Year 1 Blog

Welcome back! We hope that you all had a relaxing and peaceful break.  Here’s a sneak peek at some of the wonderful learning we will be doing this half term…  

English 

Phonics 

We will continue to have Phonics each day, following the Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) programme. Each week we will bring home a phonics reading book to read at home. Our phonics books will have a yellow or green sticker on. They have been carefully selected by our teachers because they match the exact sounds that we have learnt and include all of the Harder to Read and Spell Words that we have been taught. It is important that I read this book at home at least three times a week. We will change our books each week on a Friday so we need to bring our books to school each day.

Reading 

We will continue to explore a range of texts this half term, including a story called Naughty Bus. We will be sharing this book as a class and using our skills of prediction, questioning, clarifying and summarising to help us to understand the text. We will still have Yardley Loves Reading at the end of each day.

Writing 

We will continue to focus on the structure of a sentence; beginning with a capital letter, finger spaces between each word, using our phonics knowledge to write the words, ending with a full stop and then reading back our writing to check that it makes sense.  

When we write we think of our idea, we say it out loud, we repeat it again, we write it and then we say it again as we check each word – THINK. SAY. WRITE. CHECK!  

We will continue to work on our handwriting with a focus on the correct letter formation and size.  

Things to try at home:  

Please continue to hear your child read their phonics book as often as you can and read to your child, discussing the books that you are sharing.  

When writing at home, try to follow the process we use in school- think of our idea, we say it out loud, we repeat it again, we write it and then we say it again as we check each word. 

Maths 

In our Maths lessons we will be working on the following areas: 

• Learning to recognise place value in numbers up to 50 by reading, writing and counting using a range of counting equipment

• Recognising and recalling number bonds to 20.

• Continue to count in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s

• Recognise and add equal groups

• Make equal groups by sharing and grouping

• Make arrays

• Recap doubles

Things to try at home:  

Look for two-digit numbers when out on a walk. How many tens does it have? How many ones does it have? This is a good activity to do at the supermarket!

Make arrays using household items.

Science 

In our Science lessons we will be working on the following areas: 

• Continue to observe changes across Spring.

• Observing deciduous and evergreen trees.

• Identifying and naming a variety of plants.

• Naming and describing the basic structure of a plant.

• Planting a seed and observing it over time.

Things to try at home:  

Go on a walk around your local area and look at the changes that are happening due to the change in season. Can you spot any signs of Spring?

Make observational drawings based on Spring.

Plant a seed at home and watch it grow.
  

Foundation subjects 

Our first foundation topic is Art and then we will move on to History.

In Art, we will be learning about ‘Paper Play and 3-D Sculptures’ and we will do this through: 

• Investigating how rolling paper can create 3-D structures.

• Folding and rolling paper to make a 3-D drawing.

• Evaluating artworks inspired by Tree of Life mythology.

• Working collaboratively to plan and create a large sculpture.

In History, we will be learning about, ‘How have explorers changed the world’?

We will do this through:

• Learning about explorers, what they do and where they appear on a timeline.

• Learning about the achievements and discoveries of explorers and identifying where they have travelled.

• Identifying changes and continuities between explorers from two time periods.

Music 

In Music, we will be continuing to explore Pitch (high and low notes). We will identify and perform changes in tempo, contribute musical ideas and cooperate within a group to rehearse and perform a piece of music to the theme of ‘Under the Sea’.

Computing 

In Computing, we will continue to use the computers in our media suite'. We will develop our typing and mouse skills through a range of activities and lessons. We will use Safe Search to copy and paste an image to a word document.

P.E./Sports:

In our football lessons we will experiment with different turns when dribbling the ball. We will learn how to pass and receive the ball, shoot at the target and work as a team. We will be also be learning defensive skills to gain possession against an opponent.

During our hockey lessons we will learn how to show control and accuracy when dribbling the ball on both sides of the hockey stick. We will also learn how to defend the ball, shoot under pressure and being aware of the attacker at all times in a hockey game. 

P.E. Kit reminder 

On the days of P.E. lessons or after school sports clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so school sweatshirts/cardigans should be worn over P.E. t-shirts.  

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:  

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.  

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.  

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.  

  P.E. Kit reminder  

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils in Year 1 should come to school in their P.E. kit. 

Indoor and outdoor P.E. lessons (during warm weather): 

• Plain white t-shirt. 

• Plain black/grey shorts (or leggings if required). 

• Black pumps/plimsoles (slip-on or velcro) or appropriate trainers (suitable for sport, not fashion trainers). 

Outdoor P.E. lessons (during cold weather): 

• Plain white t-shirt. 

• Plain black/grey tracksuit bottoms (normal fit, not 'flared') or leggings. 

• School sweatshirts/cardigans to be worn over P.E. t-shirt. 

The following items are not appropriate: 

• Football (or other sports) kits or tops. 

• Hoodies, jackets or non-school sweatshirts. 

• Coloured t-shirts or t-shirts with slogans or pictures on. 

• Coloured shorts or shorts with patterns or pictures on.

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should wear their school jumper/cardigan over their P.E. kit. No additional hoodies, jumpers, sweatshirts or jackets should be worn. 

All P.E. kit must be labelled with your child's name and class. 

R.E. 

In our R.E. lessons, we will be linking these topics to common religious values as well as our Yardley Primary School values. We will be looking at different religions, including Islam and Christianity.  

P.S.H.E. 

In our P.S.H.E. lessons we will be looking at citizenship with a focus on rules, caring for others, including animals and how we are similar but also celebrating our differences.

Learning at Home 

All classes are on X (formerly Twitter) so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below. 

The latest 'Learning at Home’ pack are available to download using the button below. Please let us know if a paper copy is required.   

 You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below. 

Thank you for your continued support.

 Year 1

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter)!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on X.  Click a button below to find your child's class on X.

Aspire  

1LW have shown lots of our school values this half term. Everyone has shown an incredible amount of resilience in Maths when learning about numbers to 50. Everyone has had a go at using the Base 10 to make larger numbers. We also revisited our topic about ‘Addition and Subtraction’ and showed lots of determination when answering questions about larger numbers. 

We have also shown a lot of curiosity during our Science topic all about the seasons. We have been thinking about Spring and the changes we see at this time of year. Lots of the children have been coming to speak to us about things they have seen on their way to and from school. It has led to lots of lovely writing in English, where we have also been focusing on Spring.

Inspire

I have been incredibly impressed with the amount of enthusiasm and creativity during our D.T. topic, ‘Templates and Joining’. We designed and made our own puppets! The designs were incredibly well thought out and the final products looked exactly like our designs. 1LW really enjoyed showing off their final products and were so excited to take them home to play with them at home.

