Year 1 | Holy Trinity Church Of England Primary School

Year 1

Class teacher: Miss Etherington

Support staff: Mrs Taylor

Calendar

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.

Y1 Summer 2 Overview

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MISSION: SAVE THE PENGUINS!

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!

Special Celebrations!

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.

Local Walk

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.

Becoming Engineers!

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!

VE Day celebration

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!

Y1 Mathematicians

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!

Y1 Trip -Botanical Gardens

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.

RE- Beginning to learn about Sikhs

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.

Spring 2- Basketball

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.

Spring 2- Maths

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.

RE- Creation

Y1 Scientists

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.

Once upon a crown!

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.

Curious Curators

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.

World Book Day!

We had an amazing World Book Day in Year 1! We loved sharing our favorite stories, and many of us created fantastic potato characters!

Y1 Designers

For our Design Project, we prepared a fruit salad for a sick soldier who had been taken to the hospital during the Crimean War.

Snow Day!

When it snows, we have fun! Year 1 had a great time enjoying the snow in our outdoor area.

Y1 Geographers

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	.pdf