16th March 2026

Year 1 have been assisting the detectives this week as the same criminal who stole into the Junior school to take the house points have struck again - this time at the Infants. Luckily Year 1 were on hand to support the investigation and we found some interesting evidence. As this has not been completely resolved yet - we wait with bated breath to collaborate with Year 2 and compare our results! More science in our sense investigations as we learn how our eyes can spot differences,  ears can discern many sounds and that sounds become fainter as they move away. We have been creating our own Supertato style super heroes and villains and are now starting to write character descriptions based on our ideas. In maths we have been counting  and using numbers within 50. We are really looking forward to our Super Hero Wow Day next Tuesday getting dressed up and becoming super heroes for the day! 

2nd March 2026

We are excited to share that we have begun our new Superhero topic and we can’t wait to explore it further over the coming weeks!

In English, our focus is on character descriptions, and we are using the wonderful book Supertato to support our learning. The children thoroughly enjoyed our hook lesson last week, when the Evil Peas caused chaos in the Year 1 area and trapped Supertato in a cage! We had lots of fantastic discussions as we tried to work out what might have happened. It was a brilliant and engaging way to begin learning the story.

In Maths, we have been working on missing number problems. The children have been using number lines to help them add and subtract in order to find the missing numbers. We are so proud of the progress they are making with this.

In DT, we have started exploring mechanisms, focusing on wheels and axles and how they work. The children will be applying this knowledge to design and create their own pull-along toy. This links beautifully with our History topic, where we are learning about how toys have changed over time.

Thank you to everyone who brought in toys from home. We had so much fun exploring them and discussing how toys have developed over the years. We were also lucky enough to have a toy museum give us toys, where we explored toys from the past 100 years.

Please keep an eye on Class Dojo and ParentMail for updates about our upcoming Superhero WOW Day and other important information.

9th February 2026

As we come to the end of Spring 1, we would like to share a final round-up of what we have been learning.

The children have thoroughly enjoyed our topic, “Crazy Creatures.” They have explored a wide range of fascinating animals and imaginary beasts, observing them, creating their own versions, and even having the opportunity to touch and examine some up close. Their curiosity and enthusiasm have been wonderful to see.

In English, the children have worked incredibly hard. They have applied all the skills they have been learning to write detailed reports about a “crazy creature” of their own invention. From organising their writing into clear sections, to including key features such as headings, factual language and interesting information, they have shown great progress and pride in their work. We are so impressed with their creativity and determination.

In Maths, we have been focusing on doubles and near doubles. Although this has been a challenging concept at times, the children have shown fantastic perseverance. They are beginning to use excellent mathematical language to explain their reasoning and are becoming increasingly confident when solving problems.

In Science, our learning has linked perfectly with our “Crazy Creatures” topic. The children have explored different animals and learned how to compare and group them. They have sorted animals into categories such as reptiles, mammals, fish, amphibians and birds, discussing the features that make each group unique. We have also looked at how animals are grouped by what they eat, learning about herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. The children have enjoyed learning and using this new scientific vocabulary.

This topic has been a huge success and has been enjoyed by everyone.

Looking ahead to Spring 2, we are excited to begin our new topic “Superheroes!” We cannot wait to get started.

A reminder about an email that was sent last week:

Towards the end of our topic, we will be holding a Superhero WOW Day on Tuesday 24th March to celebrate our learning. More details about this special day will be shared soon.

As part of our History lessons next term, we will be learning about how toys have changed over time. To support this learning, we would like to ask children to bring in:

• One favourite toy (please ensure it is clearly named).
• If possible, a toy from the 1950s to the present day that parents, carers or family members may have and are happy to share with the class.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

The Year 1 team – Happy Holidays

26th January 2026

A Jolly January to you all!

Our Crazy Creatures topic is now in full flow and we are learning so many things. 

• In science we have been grouping, comparing and describing animals. This week we were so excited to meet some unusual creatures as we had a visit from the exotic Zoolab. There was a Madagascan Hissing cockroach called Gary, a giant African snail called Flash, a beautiful little Australian tree frog called Freddo, Samantha the giant millipede and Ekans the corn snake. We loved seeing them and some of us held, stroked and touched the animals. An amazing experience. 

• Our English lessons are focused on writing a report about an animal and we have invented our own creature using Switchzoo. We wrote one using the Ridgeback Dragon and now we will be writing our own!

• In Maths, we have been practising using a number-line to 20 and finding missing numbers - we have been trying to use maths language to explain our answers. 

• We love Art especially as we are mixing colours and making secondary colours from primary colours. 

• In Geography, we were introduced to a compass so please do ask us what the mnemonic is to recall the compass points. 

So, as you can see, we are very busy bees!  