There has been a lot of positivity this half term, especially when outside on the playground. The pupils have really enjoyed seeing the changes in the KS1 playground including the addition of the new planters. 1LW have been incredibly enthusiastic and enjoyed spotting and smelling the different spring flowers. I cannot wait to see what changes we see as we get closer to the summer months!

Teamwork  

This half term 1LW have been thinking about how we can show respect to each other. We have been working incredibly hard to use our manners and treating each other how we would like to be treated ourselves. We have been trying to give compliments to each other and share our thoughts and feelings with one another.

In our P.S.H.E. lessons we have been thinking about our school value of teamwork and the characteristic of community. We have been considering our school rules and why they are important. We have also been thinking about how we can look after others, including younger children and adults.

This has been a wonderful half term, 1LW. Everyone has worked hard and tried their best in their lessons. Well done, 1LW. I hope that everyone has a lovely and restful break.

What a busy half term this has been! We’ve been busy learning lots of new skills and working hard in our lessons.

Aspire

Throughout the year, we will continue to revisit our Science topic all about the seasons. We were lucky enough to spend lots of time in Outdoor Learning lesson and completing walks around the school site so that we could spot changes as we moved from winter to spring. Lots of us were very curious about certain changes that we were observing, and we asked lots of questions about what might happen next. One of our best lessons this half term has been P.E., we have really enjoyed learning a new sport – New Age Curling. It was such a fun and engaging sport to learn. We had to show resilience each time we had a go at delivering the curling stone but overtime we became very skilled and many of us were extremely accurate in our delivery. We also had team challenges where we had to make decisions about who would be the best in our team to complete each distance. This was great for our communication and, of course, teamwork.

Inspire 

Our Maths lesson have allowed us the opportunity to explore numbers in lots of different ways. We are now working with numbers up to 50! Again, we've counted, found 1 more/1 less and we’ve even considered place value of the two digits within the number. We’ve been enthusiastic about our written work in Maths and English and we are also starting to take pride in our work. We’ve had to put our creative hats on recently, as we have been designing and making our own puppets. We have developed our sewing skills with great accuracy, and we have had to trust the process when it comes to the design and make process. Another moment to remember was our talk with Mrs Sankey for our History lessons. She told us about her childhood toys and the games she played at home and in school. We explored toys from the past and compared materials and designs.

Teamwork 

Our teachers have been so impressed with our teamwork and collaboration this half term. We all know how important it is to be Ready, Respectful and Safe and we follow these rules in class and around school. During the last few weeks, we have spent many lessons outside of our classroom environment. We have observed the positive changes in our school community, and we have discussed how these are positively impacting the pupils and families at Yardley Primary. As part of our weekly themes, we have had many assemblies about helping and respecting others. We took part in charity day for Comic Relief, raising money to help children and families in the U.K. and across the world. We had a community assembly on Eid and enjoyed our Eid celebration afternoon.

What an incredible half-term! 1Q, we are very proud of you, and we hope you have a wonderful break. Make sure you keep reading your books during your time away from school. Parents and families, thank you for continued support – it is very much appreciated!

Aspire  

What a super half term it has been! Year 1 have been joining fabrics together to make a puppet in our Design and Technology topic. They showed lots of resilience and determination, especially when sewing the fabrics together. They were very happy with their finished product. Please check X for the finished results. Pupils have shown resilience and determination to partition numbers up to 50. I was really impressed with the number skills and determination of pupils in 1S. We were able to find one more and one less to 50, develop our number bonds to 10 and 20 and even double numbers. We use lots of resources to help us in our Maths lessons, including Numicon, counters, cubes and number lines. We enjoyed learning all about spring and your descriptive sentences were wonderful to read. I was really impressed with the use of your 5 senses. Pupils were very curious to learn more about this season and spot the different signs of spring in science. We even made a spring animal using natural materials in Outdoor Learning.

Inspire

In English we have read several books, including Hello Spring and Mr Wolf’s Pancakes. We were very creative with writing our instructions. We have been working on forming our letters correctly in our handwriting lessons. Our handwriting is continuing to improve. It was our turn to showcase our class assembly, and it was full of enthusiasm; I was so impressed with the acting skills and how well you had all remembered your lines. What a performance! We enjoyed travelling back in time and exploring toys from the past. Mrs Sankey visited the year group and talked about her childhood toys and the games she played at home and in school.

Teamwork  

In our P.S.H.E. lessons, we have focused on citizenship and rules. We have demonstrated the three school behaviour rules throughout the year and Mr Shah is very impressed. We had a community assembly on Eid and enjoyed our Eid celebration afternoon. In P.E., we have been working on our athletics and curling skills.  We really enjoyed using the curling stone to aim for a target. We made sure that everyone had a go and were very considerate of others.

Amazing work and behaviour 1S! You have continued to impress me with your determination, and I have enjoyed watching you all make progress this half term. I hope you all have a wonderful break, and I look forward to seeing you after the holiday in the summer term. Please continue to read with your child at home to develop their fluency and understanding. 

Over and out, Mr Shah!

The end of another busy half term has arrived! We have crammed so much into this half term that you are definitely in need of a rest.

Aspire 

In Science, we have a topic that we revisit throughout the year, which gives us the opportunity to learn about the seasons. Recently, we have learnt about spring. We became very curious about what these meant so we went on a walk around the school grounds to observe these trees. We have also visited our Outdoor Learning area and, although it has been chilly, we have observed many seasonal changes within the environment. We are starting to see early signs of spring and we can’t wait to see how our Outdoor Learning environment changes over the coming weeks and months.  

Inspire 

We have been busy developing our number skills in Maths. We have been finding one more and one less, partitioning, number bonds to 10 and doubling numbers. We use lots of resources to help us in our Maths lessons. Numicon, counters, cubes and number lines all help us to become more confident working with numbers up to 50. 1W are very enthusiastic about numbers, and we love spotting patterns. Another subject we have loved is D.T.. We have been so creative this term, designing and making our very own puppets. 1W enjoyed travelling back in time and exploring toys from the past as part of our history topic. We were curious about toys from the past and we were very excited when Mrs Sankey visited the year group and talked about her childhood toys and the games she played at home and in school.

Teamwork 

We are such a great team in 1W, and we are always Ready, Respectful and Safe. We work as a team throughout the day, making sure that we move safely through school. In lessons, we listen to our teachers and show respect to other pupils and adults in our room. We have observed changes and new additions to our school playground and are being very respectful to ensure that our new planters stay looking lovely whilst observing the changes to the plants.

I am so proud of you all, 1W. You have been amazing once again and have made so much progress this half term. Have a wonderful break! 

Welcome back! We hope that you all had a relaxing and peaceful half term break. 

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the wonderful learning we will be doing this half term…   

English  

Phonics  

We will continue to have Phonics in our groups everyday which will follow the outlined plan from the ELS (Essential Letters and Sounds) programme. We will also have Phonics sessions in our classes and these will help us with the writing that we will be doing in class, the application of our phonic skills.   

