Year 1
Class teacher: Miss Etherington
Support staff: Mrs Taylor
Welcome to Year 1!
Year 1 is a fantastic time for both personal and academic growth. It marks the transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to the National Curriculum, where children begin to learn subjects in a more structured yet engaging way.
A key focus in Year 1 is phonics. We ensure that all children develop strong reading skills so they can confidently access the wider curriculum throughout their school years. As their phonics knowledge grows, so does their ability to write, as they begin to see the connection between reading and spelling.
To support a smooth transition from EYFS, we take a gentle and balanced approach. While children engage in more formal learning, we also recognise that they are still young. That’s why we provide ‘choosing time’—unstructured play opportunities where children can explore activities such as outdoor play, painting, LEGO, or crafting. This helps them develop creativity, independence, and social skills while giving them a well-deserved brain break.
The progress children make in Year 1 is truly remarkable. They build strong foundations in English and Maths, setting them up for success in the years ahead.
Please see the termly overviews to find out what your child will be learning each term.
Help - Adding External Calendars
Below you will find instructions on how to add calendars from different platforms:
Google Calendar
- 1. Open Google Calendar in your browser
- 2. Click the settings gear icon next to your calendar
- 3. Select "Settings and sharing"
- 4. Scroll down to "Access permissions" section
- 5. Copy the "Public URL to this calendar" link
- 6. Paste the link in the "Calendar link" field
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=example@gmail.comOutlook Calendar
- 1. Open Outlook Calendar in your browser
- 2. Click "Share" next to your calendar
- 3. Select "Publish calendar"
- 4. Copy the "ICS" or "Web link"
- 5. Paste the link in the "Calendar link" field
https://outlook.live.com/calendar/action/view?id=exampleApple iCloud Calendar
- 1. Open iCloud Calendar in your browser
- 2. Click "Share" next to your calendar
- 3. Select "Public calendar"
- 4. Copy the "Public calendar" link
- 5. Paste the link in the "Calendar link" field
https://p123-calendars.icloud.com/published/2/exampleICS File
- 1. Find a link to an .ics file
- 2. The link must end with .ics
- 3. Paste the link in the "Calendar link" field
- 4. Example: https://example.com/calendar.ics
https://example.com/calendar.icsHelp - Adding External Calendars
Below you will find instructions on how to add calendars from different platforms:
Y1 Spring 1 OVERVIEW
Today we have enjoyed celebrating our school value of love with Valentines Day coming up. We really enjoyed listening to music, being creative with arts and crafts and thinking about the special people that we love!
We had so much fun conducting an experiment exploring what happens to ice over time. We discovered that where we placed our ice mattered, and how much time passed made a difference. We made predictions about what would happen and compared our predictions to what we found. We enjoyed drawing our results like real scientists!
This week we have been making predictions, conducting experiments and exploring a range of different materials. We went on a material hunt around school, explored metals and made predictions on magnetism, and experimented with different material items floating or sinking.
This science week we are investigating different materials and their properties. We conducted an experiment investigating which material was the most absorbent and recorded our findings using a table. We had so much fun exploring with water
Year 1 have worked really hard designing and preparing a helathy fruit salad to give to the injured soliders in the Crimean war. We have learnt all about the healthy eating and even got to taste lots of different fruits before deciding our favourites. Everyone worked so hard to prepare the fruit salad ready for serving - we are so proud of our creations! Yum!
We are learning about Florence Nightingales life and using our knowldge of chronological order to create a timeline of her life events
Year 1 have had lots of fun finding number bonds to 20 and practicing writing number sentences
We have worked so hard finding number bonds to 10. We used cubes and had a go at writing our own correct number sentences - exploring the plus and equals to sign!
We have learnt all about the positive influence that Florence Nightingale had on hospitals - she told doctors to wash their hands, clean the floors, walls and beds, eat healthy food and wear clean clothes. She also made sure doctors and nurses were properly trained to give care to the injured soldiers!
Lets make a boat! We used our amazing teamwork and building skills to create a boat. We want to travel to help the soldiers in the war - we travelled through the rough sea on a long journey but we were so brave just like Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale
We had so much fun showcasing our amazing talents to the school. We have so many talented singers, dancers, gymnastics, musicians and comedians in Year 1! We were all so brave and loved standing strong together to take a bow at the end of our show. Well done!
Year 1 had a wonderful time developing their confidence and coordination while using the apparatus in PE!
This week, we went on an exciting trip to Ford Green Hall to learn more about the Great Fire of London and the people who lived at that time! We found out what food and drink were like in 1666, what school was like for children (if they were lucky enough to go!), and learned lots of amazing facts about the Great Fire. We even got to explore a real 17th-century house and see how people lived over 350 years ago. It was such a fun day — we learned so much and had a great time together!
