Welcome to Year 1.
Our Teachers are Mrs Jennings, Mrs O’Sullivan and Miss Reynolds. Our Teaching Assistants are Mrs Scott, Mrs Kohli and Mrs Middleton
Sep 192025
Autumn Leaves are Falling Down!
In English this week, we have been exploring our new text ‘If Winter Comes, Tell it I’m Not Here’. We have spent some time thinking about what we enjoyed about the story and looking at patterns and anything we were unsure about. We discussed how during the autumn season, our environment changes and we will be further exploring this next week.
In Maths, we have been using our skills of subitising to identify patterns within numbers. We have practised our skills through the use of tens frames and counters and have begun to explore one more and one less.
In phonics, we have continued to revisit the phonic sounds already learnt as well as some harder to read and spell words. We have spent time segmenting words and creating sentences using picture prompts.
We have been working on letter formation in handwriting. Please encourage and support your child when writing at home.
Next Tuesday 23rd September, we are planning to go on an autumn walk as part of our current topic. If you are able to come along, please let Mrs Hutton in the office know.
We are desperately low on junk modelling items especially cardboard tubes, plastic bottles and lids. We would be most grateful for any donations!
Thank you for supporting your child with daily reading and do remember to send in your child’s book every day.
Have a lovely weekend!
The Year 1 Team
Photos of all our learning during continuous provision.
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Sep 122025
Welcome back!
We have had a lovely time getting to know each other and have been pleased to see how well the children have settled into their new classrooms.
We have spent some time exploring the different areas of the classroom and we have thought carefully about our learning within each area.
In Phonics this week we have been revisiting the phonics sounds that we learnt in reception including each letter formation rhyme. We have practised our skills of segmenting and blending while reading words and captions. We have begun revisiting letter formation by writing simple words and captions.
In Maths, we have been learning the language of position and direction. This has included learning our left and right as well as other positional language such as: above, below, next to and behind.
Our topic this term will focus on seasons and changes. When you are out walking with your child, it would be great if you could collect any natural items for example, pine cones, conkers and leaves and bring them into school.
PE this term takes place on a Wednesday. Please have your child’s full PE kit in school each week.
We change reading books every Monday and Thursday. Please read with your child each day and record in the yellow reading diary.
We always need any recycling for our junk modelling areas and would be most grateful if you could collect and bring in your items from home!
Look out for the curriculum letter with information about the topics and learning covered in the Autumn term.
Have a great weekend!
Jul 112025
Getting ready
Hi everyone,
This week, the children have been preparing for their move to Year 2. On Thursday, they spent some time in the morning in their new class, meeting their teachers and becoming familiar with the classroom environment. They talked about the new topics they’d be learning, trips and events that happen over the year. We understand that the prospect of moving year group can be daunting for many children so we try to make it as easy as possible.
It was lovely to see so many of you pop in to the classes on the Open Evening event. We hope you enjoyed seeing some of the work they have done over the course of the year and had a chance to see what happens in other year groups.
In English, the children have been finishing their poems about a wiggly worm. They wrote messages to the Reception classes children telling them about the things they have enjoyed in Year 1. The children and spent time chatting to the Reception children about their new year group.
In maths, the children have been recapping over shape, time, multiplication and tally charts by completing a daily Safe Challenge. The children have the opportunity to revisit past learning and improve their skills.
There will be no spellings next week, the green books will go to their new class.
Have a great weekend.
Jul 042025
Wiggle Worm!
Hi everyone,
This week’s topic we have combined R.E. topic which is looking at our human responsibilities and values and Science topic looking at deciduous and evergreen trees. The children have considered why we care for the planet and ways to protect it. How they can be responsible by taking small actions such as; turning off the lights when they leave a room, making sure taps are not left running, drinking all the water in their water bottles.
In Science, they named and compared varieties of deciduous and evergreen trees. The children described the basic structure of a tree.
In English, the children have read the poem Wiggle Worm. We discussed the vocabulary, repeated phrases and how the poem is divided into verses. The children then looked at a video of a worm moving and created a class word bank of adjectives. The children used the word bank to write their own version of the poem.
