible chapter‑book for younger/Year 3 readers.
12. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy — Beautifully illustrated.
13. The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy — A beloved series for magic‑loving children.
14. The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd — For confident Year 3/4 readers, funny, imaginative.
15. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown — A thoughtful story about a robot surviving in the wild.
16. Buckle & Squash and the Monstrous Moat‑dragon by Sarah Courtauld — Recommended for Year 3: fun adventure with sisters and humour.

• The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson – adventurous, classic‑style tale.
• Varjak Paw by S. F. Said – a cat’s adventure in a new world.
• The Sheep‑Pig by Dick King‑Smith – simpler chapter‑book, good transition from picture books.

Humour / Everyday Life

• The Legend of Kevin by Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre – lots of humour, fun for Year 3.
• Mr Penguin & The Lost Treasure by Alex T. Smith – humorous, illustrated chapter book.
• Knights & Bikes by Gabrielle Kent – playful adventure/quest for younger readers.

Classics / Older Works

• The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame – classic tale, accessible for Year 3.

Issues & Real‑World

• The Promise by Nicola Davies & Laura Carlin – story about change, environment, community.
• My Name Is Not Refugee by Kate Milner – modern, thoughtful text for young readers.

Adventure / Fantasy

• How to Train Your Dragon (series) by Cressida Cowell – lively fantasy/adventure, strong choice for Year 4.

Humour / Everyday Life

• Billionaire Boy by David Walliams – humorous modern novel, appealing for Year 4.
• Mr Gum series by Andy Stanton – high humour, playful language, very engaging.

More Modern Titles 

1. Reggie Rabbit: The Great Carrot Heist – Swapna Reddy – Age ~6‑9 – Chapter book/series – Humorous, accessible for younger 6‑9 readers.
2. Beti and the Little Round House – Atinuke – Age ~6‑9 – Chapter book – A fun adventure in a Welsh countryside setting.
3. Astrid and the Space Cadets: Attack of the Snailiens! – Alex T Smith – Age ~8‑9 – Chapter book – Sci‑fi/adventure targeted at 8‑9.
4. The Council of Good Friends – Nikesh Shukla & Rochelle Falconer – Age ~8‑9 – Chapter book – Real‑life friends scenario.
5. Yomi and the Fury of Ninki Nanka – Davina Tijani – Age ~8‑9 – Adventure/fantasy.
6. Leonora Bolt: Eco Engineer – (author) – Age ~6‑9 – STEM theme chapter book.
7. Buzz Sausage Wolf – Jim Beckett – Age ~6‑9 – Humorous chapter book.
8. The Moonlight Mystery Agency: The Birthday Cake Thief – Vashti Hardy – Age ~6‑9 – Mystery/quest.
9. Tiny the Secret Adventurer – Aisha Bushby & Kübra Teber – Age ~6‑7 – Fantasy/adventure for younger end.
10. Honey’s Hive – Mo O’Hara – Age ~6‑9 – First in a new series, strong for younger end of 6‑9.
11. AdventureMice: Otter Chaos! – Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre – Age ~6‑9 – Adventure/fantasy, illustrated, short chapters.
12. Secret Beast Club: The Unicorns of Silver Street – Robin Birch – Age ~6‑9 – Fantasy/adventure.
13. The Egg Incident – Ziggy Hanaor – Age ~6‑9 – Fun/chapter book/graphic novel hybrid.
14. Tangled Tales: Bites, Camera, Action! / Movies, Magic, Mayhem! – Jenny Moore – Age ~6‑9 – Double story chapter book.
15. Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives: The Cookie Culprit – Zanib Mian – Age ~7‑9 – Mystery/humour.
16. Keisha Jones Takes on the World – Natalie Denny & Chanté Timothy – Age ~6‑9 – Contemporary realistic fiction.
17. Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories – (product above) – Age ~6‑9 – Humour/spooky.
18. The Princess and the Fox – (product above) – Age ~6‑9 – Fairy‑tale chapter book.