Reading  

We will be exploring a range of texts this half term including: Mr Wolf’s Pancakes, My Mum is Fantastic and an animal Information Text.  We will be sharing these books as a class and using our Reciprocal Reading skills of prediction, questioning, clarifying and summarising. 

Writing  

We will continue to focus on the structure of a sentence; beginning with a capital letter, finger spaces between each word, using our sounds to write the words, ending with a full stop and then reading back our writing to check that it makes sense.   

When we write we think of our idea, we say it out loud, we repeat it again, we write it and then we say it again as we check each word.   

We will continue to work on our handwriting with a focus on the correct letter formation and size.   

Things to try at home 

Please continue to hear your child read as often as you can and read to your child, discussing the books that you are sharing.   

When writing at home, try to follow the process we use in school- think of our idea, we say it out loud, we repeat it again, we write it and then we say it again as we check each word.  

Maths  

In our Maths lessons we will be working on the following areas:  

• Learning to recognise place value in numbers up to 50 by reading, writing and counting using a range of counting equipment 

• Recognising and recalling number bonds to 20. 

• Counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s  

• Counting to 50 and partitioning  

• 1 more / 1 less than within 50 

• Number line work to 50 

 Things to try at home:   

Look for two-digit numbers when out on a walk. How many tens does it have? How many ones does it have? 

Science  

In our Science lessons we will be working on the following areas:  

Recapping materials and their properties. 

Investigating materials. 

Observing changes across the four seasons. 

Naming the seasons and identifying the months within each one. 

Observing and describing weather associated with the seasons. 

Observing deciduous and evergreen trees 

Observing early signs of Spring. 

Naming the parts of the plants. 

 Things to try at home:   

Go on a walk around your local area and look at the changes that are happening due to the change in season.  Can you spot any signs of Spring? 

Foundation subjects  

Our first foundation topic is History and then we will move on to Design and Technology.  

In History we will be learning about ‘How have toys changed?’ we will do this through:  

• Discussing out favourite toys using language related to the past 

• Asking questions about toys in the past 

• Making comparisons between toys in the past and present. 

• Identify changes between teddy bears today and those from 100 years ago. 

 In Design and Technology, we will be learning about templates and joining techniques. We will do this through: 

• exploring and evaluating a range of existing textile products. 

• Understanding how to join fabrics using different techniques. 

• Designing an appealing product 

• Selecting tools and equipment to develop their product 

• Explore finishing techniques to complete their design. 

Music  

In Music, we will be exploring Pitch (high and low notes). We will identify and perform changes in tempo, contribute musical ideas and cooperate within a group and prepare and perform a musical piece whilst demonstrating a musical understanding of tempo and pitch.  

Computing  

In Computing, we will continue to use the computers in our 'Media Suite'. We will develop our typing and mouse skills through a range of activities and lessons. We are becoming more confident to log in to the computers and now we are learning new skills.   

P.E./Sports: Curling and Athletics 

In our curling lessons we will be learning how to be able to deliver the curling stone to their partner with varying distances between themselves, improving accuracy when delivering the curling stone to ensure that they aim and hit a target. 

During our athletics lessons we will learn the correct running technique, how to jump off two feet onto two feet and one foot onto two feet whilst recognising their stronger foot to take off with and the correct hand over technique for a relay race. 

On the days of P.E. lessons or after school sports clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so school sweatshirts/cardigans should be worn over P.E. t-shirts.  

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:  

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.  

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.  

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.  

  P.E. Kit reminder  

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils in Year 1 should come to school in their P.E. kit. 

Indoor and outdoor P.E. lessons (during warm weather): 

• Plain white t-shirt. 

• Plain black/grey shorts (or leggings if required). 

• Black pumps/plimsoles (slip-on or velcro) or appropriate trainers (suitable for sport, not fashion trainers). 

Outdoor P.E. lessons (during cold weather): 

• Plain white t-shirt. 

• Plain black/grey tracksuit bottoms (normal fit, not 'flared') or leggings. 

• School sweatshirts/cardigans to be worn over P.E. t-shirt. 

The following items are not appropriate: 

• Football (or other sports) kits or tops. 

• Hoodies, jackets or non-school sweatshirts. 

• Coloured t-shirts or t-shirts with slogans or pictures on. 

• Coloured shorts or shorts with patterns or pictures on.

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should wear their school jumper/cardigan over their P.E. kit. No additional hoodies, jumpers, sweatshirts or jackets should be worn. 

All P.E. kit must be labelled with your child's name and class. 

R.E.  

In our R.E. lessons, we will be linking these topics to common religious values as well as our ‘Yardley School Values’. We will be looking at different religions, including Islam and Christianity.   

P.H.S.E.  

In our PHSE lessons we will be continuing to learn about the changing body before moving onto citizenship. 

Learning at Home  

All classes are on X (formerly Twitter) so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below.  

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack are available to download using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.    

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.  

Parent Teacher Meetings

We would like to invite you to attend our Parents Teacher Meetings, taking place on the following dates: 

• Tuesday 11th March 3.40pm - 5.40pm 

• Wednesday 12th March 3.40pm - 6.40pm

Further details here.

Thank you for your continued support. 

Year 1  

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter)!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on X.  Click a button below to find your child's class on X.

Aspire  

1LW have shown lots of our school values this half term. Everyone has shown an incredible amount of resilience in Maths when learning about numbers 11-20. We have introduced Year 1 to ‘Base 10’ and everyone has tried their best to learn all about this new equipment and use it safely.   

We have also shown a lot of curiosity in our Geography topic ‘What is the Weather Like in the UK?’. We have had some fantastic questions about the UK and 1LW have used the atlases to independently find out the answers to their questions. 

Inspire 

Creativity is a key school value that we have been focusing on during our Art topic ‘Colour Splash’. Pupils have learnt all about colour mixing and applied this knowledge to create lots of different work in the style of different artists. 

We have seen lots of enthusiasm shown in our English lessons, particularly during our work around the book ‘Mixed’ by Arree Chung. We really enjoyed making a story map to retell the story. It was great to hear so many children able to remember the story and tell it to their friends. Well done, 1LW! 

Teamwork   

This half term 1LW have been thinking about how we can show respect to each other. We have been working incredibly hard to use our manners and treating each other how we would like to be treated ourselves. We have been trying to give compliments to each other and share our thoughts and feelings with one another.  

In our P.S.H.E. lessons we have been thinking about our school value of community. We have been thinking about who is in our school community and how we can be respectful towards them. We loved acting out different scenarios about how we would respond if we met different people in our school community. We loved having this opportunity to share with other what we would do.  