In Maths, we have been using objects and pictorial representations including numbers to order and compare lengths to 100, compare values in different representations to 100 and use place value to estimate and order.
Please keep the reading going with your child and sign the yellow record book when the book has been read 3 times. Reading books are changed Mondays and Thursdays.Please check your child’s book bag for their weekly spellings.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Year 1 team
Jun 202025
Flora and Fauna
Hi everyone,
This week, in our Art topic we have been studying different flora and fauna. We created detailed pencil drawings of different wildflowers and used our fingerprints to create minibeasts. At the end of the week, we used the skills to create our own flora and fauna artwork using paints and black marker pens. These will be framed and on display at our open evening on Thursday 10th and available to buy.
In English, we have started a new book Claude in the City – Part 1 by Alex T Smith, which follows the adventures of Claude a small dog and his companion Sir Bobbleysock as they spend time in Paris. We started reading the story and on day one the children made predictions about what they thought may happen. Over the rest of the week, the children role played the main events in the story, wrote some descriptive writing about the main characters and a scene from the book.
In Maths, the children started the week plotting numbers on a blank number line, starting with marking the key numbers 0, 100, 50, 25 and 75. The children then used the signs for greater than and less than to sort numbers 13, 17 ,15 and 20.
13 is less than 17 10+3 is less than 10+7
We looked at different strategies to calculate addition fact and subtraction facts.
Please ensure you read with your child and sign the yellow record book when the book has been read 3 times. Reading books are changed Mondays and Thursdays.
Please check your child’s book bag for their weekly spellings.
P.E.lessons for this after term:
- Aqua class Monday and Wednesday
- Sky class Wednesday and Friday.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Year 1 team
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Jun 132025
Being Responsible!
Hi everyone,
This week, our PSHE topic is about being responsible. The children talked about the things they are responsible for now and how those responsibilities will change as they grow older. The children looked at different scenarios and discussed the best outcomes for each one and how irresponsible actions can cause accidents.
In English, we used the text Vlad and the Great Fire of London by Kate Cunningham to retell the story in our words in the form of a diary. They focussed on including conjunctions (and, but, so) and adjectives in their writing. We looked at the diary entries of Samuel Pepys and discussed their importance in providing information about the fire and London at that time.
In Maths, the children have looked at a fraction of a shape – halving and quartering. The children had a variety of shapes to fold, working out whether they could be folded into halves and quarters. They then sorted the shapes into categories. The children understood that each part had to be equal.
Please ensure you read with your child and sign the yellow record book when the book has been read 3 times. Reading books are changed Mondays and Thursdays.
Please check your child’s book bag for their weekly spellings.
P.E.lessons for this after term:
- Aqua class Monday and Wednesday
- Sky class Wednesday and Friday.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Year 1 team
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Jun 112025
London’s Burning!
Welcome back!
It’s hard to believe the children are now in their last half term of Year 1.
This week, the children have enjoyed our History topic on the Great Fire of London. The children looked at images of London at the time comparing housing, emineties and living conditions to today. They talked about the materials used to build houses and the impact they had on spreading the fire. The children looked at location and proximity of housing too, understanding how fire spreads and how being closer to the River Thames meant some buildings survived. The children wrote questions for Samuel Pepys a key historical figure, who provided details about the fire in his diaries.
Great Fire of London – pictures and puppet shows
In English, we read the story of Vlad and the Great Fire of London by Kate Cunningham which told the story of the Great Fire of London from the viewpoint of a flea that travelled through the city on the back of a rat. The children used the text to sequence events, write sentences describing the events and create a plan of diary entries.
In Maths, the children have looked at fractions in the context of capacity. The children worked practically measuring water and working out a 1/2 and a 1/4 of the amounts. They found half of the lengths of pieces of string and looked at a clock face and how the minute hand can move through a quarter, half and three quarter turns.
Next week, the children will be completing their Phonics Screening Test. They have practised and are not put under any pressure, it’s seen as an opportunity for them to display their phonic knowledge.
Please ensure you read with your child and sign the yellow record book when the book has been read 3 times. Reading books are changed Mondays and Thursdays.
