KS1 News

Read on to find out what we have been up to in Years 1 & 2 this week.

Year 1

We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable half-term break. It’s been wonderful to see the children return full of energy and excitement. It’s hard to believe we’re already in our final half-term of Year 1!

We’ve had a busy first week back, with class photos, the first round of Vineyard’s Got Talent auditions, and a fantastic Careers Day.

In English, we’ve started a new book—The Smile Shop by Satoshi Kitamura. This is helping us write descriptive texts using powerful adjectives. We’ve explored the features of descriptive writing and built rich vocabulary inspired by busy market scenes. The children are excited to work towards presenting their writing to the Year 6 class—a great chance to share their creativity!

In maths, we’ve been learning about position and direction. Through practical activities, we’ve explored full, half, and quarter turns, using language like left, right, forwards, backwards, above, and below. You can support this at home by playing games like Snakes and Ladders or giving simple movement instructions.

In the wider curriculum, we’ve begun new topics across subjects. In History, we’re learning about the history of flight and ordering inventions on a timeline. In Design and Technology, we’re exploring stable structures. In RE, we’ve started learning about Judaism, its beliefs, and traditions. In Science, we’re investigating how plants grow and what they need to survive. In PSHE, we’ve been naming boys’ and girls’ body parts and discussing which parts are private to understand personal boundaries.

Next week, the children will take part in the statutory Phonics Screening Check. Please continue practising with past papers at home, focusing on spotting special friends and chatty friends. Make sure the children get plenty of rest this weekend to feel calm and ready.

It’s shaping up to be a fantastic final half-term!

w/b 02.06.25

Keywords: inventions, timeline, recording, warmth, sunlight, survive, stable structures, Judaism, religion, male, female, vagina, penis, testicles, vulva, anus

Sounds: ea, oi, a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e, aw, are

w/b 09.06.25

Keywords: Montgolfier brothers, significant, hot air balloon, flower, blossom, fruit, plan, commandments, rules, private

Sounds: ur, er, ow, ai, oa, ew, ire, ear

Messages:

Please drop children off to their classrooms by 8.45am. If you are running late, do not go to the classrooms after 8.45 and instead go through the office as this can be disruptive to the learning.
Bring reading folders (reading records and spelling books) on Monday.
The reading record should be signed by an adult five times.
Your child will receive their reading folders back on Tuesday.

Dates:

Every Monday - homework club

09.06.25 - 13.06.25 - Phonics Screening Check

09.06.25 - Vineyard’s Got Talent Round 2 audition

13.06.25 - NSPCC Number Day

Year 2

We’ve had a lovely start to our final term in Year 2. From Careers Day to the first round of auditions for The Vineyard’s Got Talent competition, the children’s curiosity and bravery have truly shone through.

In English, we began our new book this week — The Bear and the Piano. The children showed great curiosity by asking thoughtful questions about the front cover and sharing their opinions after reading the story. In our writing, we’ve focused on using apostrophes to show possession. For example: The piano’s sound drifted through the clearing, reminding the bear of the days he discovered his love for music.

In Maths, our learning focus has been on fractions. We’ve introduced the concepts of halves, thirds, and quarters. The children are beginning to show a strong understanding that fractions are made up of equal parts of a whole. We’ve identified different fractions and used counters to find halves, thirds, and quarters of various numbers.

In Science, our young scientists are exploring the fascinating world of plants! Through careful observation and discussion, pupils are learning how to tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy plants. From vibrant leaves and strong stems to signs of wilting or discolouration, we're discovering what plants need to grow — and what happens when they don’t. It’s a fun and engaging way to build curiosity and scientific thinking about the natural world.

We are so proud of every pupil who auditioned in Round One of the school’s talent competition! Your courage, creativity, and enthusiasm lit up the stage and inspired us all. Whether you sing, dance, or tell jokes — thank you for sharing your talents with us.

Keep shining, and good luck to those moving on to the next round!

w/b 02.06.25

Keywords: fractions, halves, thirds, quarters, whole, part, equal parts, apostrophes, possession, because, predict, healthy, unhealthy, plants, Hinduism, God, Goddess, Ganesh,

Spellings: there, their, they’re, too, two, to, here, hear