This has been a wonderful half term, 1LW. Everyone has worked hard and tried their best in their lessons. Well done, 1LW. I hope that everyone has a lovely and restful half term 

Miss Wade

Aspire

What a wonderful half term it has been! We have two new teachers (Mrs Geary and Mrs Woodley) working with our class and we have amazed them both with our determination and hard work. In Science, we have a topic that we revisit throughout the year, which gives us the opportunity to learn about the seasons. Recently, we have learnt about deciduous and evergreen trees. We became very curious about what these meant so we went on a walk around the school grounds to observe these trees. We have also visited our Outdoor Learning area and, although it has been chilly, we have observed many seasonal changes within the environment. We are starting to see early signs of Spring and we can’t wait to see how our Outdoor Learning environment changes over the coming weeks and months.

Inspire

We have been busy developing our number skills in Maths. We have been finding one more and one less, adding and subtracting and doubling numbers. We use lots of resources to help us in our Maths lessons. Numicon, counters, cubes and number lines all help us to become more confident when counting, adding and subtracting. Maths is a subject we all enjoy in our class - we are very enthusiastic about numbers, and we love spotting patterns. Another subject we have loved in Art. We have been so creative this term, learning all about colour. We have created some incredible pieces of art that will been displayed in school. 

Teamwork

We are such a great team in 1Q and we are always Ready, Respectful and Safe. We work as a team throughout the day, making sure that we move safely through school. In lessons, we listen to our teachers and show respect to other pupils and adults in our room. Last week was Children’s Mental Health Week and we read a great book, The Colour Monster. This book allowed us the time to discuss our feelings and ways that we can express how we feel. This was a great week as it helped us to support each other and show consideration for others. Safer Internet Day was very important day this half term. Staying safe online is very important in 1Q and our school community.

We are so proud of you all, 1Q. You have settled extremely well and have made so much progress this half term. Have a wonderful half term break!

Mrs Geary and Mrs Woodley 

Aspire  

What a creative half term it has been! Year 1 have been exploring colour mixing in our Art topic. Pupils were very curious to learn more about how primary colours are mixed to form secondary colours. We applied our artistic skills and used creativity to design and paint some unique artwork. We will even share some of these in our class assembly very soon. Pupils have shown resilience and determination to add and subtract numbers within 20. We used a range of concrete apparatus to support our learning, including counting beads, tens frames and even egg boxes. We worked hard to write the number sentences too. We have been working on forming our letters correctly in our handwriting lessons. Our handwriting is now improving. I have continued to be really impressed with the resilience that pupils showed when recapping sounds from reception and learning new sounds. Please continue to read with your child at home to develop their fluency and understanding.   

Inspire  

In English we have read several books, including Mixed, Froggy Gets Dressed and Winter. We applied our skills to write a set of instructions, a description and simple sentences. We have been working hard to include our punctuation and even rehearse our sentences aloud. We enjoyed our drama activities and worked as a team to make sure that everyone had a part. We demonstrated enthusiasm and put on super performances for the class. 1S showed lots of positivity when learning about the weather in the U.K. as part of our Geography topic, ‘What is the weather like?’ We were so excited to use the atlases to locate the United Kingdom and the countries on a world map.  

Teamwork  

In our P.S.H.E. lessons, we have focused on safety and the changing body. We looked at how the adults inside our school can support us if we are ever worried or feel uncomfortable. We learnt how to keep safe and not get lost and know the steps to take if we do get lost. We understood the importance of what can go into or onto our body. We really enjoyed Children’s Mental Health Week as we were able to talk about our feelings and emotions in a fun way. We had a community assembly delivered by Mrs Louca about the Lunar New Year. We even made our own craft based on the Year of the Snake. In P.E., we have been working on our cricket and tennis skills.  We were able to use the overarm throw and catch the ball. This has improved our teamwork and our physical health!

Amazing work and behaviour 1S! You have continued to impress me with your determination, and I have enjoyed watching you all make progress this half term. I hope you all have a wonderful break, and I look forward to seeing you after the holiday. 

Over and out, Mr Shah! 

Aspire 

What a creative half term it has been! We have thoroughly enjoyed our artwork ‘Colour Splash’. The pupils have explored primary-coloured materials to mix secondary colours, mixed primary colours to make secondary colours and used a range of colours when printing. They have also explored mixing different shades of a secondary colours and creating a variety of patterns to decorate a hand template and paint a plate. We certainly have some creative artists in 1W! In maths, the pupils we have shown great resilience and determination and have worked hard on their knowledge of numbers within 20 and adding and subtracting numbers within 20 using a range of concrete apparatus including Numicon, base ten, counters and cubes to help us understand the value of numbers 10 to 20. 

They have been working on forming our letters correctly in their handwriting lessons which has led to a huge improvement in formation and presentation. I have continued to be really impressed with the resilience that pupils showed when recapping sounds from reception and learning new sounds. Please continue to read with your child at home to develop their fluency and understanding.    

Inspire   

In English, we have read a selection of fiction texts including Froggy Gets Dressed, Mixed and The Colour Monster.  We have also focused on non-fictions texts to link in with our science seasonal work all about Winter. The pupils have continued to learn how to sequence events in stories, located information and have learnt how to write a set of instructions. The pupils were enthusiastic when role playing the story Mixed and were extremely positive when show casing their performance to the class. The pupils have continued to make sure that their sentences have capital letters, finger spaces and full stops whilst working hard to ensure that they spell our harder to read and spell words correctly too. 1W have shown lots of positivity when learning about what the weather is like in the UK. They were able to name and locate the four countries on a map of the UK whilst identifying the country we live in using atlases. The pupils were able to use their science knowledge to identify the four seasons and describe some seasonal changes. They were enthusiastic when observing and describing the daily weather and suggesting appropriate clothing and activities for each season. 

Teamwork    

1W have shown great teamwork in Science whilst learning about the different animal groups describing their features when classifying them. To consolidate their learning about animals including humans they enjoyed the junk modelling afternoon where they had an opportunity to make their very own animal. There was a wonderful selection of animals and insects from butterflies and tigers to crocodiles and spiders and lots of consideration and respect for others whilst sharing resources and design ideas. We really enjoyed Children’s Mental Health Week as we were able to talk about our feelings and emotions in a fun way. The story The Colour Monster helped us in identifying feelings and how we can manage them. We had a community assembly delivered by Mrs Louca about the Lunar New Year. We even made our own craft based on the Year of the Snake. In P.E. we have been working on our cricket and tennis skills. We were able to use the overarm throw and catch the ball. This has improved our teamwork and our physical health!   

Well done 1W. I am proud of all of you for your work this half-term. You have continued to show determination and enthusiasm in everything that you have done. Have a wonderful half term break. 

Mrs Wilson 

Welcome back! We have really missed you and can’t wait to get started with our new learning this half term.  