12th January 2026

Happy New Year!
We hope you all had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed the holiday break. The children have settled back into school really well and have enjoyed telling us all about the fun things they got up to during the holidays.

We kicked off our new topic, “Crazy Creatures,” with a very exciting Mystery Visitor! A mysterious creature appeared in our school library, sparking lots of imagination and curiosity. The children shared brilliant ideas about what animal they thought had visited and enjoyed drawing their own versions in their books.

In English, we have started learning about reports and have introduced our focus text, The Ridgeback Dragon. This will be our report map, which we will be working on throughout the term.

In Maths, we are developing our understanding of the teen numbers and numbers to 20. We have been looking at tens and ones, exploring how many tens and ones make each number. The children are working hard to grasp this important concept.

In Science, we have begun our topic on Comparing Animals. We were learning about the five animal groups, sorting animals into these groups and discussing why each animal belongs there.

Art, we got the paint out! The children have been learning all about primary and secondary colours and experimenting with colour mixing.

We are really looking forward to diving deeper into our learning this term. We also have an exciting visit from ZooLab coming up in a couple of weeks, which will link perfectly with our “Crazy Creatures” topic!

8th December 2025

Holidays Are Coming!

Not long to go now, and WOW the children in Year 1 have done incredibly well this term.

We have packed so much learning into the weeks that our brains have been growing every day, even with the bug that went through Year 1 a few weeks ago. The children showed great resilience and worked very hard throughout the term.

In English, we have been learning about persuasive writing, linking this to our explorer Matthew Henson. The children wrote letters persuading Tilly to come to the North Pole and produced some fantastic work.

In Maths, we have been working hard on part–part–whole and are now beginning to solve word problems by following each step carefully and deciding whether we are adding or subtracting.

Special Events

Last week we took part in Christmas Decoration Day, which the children thoroughly enjoyed. They visited different classrooms within their houses and made lots of fun decorations.

The following day, the children also took part in a Sports Day, which included a range of fun physical activities.

A Small Request

Please could you start collecting toilet roll tubes for a project we will be working on next term. Thank you for your support.

A Big Well Done

The children have been working extremely hard rehearsing for their play, Prickly Hay. You should be very proud of them as they have shown great commitment and enthusiasm.

As we wrap up and say goodbye to 2025, the whole Year 1 team would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We look forward to seeing you again in 2026.

24th November 2025

Through a brief flurry of snow, we slip and slide into the festive period. Despite our numbers being up and down due to some strange virus, we have been battling on with our learning in all sorts of ways. 

Mrs France and the children, assisted by the lovely Mrs Charlotte, have been making bird feeders in Forest school. Since the cold snap, we are sure the birds have appreciated the extra food. It is wonderful for us to see the birds come and feed too. 

Our maths skills have developed as we look at the different ways to make 10. Subitisation (being able to recognise a small number of objects without counting) is a great skill to have here. We have been looking for the five in a number too. So we know 6 is 5 and 1. 7 is 5 and 2 etc. 

In English, we completed our setting writing and have moved on to  writing a simple letter. This week we have received letters from explorers and are finding the features of letters. 

Our Phonic sessions have seen a consolidation of Chapter 4a sounds and we now move to becoming fluent in these sounds. Please do carry on daily reading as this helps with fluency. 

In History, we looked at Christopher Columbus and his travels. We ordered a timeline for his journey. 

In Science, we carry on exploring the seasons and the weather.

In DT, we are going to be designing our puppet. 

We carry on our endeavours with the Christmas performance and are quickly learning the songs. Mr Payne is a wonderful director and he makes rehearsals fun for all of us!

10th November 2025

WOW…. Autumn Term 2 is already here! Time really does fly when we're having fun in Year 1.

We’ve started the term with our exciting new topic: Incredible Inventors and Explorers. As you may have seen on Class Dojo, the children kicked things off by making their very own telescopes to begin their journey as explorers.

In English, we are diving into the story Tilly and the Telescope. The children have been exploring all the places Tilly travels, describing each setting in detail. They’ll soon be creating their own brand-new settings using the wonderful ideas they’ve gathered. We’ve also been learning about similes and how they make our writing more descriptive.

In Science, we began our new topic: Seasonal Changes. The children discussed the four seasons, the types of weather we might experience, and the months of the year. They then enjoyed creating their own seasonal mobiles.

We have continued our exploring in History, looking at different explorers from the past and present. See if your child can remember any of their names and explain why they are famous!

Of course, we can’t forget our first Forest School session, led by Mrs France. It sounded like the children absolutely loved it, and we can’t wait to see what adventures they have next.

A small reminder as the colder weather begins to arrive, please label all clothing and belongings. Including football kits on Fridays.

As always, it is a joy teaching Deer and Fox Class.

In the event of a school closure, remote learning will be available here.