Year 4 Staff
Mr Kay – Class Teacher
Hello. My name is Andrew Kay. I am the Year 4 Class teacher and one of our school’s Deputy Headteachers. I have enjoyed teaching at St. John’s for almost 24 years and I find it such a privilege to work with our children and parents. In school, I have subject responsibility for Religious Education, Music and Primary Languages (French in our school). Along with Maths, these are my favourite subjects. One more thing I have to admit is that I suffer from Sparkalaphobia – the fear of glitter (much to everyone else’s amusement)!
I have been married for 22 years. I have boys and two very excitable dogs called Odey and Lucy. When I am not working at St. John’s, I am busy doing lots of things in my local church. In my spare time I enjoy going out for meals with my family and friends, walking our dogs, reading and playing the piano to help me relax!
Mrs Pallister – Class Teacher
Hi. I’m Mrs Pallister one of the Deputy Head Teachers at St. John’s. From being a little girl, I always wanted to be a teacher and I love my job – most of the time! People usually hear my laugh around school before they see me. I have worked at St John’s for a very long time. My role in school has changed significantly over the last year from always being the Year 6 teacher to being a none class-based Deputy Head. This gives me more time to focus on one of the key areas within our school, English and Reading. English, especially reading is something I am extremely passionate about; I love nothing more than seeing a child engaged in a story or desperate to share a new fact they have just learned from a book. In addition to this, I do now have the privilege of working in Year 4 with Mr Kay and Mrs Scott two days a week and I love that! Teaching is definitely something that makes me happy.
At home I live with my husband and am a proud mammy to a very cheeky almost three-year-old boy, he keeps me extremely busy all of the time but I wouldn’t change that for the world!
Mrs Scott – HLTA
Hello my name is Mrs Scott and I’ve lived in Shildon all of my life and currently live in New Shildon with my husband and two daughters. I attended St. John’s Primary School as a child and both of my teenage daughters attended St John’s from Nursery right through to Year 6.
I have worked in childcare for over 19 years, first as a childminder, then in a private Nursery and for the last 11 years in St John’s Primary School. I am currently a HLTA in Year 4 but have worked in Nursery, Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5.
In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit, reading and socialising with friends.
World Book Day 2022
In Year 4 our History topic was The Romans, so when author Adman Bushnell came into school we looked at life as a Gladiator and as a Roman Centurion. We explored Roman artefacts including weapons and armour. We even had a go at being a Roman Soldier, following Latin orders to march and fight. We then wrote biographies of Flamma the Gladiator and Maximus the Roman Centurion.
Year 4 Important Information
We are certainly living in strange times, but we hope your child is beginning to settle into Year 4 after a long time away from school! Here is some important and useful information for our Year 4 children and parents.
Homework
Homework in Year 4 will be as follows:
Monday – Spellings to learn for Friday’s spelling test (children can practise their spellings at home as many times as they wish during the week, choosing the best method that works for them).
Times Tables – children can practise and learn all Times Tables facts from 1×1 up to 12×12.
PE Lessons
Physical Education, including Swimming lessons (later on this year), is a compulsory part of the school curriculum, therefore all children need to have their PE kit in school every Tuesday and Friday.
Children’s PE kit consists of:
plain white t-shirt or polo shirt
black, grey or navy tracksuit bottoms
trainers or plimsolls.
Children can wear their red school jumpers over their white t-shirts.
Swimming
Under normal circumstances, our Year 4 children have the opportunity to learn to swim at Woodhouse Close Leisure Centre in Bishop Auckland. Of course, at the moment we are not able to go for weekly swimming lessons. As soon as the restrictions are relaxed, we will let you know before we begin our swimming sessions again.
Reading Books
Most children in Year 4 will not be receiving a regular weekly reading book. We are encouraging children to become more independent readers. Children will be choosing their own books and reading during our daily in-class ‘Accelerated Reader’ sessions. Every child will be heard reading regularly in class in our Accelerated Reader sessions and Guided Reading Group sessions where adults regularly assess and monitor your child’s progress.
Additional Information
Mr Kay is our Year 4 class teacher, but Mrs Pallister (our other Deputy Head teacher) also teaches in class on Wednesday and Thursday. Mrs Scott, our fantastic HLTA, also works full time with us in Year 4.
Finally, if you have any questions or need any further information about anything to do with school, please ask!
As always, thank you for your continued support.
Mr Kay, Mrs Pallister and Mrs Scott
Click on the link below to view the topics that will be taught this academic year.
Year 4 Curriculum Overview 2021-2022