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the amazing learning we will be doing this half term… 

English 

Phonics 

We will continue to have Phonics in our groups everyday which will follow the outlined plan from the ELS (Essential Letters and Sounds) programme. We will also have Phonics sessions in our classes and these will help us with the writing that we will be doing in class, the application of our phonic skills.  

Reading 

We will be exploring a range of texts this half term including: Mixed, Foggy Gets Dressed and a Winter Information Text.  We will be sharing these stories as a class and using our Reciprocal Reading skills of Prediction, Questioning, Clarifying and Summarising to discuss them.  

Writing 

We will continue to focus on the structure of a sentence; beginning with a capital letter, finger spaces between each word, using our sounds to write the words, ending with a full stop and then reading back our writing to check that it makes sense.  

When we write we think of our idea, we say it out loud, we repeat it again, we write it and then we say it again as we check each word.  

We will continue to work on our handwriting with a focus on the correct letter formation and size.  

Things to try at home

Please continue to hear your child read as often as you can and read to your child, discussing the books that you are sharing.  

When writing at home try to follow the process we use in school- think of our idea, we say it out loud, we repeat it again, we write it and then we say it again as we check each word. 

Maths 

In our Maths lessons we will be working on the following areas: 

• Writing numbers up to 20 and beyond. 

• Addition and subtraction within 20. 

• Introducing the part, part whole model to support our understanding of addition within 20 (see our X posts to see what this looks like). 

• Recognising and recalling doubles up to 10 

• Adding and subtracting 1-digit numbers to a given number within 10 then 20. 

• Introducing reading and writing the time – o’clock. 

Things to try at home

Practise counting at home forwards and backwards, starting at different numbers as often as you can.  

If you have an analogue clock (the clock with hands) talk about the time and reading the clock.

Science 

In our science lessons we will be working on the following areas: 

• Observing changes across the four seasons. 

• Observing and describing weather associated with the seasons. 

• Identifying and naming animal groups.  

Things to try at home

Go on a walk around your local area and look at the changes that are happening due to the change in season.  

Talk about the different animals you might spot. 
 

Foundation subjects

Our first foundation topic is Art and then we will move on to Geography. 

In Art we will be learning about colour mixing, we will do this through: 

• Mixing primary colours to form secondary colours.  

• Using building blocks and other everyday objects to create prints. 

• Mixing two primary colours to create different shades of a secondary colour and using these in a decorative painting. 

In Geography we will be learning about the U.K and the weather changes, we will do this by: 

• Locating the four countries on a map of the UK. 

• Identify the country we live in.  

• Learning about the four compass directions. 

• Observing daily weather patterns linked to the four seasons. 

• Using a map to locate the four capital cities of the UK. 

• Suggest appropriate clothing and activities for each season. 

 
Music 

In Music, we will be exploring Tempo (the speed of a piece of music). We will listen to a range of different pieces of music and use our voices and bodies expressively, while exploring tempo. We will also use a range of musical instruments.

Computing 

In Computing, we will continue to use the computers in our 'Media Suite'. We will develop our typing and mouse skills through a range of activities and lessons. We are becoming more confident to log in to the computers and now we are learning new skills.  

P.E./Sports: Cricket and Tennis  

In our cricket lessons we will be learning about throwing and catching the ball using the underarm and overarm techniques. We will learn how to hold the bat and then progress on to tapping the ball.  

During our tennis lessons we will learn how to move a beanbag around our body showing control and co-ordination. We will then move on to using a tennis ball to be able to throw, bounce and catch a ball using the cup technique.     

On the days of P.E. lessons or after school sports clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit. Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so school sweatshirts/cardigans should be worn over P.E. t-shirts. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too.  

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days: 

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option. 

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson. 

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to. 

P.E. Kit reminder 

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils in Year 1 should come to school in their P.E. kit. 

Indoor and outdoor P.E. lessons (during warm weather): 

• Plain white t-shirt. 

• Plain black/grey shorts (or leggings if required). 

• Black pumps/plimsoles (slip-on or velcro) or appropriate trainers (suitable for sport, not fashion trainers). 

Outdoor P.E. lessons (during cold weather): 

• Plain white t-shirt. 

• Plain black/grey tracksuit bottoms (normal fit, not 'flared') or leggings. 

• School sweatshirts/cardigans to be worn over P.E. t-shirt. 

The following items are not appropriate: 

• Football (or other sports) kits or tops. 

• Hoodies, jackets or non-school sweatshirts. 

• Coloured t-shirts or t-shirts with slogans or pictures on. 

• Coloured shorts or shorts with patterns or pictures on.

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should wear their school jumper/cardigan over their P.E. kit. No additional hoodies, jumpers, sweatshirts or jackets should be worn. 

All P.E. kit must be labelled with your child's name and class. 

R.E.

In our R.E. lessons, we will be linking these topics to common religious values as well as our Yardley school values. We will be looking at different religions, including Islam and Christianity.  

 
P.H.S.E. 

In our PHSE lessons we will be learning about safety and the changing body.  

Learning at Home

All classes are on X (formerly Twitter) so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

Year 1 Phonics Workshop 

Tuesday 14th January 2025 (9.15am to 10.15am) 

Thank you 

 Year 1

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Aspire 

This term has been a fantastic term in our Phonics lessons. 1LW have shown lots of resilience when learning new sounds and remembering sounds that we have previously learnt. Everyone has been working hard to decode unfamiliar words, taking their time when blending sounds together. 1LW have also shown lots of determination in our Handwriting sessions. Each week we have been focusing on 2 letters and everybody has been working hard to form their letters correctly. This determination has paid off as we are seeing huge improvements in our writing during English and Phonics sessions. This has been noticed by lots of adults in school. Well done, 1LW.  

Inspire 

In our D.T. topic, 1LW have shown a huge amount of creativity when creating their own greetings cards. I have been very impressed with the range of imaginative and exciting ideas for greetings cards that the pupils have come up with. I cannot wait for pupils to take home their cards this week. I have been blown away by the enthusiasm shown by pupils in our P.E. lessons this half term. For the last few weeks, we have been focusing on Gymnastics. 1LW have learnt a variety of jumps, rolls and balances and have been so enthusiastic to share their work with other children in the class. Every child has performed their work with effort and flare, I was very impressed.  

Teamwork 

During our Maths lessons, pupils have been working in pairs and as part of teams to complete activities. They have shown a real sense of community by communicating clearly with each other and taking turns. It has been lovely to hear children explain their ideas and answers to each other as well as listening carefully to other people’s ideas. All of the pupils in 1LW have taken part in Diwali and Christmas celebrations this half term. It has been lovely to see pupils learning about different cultures and being respectful of other people’s beliefs. We have all enjoyed the fun art activities and singing we have been able to do.  

We really enjoyed our trip to the theatre to watch The Wizard of Oz. We had the chance to sing along and join in with parts of the show.

I hope that everyone has a restful Winter break. I cannot wait to see you all in the new year. Happy New Year everyone!