We all looked amazing today with our creative and crazy hairstyles to finish a fantastic first half term in Year 1. Happy holidays!
We have enjoyed looking at a globe and exploring how our world is made of land and ocean. We discussed where we are in the world and extended our learning by looking at a map of the UK and its surrounding oceans. We worked together to build boats to help us travel around the world, discussing the oceans we need to cross as we explore different continents!
Year 1 had the wonderful opportunity to meet our lovely school dog, Maggie! The children asked lots of thoughtful questions about dogs and were amazed by the impressive tricks Maggie performed. We also learned about the importance of staying calm and how to behave safely and respectfully around dogs. Some of the children showed great confidence and bravery by choosing to give Maggie a gentle stroke. We are all looking forward to seeing more of Maggie throughout our time in Year 1!
Inspired by The Great Fire of London, Year 1 had the opportunity to make their own bread rolls, just like Thomas Farriner would have done in his bakery in 1666. We had so much fun following a recipe and eating our bread rolls together!
This morning, Year 1 received a mysterious parcel. Inside, we found a diary detailing a fire, along with a leather hat, a bucket, a spade, and even a bread tin. As we read the diary, we learned about a fire in 1666, which began in a bakery...
24/25 Academic Year Learning
This week, we have been learning about Ernest Shackleton's journey to the South Pole! We have enjoyed creating a story map of the ships journey to Antarctica and learning about the climate and things you might see in the South Pole, including different animals. We completed a special mission as a class team to build a vehicle of transportation to get us to Antarctica and help the penguins catch some fish. Well done, Year 1!
This week we have been exploring the theme of special celebrations and why we celebrate. The children have enjoyed learning about the various traditions people follow for occasions such as birthdays, baptisms, and weddings. A highlight of our week has been role-playing a baptism! We concluded with a class birthday party, complete with games, singing, and dancing, bringing the week's learning to life in a fun and memorable way.
As part of our Geography adventure, we enjoyed a local walk around Clayhanger - an area we have been exploring over the past few weeks. The children had fun identifying human and physical features applying their new knowledge to the real world! They were particularly interested to see many of the local locations we have been studying using a range of maps, including historical maps of Clayhanger and digital maps including Google maps. We spent time at the local park which was a special highlight for the children as we have been acting as engineers designing a new swing or slide for the local park.
Year 1 have done a fantastic job of putting on their 'Engineering hats' this week, designing and building their own swing or slide for Clayhanger Park. We researched, tested and used a range of different materials to create our freestanding structures and the children had so much fun experimenting with which materials work well and seeing their vision come to life!
Today, we learnt about why and how we celebrate VE Day. The children explored the importance of this historic day and created beautiful bunting to represent our country. We’re so proud of their creativity and interest in learning about the past!
The children in Year 1 have started learning to count in 2s, 5s and10s – and they’re doing a fantastic job! We’ve been using songs, number lines, and fun games to help us practice. It’s wonderful to see their confidence growing as they recognise patterns and skip count with ease. Well done, Year 1!
Year 1 had a fantastic day at the Botanical Gardens! The children became sensational scientists, conducting several experiments—including extracting DNA from a strawberry! Their curiosity shone through as they explored a wide variety of plants, both in the gardens and inside the (very warm!) greenhouse.
What Stories Do Sikh People Love to Remember? In our Religious Education lessons, the children learned about significant stories in Sikhism. They focused on the story of Guru HarGobind, the sixth Guru, and the powerful tale of the prisoners and the cloak. To further immerse themselves in Sikh teachings, the children also used drama and freeze frames to explore the story of Guru Nanak, helping them connect with the emotions and important messages within the story.
This half term, we have been developing our basketball skills. We learned how to perform a chest pass and a bounce pass, helping us improve our teamwork and accuracy.
This half term, we have been practicing addition and subtraction within 20, learning about place value up to 50, and exploring measurement in a fun and engaging way.
In science, we used secondary sources to investigate and answer the question: How did Beatrix Potter help our understanding of mushrooms and toadstools? Through our research, we discovered her contributions to the study of fungi and how her detailed illustrations helped scientists learn more about them.
We created royal crowns to wear for each of our History lessons, where we learned about Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II.
Through role-play, the children immersed themselves in the lives of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, retelling their incredible stories and discovering the lasting impact these remarkable women have had on healthcare today.
We had an amazing World Book Day in Year 1! We loved sharing our favorite stories, and many of us created fantastic potato characters!
For our Design Project, we prepared a fruit salad for a sick soldier who had been taken to the hospital during the Crimean War.
When it snows, we have fun! Year 1 had a great time enjoying the snow in our outdoor area.
We learned to name and locate the continents and oceans of the world. To help us remember them, we also learned a song—and we are fantastic at singing it!
Termly Overviews
| Name | Format | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Files | |||
| Y1 Spring2 1.pdf | |||