P.E.lessons for this after term:
- Aqua class Monday and Wednesday
- Sky class Wednesday and Friday.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Year 1 team
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May 232025
A Day at the Museum
This week in English, we had fun setting the scene using some action figures for inspiration and wrote our own Traction Man adventures. We worked on our skills of different sentence types and tried to incorporate a range of end of sentence punctuation: full stops, question marks and exclamation marks.
In Maths, we have been studying time which has involved lots of practical work thinking about clockwise, anticlockwise, half and quarter turns and then exploring the hands of a clock. We went on to read the time to o’clock and half past the hour as well as exploring intervals of time.
Our PSHE topic this week has been keeping and staying safe. We have looked at road safety and how we can keep safe when crossing the road. We discussed safe and unsafe scenarios and examined the different types of road crossing we might see: zebra, pelican, toucan and puffin crossing. We also thought about hazards around us for example in playgrounds or along the street and who we could ask for help.
In phonics, we have continued to review our previously learnt sounds and incorporated these sounds into spellings and creating sentences.
The children had a wonderful time on our trip this week to the Natural History Museum. They enjoyed taking part in the dinosaur workshop and we were excited to investigate and explore the many exhibits in the museum. Many thanks to the parents who gave up their time to accompany us!
Finally, well done to all the children for taking part in Sports Day today. The children all gave their very best and had lots of fun taking part in all the activities.
Have a lovely half term.
The Year 1 Team
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May 162025
Follow the Leader!
In English this week, the children have been very excited to learn the story ‘Traction Man’ by Mini Grey. We have used adjectives to describe his outfits, creating story maps and designing our own action figure dolls.
In Maths, we have been learning about the division symbol and consolidating our knowledge of equal and unequal groups. We have practised sharing an amount into groups, finding how many each group has.
In Phonics, we have continued to review phase 5 sounds and practised applying our knowledge into words and sentences.
In R.E, we have been learning how important a leader is. We have looked at various people such as Jill Scott, Mrs Stray, Keir Starmer, and how this links to how Jesus is a leader. We have written questions, role played a parable and pretended we are leaders, writing our own rules.
Next Thursday (22nd) is our school trip to the Natural History Museum! We are all very excited and can’t wait to see the amazing animals and dinosaurs. Thank you to those who have signed up to help us for the day. If you can, we would still love to have some more helpers so either let the class teachers know or the school office.
For our school trip your child will need:
- To wear their school uniform.
- They can wear trainers.
- A packed lunch and water bottle in a named bag. Please remember no foods containing nuts, seeds or pineapple.
N.B. The coach will be leaving at 8:45 am please ensure your child is in school at 8:30 am so they have time to go to the toilet and prepare.
Next Friday (23rd) is Sports Day on the field. Please sign up via the newsletter if you can help us walk down.
Aqua class had the most wonderful assembly this morning, your children were amazing!
Thank you for your continued support.
The Year 1 team.
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May 092025
Seeds and Celebrations!
This week in English, we have been reading our new text, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. The book explores the journey and growth of a seed through the seasons and how it finally finds a place to settle and grow into a beautiful flower. Our work around the story has linked to our Science topic this week on plants. The children had fun identifying plants growing within the school grounds and naming some of them. We planted seeds and then wrote instructions while remembering to include imperative verbs and writing in chronological order. The children enjoyed using their observational skills to look closely at some plants and using their knowledge to name as well as explain the function of each part.
In Maths, we have been working on scaling and finding what is meant by ‘twice as many’. The children played a doubling game with a partner using dice and cubes to consolidate their understanding and went on to use shapes to make patterns using the language ‘twice as many’. We progressed towards identifying what is ‘twice as long’ and worked practically using manipulatives within the classroom.
In Phonics this week, we are continuing to review all of our Phase 5 sounds and have worked on our reading and spelling skills covering all our previously taught sounds.
As part of the VE Day celebrations, the children took part in a special assembly on Thursday and in the afternoon spent some time outside playing hopscotch, snakes and ladders as well as dressing up. We made medals, bunting, flags and a spitfire!
Thank you to the volunteers who came to field friday! We had great fun and really enjoyed the lovely weather today.
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