Miss Wade

Aspire  

This half term we have been making cards with moving parts in Design and Technology. Pupils have shown resilience and determination to include a slider or a lever in their design. The design process from start to end was very exciting.  During this topic, pupils were very keen to share ideas and listen to their partner. During our outdoor learning sessions, we observed the changes in the weather, leaves and our surroundings. In Science we looked at what materials would be best to keep us warm in the chilly weather and we learnt all about hibernation. We have really impressed with the resilience that pupils showed when recapping phonics sounds from Reception and learning new sounds. We love reading in 1Q and enjoy sharing books together during Yardley Loves Reading. Please continue to read with your child at home and remember to bring their reading book and diary every day.  

Inspire 

In Maths, we have been learning about place value up to 10. We have learnt new skills, including how to write addition and subtraction number sentences. We have worked in pairs and used a range of practical apparatus to support our understanding. The practical equipment really helps to support our learning/ I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm that pupils have shown when learning their number bonds to 10. Listening to songs and using the tens frames with counters has really helped us to become more confident with our number bonds. We have had a particular focus on number bonds to 10, so please support your child at home by quizzing them on this. We showed lots of positivity when exploring our school grounds as part of our Geography topic.

Teamwork  

In our R.E. lessons, we have been exploring how other people understand God on Earth; considering different representations of God. Finding out about different religions has helped us to learn more about our school community and has helped us to respect other views and beliefs. We also had a Diwali celebration with lots of dancing and crafts. In our P.S.H.E. lessons, we have been learning about our health and wellbeing. We enjoyed learning all about how to deal with emotions and how to relax and look after our own wellbeing. In P.E., we have been improving our hand-eye co-ordination skills through bowling. In gymnastics we have been balancing on different body parts to make different shapes individually and with a partner.

One of our most recent highlights was our wonderful trip to the theatre. We got to watch the Wizard of Oz! It was such a magical experience, and we all loved singing along and joining in with the characters.  

As you can see, we have had a very packed half term. All children have worked hard, showing their commitment to our school values. The upcoming break is thoroughly deserved. 

Have a great Christmas everyone. See you in 2025.  

Mrs Joof and Mrs Job

Aspire  

This half term has been very exciting because Year 1 have been making cards with a moving part in Design and Technology. Pupils have shown resilience and determination to include a slider or a lever. The design process from start to end was amazing! Pupils were also curious to learn about seasonal changes in Autumn. During our outdoor learning sessions and in Science, we observed the changes in the weather, leaves and our surroundings. We showed lots of curiosity when learning about hibernation. It was so fascinating! I was really impressed with the resilience that pupils showed when recapping sounds from reception and learning new sounds. We have been working hard to improve our handwriting too. Please continue to read with your child at home to develop their fluency and understanding.  

Inspire 

In Maths we have been learning about place value within 10. We have learnt new skills, including how to write addition and subtraction number sentences. We have worked in pairs during our Maths lessons to solve a range of problems using concrete apparatus. I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm that pupils have shown when learning their number bonds to 10. It has been tricky, however listening to songs and using the tens frames with counters has really helped. We have had a particular focus on number bonds to 10, so please support your child at home by quizzing them on this. 1S showed lots of positivity when exploring our school grounds as part of our Geography topic, ‘What is it like here?’ Your messy maps of the classrooms were awesome too.  

Teamwork  

In our R.E. lessons, we have been exploring how other people understand God on Earth; considering different representations of God and understanding why this is challenging. We have been very respectful when learning about the beliefs of others. Finding out about different religions has helped us to learning more about our school community and helped us to respect other views and beliefs. We had a Diwali celebration with lots of dancing and crafts. In P.E., we have been improving our gymnastics skills and learning how to bowl.  This has improved our teamwork and our physical health! In our P.S.H.E. lessons, we have been learning about our health and wellbeing. We enjoyed learning all about how to deal with emotions, our own qualities and strengths, understanding how germs can be spread and know people can be allergic to certain things.  

Super-duper work and behaviour 1S! You have continued to impress me with your hard work, and I have enjoyed watching you all blossom. I hope you all have a great festive holiday, and I look forward to seeing you in January.  

Over and out, Mr Shah! 

Aspire 

This half term has been productive as we have been making cards with moving parts in Design and Technology. Pupils have shown resilience and determination to include a slider or a lever throughout the design process from start to end with amazing outcomes. During our outdoor learning sessions, we observed the changes in the weather, leaves and our surroundings. These sessions are special when we can splash with our wellies on.  In Science we looked at what materials would be best to keep us warm in the chilly weather. During our Outdoor Learning sessions and in Science, we observed the changes across the seasons from Summer to Autumn and into Winter. Our curiosity led us to observe many changes within our school grounds to both plants and animals. We were excited to learn about animals that hibernate during the colder months. The pupils have shown an enormous amount of resilience when recapping sounds and learning new ones in their daily phonics lessons whilst applying these within their work. Please continue to read with your child at home to develop fluency and understanding. Please also ensure that their reading book and diary is brought to school every day. 

Inspire 

We have had a positive time in Maths as we have been learning about place value within 10. We have learnt new skills, including how to write addition and subtraction number sentences. We have worked in pairs during our Maths lessons to solve a range of problems using concrete apparatus. I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm that pupils have shown when learning their number bonds to 10. It has been tricky, however listening to songs including Farmer Pete and the Number Bus song has really helped. We have had a particular focus on number bonds to 10, so please continue support your child at home by recapping them. 1W showed lots of positivity when exploring our school grounds and Google Earth as part of our Geography topic, ‘What is it like here?’ The pupil’s creativity when designing their messy maps of the classrooms were fabulous!   

Teamwork 

In our R.E. lessons, we have been exploring how other people understand God on Earth; considering different representations of God. We have been very respectful when learning about the beliefs of others. Finding out about different religions has helped us to learning more about our school community and helped us to respect other views and beliefs. We had a Diwali celebration with lots of dancing and crafts. In P.E., we have been improving our gymnastics skills and learning how to bowl.  This has improved our teamwork and our physical health!  

Amongst all of this we were still able to enjoy a trip to The Old Rep theatre in Birmingham to watch the Wizard of Oz. What an absolute treat for the end of term! We are now very much looking forward to Christmas and spending time with our families. 

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas break, whatever you do. Make sure you come back refreshed in the New Year as we have lots more exciting topics coming up in 2025! 

Mrs Wilson

Welcome back! We hope you have had a relaxing half term break. We really appreciate any parental support that can be given at home through helping your child with basic number skills and hearing them read regularly. 

This half term we will be learning about:

English

In our English lessons we will be working on the following areas:

• Phonics – recapping Phase 2 and 3 sounds and starting Phase 5 sounds and their applications.

• Exploring a range of texts including Leaf Man, Funny Bones, Foggy Foggy Forest, The Gruffalo, and Stickman.

• Continuing with the use of basic punctuation (capital letters, full stops, finger spaces) within our writing.

• Handwriting — correct letter formation and sizing for both upper- and lower-case letters

Maths

In our Maths lessons we will be working on the following areas:

• Writing numbers up to 10 and beyond.

• Addition and subtraction within 10.

• Introducing the part, part whole model to support our understanding of addition within 10

• Recognising and recalling number bonds (including those to 10)

• Solving addition problems

• Adding and subtracting 1-digit numbers to a given number within 10 then 20.

• Introducing reading and writing the time – o’clock and half past.

Science

In our science lessons we will be working on the following areas:

• Observing changes across the four seasons.

• Observing and describing weather associated with the seasons.

• Identifying and naming a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock.

• Describing the simple physical features of a variety of everyday materials, including transparent, soft, hard, flexible

Foundation subjects

Our first foundation topic is Geography and then we will move on to D&T.

In Geography we will be learning about:

• Locating the school on an aerial photograph.

• Creating a map of the classroom.

• Locating key features of the school playground.

• How to draw a simple map.

• How to create a design to improve our playground.

In D&T we will be learning about:

• How to make a simple mechanism move with sliders and levers

• How to use a range of materials and components, including construction materials, components to measure, mark out, cut and join and combine to create a slider or leaver.

Computing

In Computing, we will continue to familiarize ourselves with the computers in our 'Media Suite'. We will develop our typing and mouse skills through a range of activities and lessons. This will be essential in order for us to confidently use the computers in the Spring Term and beyond

P.E./Sports: Football and Gymnastics

On the days of P.E. lessons or after school sports clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here.  Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so school sweatshirts/cardigans should be worn over P.E. t-shirts. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

P.E. Kit reminder

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils in Years 1 should come to school in their P.E. kit.

Indoor and outdoor P.E. lessons (during warm weather):

• Plain white t-shirt.

• Plain black/grey shorts (or leggings if required).

• Black pumps/plimsoles (slip-on or velcro) or appropriate trainers (suitable for sport, not fashion trainers).

Outdoor P.E. lessons (during cold weather):

• Plain white t-shirt.

• Plain black/grey tracksuit bottoms (normal fit, not 'flared') or leggings.

• School sweatshirts/cardigans to be worn over P.E. t-shirt.

The following items are not appropriate:

• Football (or other sports) kits or tops.

• Hoodies, jackets or non-school sweatshirts.

• Coloured t-shirts or t-shirts with slogans or pictures on.

• Coloured shorts or shorts with patterns or pictures on.

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should wear their school jumper/cardigan over their P.E. kit. No additional hoodies, jumpers, sweatshirts or jackets should be worn.

All P.E. kit must be labelled with your child's name and class.

R.E./P.H.S.E.

In our R.E. lessons, we will be linking these topics to common religious values as well as our Yardley school values. 

Learning at Home

All classes are on X (formerly Twitter) so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

Winter Disco

Yardley Fundraisers (our PTFA) will be holding a Winter Disco for Years 1 and 2 on the following date:

• Tuesday 3rd December 2024 / 4.00pm to 5.15pm

Click here for further information and how to book.

Thank you

Year 1

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What a fantastic start to the year! It has been a pleasure to get to know 1LW this half term. We have had lots of fun getting used to the new Year 1 routines and lessons. 

In English we have been using our phonic knowledge to write lots of super sentences. We have had plenty of opportunities to share lots of stories this half term. We have particularly enjoyed the Large Family book series by Jill Murphy.

In Maths, we have been thinking about numbers within 10. We have used a range of practical resources to explore a range of concepts including more and less. We really counting backwards within 10 (especially since we launched our very own rocket). 

We have really enjoyed our Art topic this half term. We have been experimenting with different lines, shapes and media. The pupils have been incredibly sensible when using the different equipment and I look forward to our next topic in the Spring Term. 

Following this, we completed our first History unit which was all about our own history. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the families who brought in photos of their children. This was incredibly useful in helping the pupils complete a timeline of their own lives up to now. We really enjoyed talking about the past and the present. I cannot wait to continue learning more about history soon.

I hope everyone has a fun and restful half term break. I am looking forward to having lots of fun when we come back.

Miss Wade

Wow! What a fantastic start 1Q have made to the Year. We have had a busy, fun-packed half term of learning.

We have been working hard on Place Value to 10 in Maths, including use of new vocabulary such as greater than, less than and equal to. We can compare numbers and amounts and will use this valuable knowledge when we move onto manipulating larger amounts. A huge thank you to all the parents / carers who joined us for our Maths workshop. I hope that you gained a valuable insight into our Year 1 curriculum and how you can support your child at home.

In English we have looked at a range of texts including What Makes Me a Me, The Large Family stories including Peace at Last and A Quiet Night In and Hello Autumn We have written sentences and focused on using capital letters, full stops and finger spaces. Our hand writing is looking great!

In Art we have looked at mark making, which was so much fun experimenting with a range of media to create different types of lines including broken lines, wavy and cross-hatched.  We finished the half term learning about Our History in History. We have been finding out how we make history using timelines, making our very own class memory box, and researching similarities and differences between our lives and of those who are older than us. In P.E. we have performed the Haka and honed our Activity Skills by developing our throwing and catching skills. We have also had some great, muddy, and wet outdoor fun in Outdoor Learning

Well done 1Q! Have a relaxing break and we cannot wait for next half term for more fun and learning! 

What a fantastic start to the year we have had in Year 1! I am so proud of every single one of you and it is truly amazing to see how far you have all come this half term. You have all settled into 1S really well and your behaviour and positive attitude has really shone.  

I have been really impressed with your listening skills as this is something we have really worked hard on during this term. It can be quite daunting starting a new year group with a new teacher but you have all coped really brilliantly. 

In Maths, we have been looking at developing our skills in place value. We have found it a challenge but we haven’t given up and have shown super resilience at all times. We can count to 10 and in any order too. We have looked at 1 more and 1 less and used the gator symbols to compare numbers. You have really enjoyed getting all the practical apparatus out to support our learning. We must continue to practise place value as it is a very important skill. We will be starting addition and subtraction next. 

This half term in English, we have read stories, including: A Piece of Cake, Hello Autumn, and A Quiet Night In. We described Mrs Large and used our knowledge of the five senses to write sentences about autumn. We enjoyed role play, drawing our favourite characters, matching words and then producing some AMAZING sentences. We are so impressed so far! 

In Science, we have been learning about seasonal changes and animals, including humans. We looked at the changes in autumn, including observing the changes to the trees and weather. We looked at the 5 senses and had loads of fun. We are so fascinated. 

In our Foundation curriculum, we looked at mark making in Art and our own history in History. In Art, we learnt the 6 types of lines and made observational drawings by the end of the unit. Super artwork! In History, we looked at our own timelines from the past to the present. We shared our favourite memories and photographs from different events. Mrs Sankey talked to us about her childhood. 

Well done 1S! You have had a great start to the year and I have enjoyed getting to know you all. I hope you all have a great half term holiday and I look forward to seeing you soon. 

Over and out, Mr Shah!

What a busy start to Year 1 for 1W. I am very proud of you and have enjoyed seeing all your enthusiasm and positive attitudes and resilience when settling in to a new year group with the new routines that it has bought.

In Maths, we have extremely busy sorting and counting objects, recognising numbers 0-10 and counting on and back from a given number within 10. We have also used concrete apparatus to help us find 1 more and 1 less than a given number. We have compared groups of objects and have begun to identify greater than, less than and equal to. Remember, to keep singing lots of number songs at home as it can really help with your counting both forwards and backwards! A huge thank you to all the parents / carers who joined us for our Maths workshop. I hope that you gained a valuable insight into our Year 1 curriculum and how you can support your child at home.

In English, we have read a large selection of stories including What Makes Me a Me, The Large Family stories including Peace at Last and A Quiet Night In and Hello Autumn. We have been focusing on writing sentences using capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. Whilst in Phonics, we have been recapping Phase 2 and 3 sounds whilst securing our ability to segment words. 

During Science this half term, we have been looking at seasonal change from Summer to Autumn and have observed the changes around us. We have noticed that the leaves are changing colour and falling from the trees, that the weather is becoming colder and the mornings and evenings are much darker. We picked a very wet week to monitor the rain fall as the exceptionally wet weather continued to pass through Yardley. We have also been looking at animals, including humans and have learnt a lot about our bodies and how wonderful our senses really are! The children have also been busy exploring each of their five senses through a range of listening activities, using the blindfolds to see how we would adapt should our eyesight be impaired and using our noses to identify a range of smells. The children thoroughly enjoyed sharing their knowledge with all the parents / carers in our class assembly.

In art we have had great fun experimenting with a range of media to create different lines including wavy, cross-hatch, and diagonal. We found out how to over-lap shapes to create a geometric piece of artwork in the style of Wassily Kandinsky. Our science senses work was put to the test when completing our observational drawings using continuous lines. We were able to really appreciate how our sense of sight is so important when completing observational drawings. 

In History, we have been finding out how we make history using timelines, making our very own class memory box, and researching similarities and differences between our lives and of those who are older than us. A huge thank you to Mrs Sankey who shared her childhood memories with us of her how her Mum made her clothes, how she would celebrate her birthdays, what her school was like and games that she would play.

Well done 1W! You have had a busy start to the academic year and I have enjoyed getting to know you all. I wish you all a wonderful break and make sure you come back refreshed as we have lots more exciting topics coming up next half term.

Welcome back to Yardley Primary School! It has been wonderful to introduce pupils and their families to Year One and we look forward to getting to know you all.

Parental support is something we value and truly appreciate, especially at this crucial stage in your child’s learning and development.  This overview will give you an insight into what your child is learning at school and will tell you how you can support your child to reach their full potential. 

This half term we will be learning about:

English

In our English lessons we will be working on the following areas:

• Phonics – revisiting the Phase 2 to Phase 4 sounds and their applications.

• Phonics – Exploring a wide range of texts and texts suitable for independent early reading. 

• Learning and sequencing events in familiar stories.

• Use of basic punctuation (capital letters, full stops, finger spaces)

• Handwriting — correct letter formation and pride in presentation.

Reading planners and books have be issued to each child, very soon. Pupils are heard read at least once a week, by the class teacher, on a 1:1 basis. They also have ample opportunities to read throughout the school day.  We expect you to hear your child read every day, as this is essential for their progress. 

Maths

We will begin by looking at Place Value (within 10). We will be:

• Counting forwards and backwards

• Reading, writing and ordering numbers in digits up to 10.

• Comparing groups of objects and using mathematical language to explain

• Learning the value of numbers up to 10 through counting a variety of different objects.

• Number bonds within 10.

• Addition and subtraction within 10.

We also appreciate your support at home here, too. Maths is often best taught at home incidentally when applied to real-world situations. Putting number songs on often can also help. 

Science

Our first Science topic is all about Our Bodies. We will be learning about:

• Identifying and labelling the human body

• Naming the five senses and distinguishing which part of the body it is  associated with.

Seasonal Change. We will be learning about:

• The four seasons and the months of the year (Autumn/ start of winter)

• Changes in weather and weather symbols 

• Scientific skills such as observation and grouping

Foundation Subjects

Our Foundation subjects cover; History, Geography, Art, and Design and Technology. 

This term we will be learning about; Drawing – make your mark and History.

The children will be able to: 

• Create different types of lines

• Experiment with a variety of drawing media to create different types of lines

• Know that there are different ways of drawing lines, and that they feel different to make, and that they look different.

• Develop an understanding of personal chronology and learn more about their history.

• Explore how we remember events.

• Find out what childhood was like for our parents and grandparents.

• Compare childhood now with childhood in the past.

• Identify that some things change and some things stay the same.

Computing

This term we will be learning about Digital Safety, Texts and Graphics, and publishing.

• Pupils will become familiar with the computer and how to interact appropriately with digital technology.

• Pupils will be learning how to ‘log-on’ and navigate appropriate school computer programs. 

• Pupils will begin to develop their keyboard and typing skills.

P.E./Sports:

This half-term, pupils will be dancing the Haka and playing a range of team games to build their communication and teamwork skills. 

On the days of P.E. lessons or after school sports clubs, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here.  Where possible, we will be conducting P.E. lessons outside so school sweatshirts/cardigans should be worn over P.E. t-shirts. Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too. 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

R.E./P.H.S.E.

This half term we will be focussing on the families and relationships. The children will be able to: 

• Understand that families can include a range of people.

• Understand who their friends are and what people like to do with friends.

• Describe what people might look like if they are feeling: angry, scared, upset or worried.

• Identify ways of responding to this by either offering help or giving them space.

• Understand the skills needed to work together in a group.

• Understand that friendships can have problems and learn ways to overcome these problems.

• Understand how the actions of others can affect people.

Learning at Home

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The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

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Don’t forget to follow our classes on X.  Click a button below to find your child's class on X.

What a lovely end to a fantastic year!

In English this half term, 1LW have amazed everyone with their super writing skills. We thoroughly enjoyed recounting our trip to the Cannock Chase Toy Museum. Everyone received a special sticker from Mr Giles for all of their hard work. Following this, we wrote a letter to our new Year 2 teacher, Miss Ashmore. Miss Ashmore was very impressed with the fantastic handwriting and grammar in 1LW.

In Maths, we have been learning about time and money. 1LW have a fabulous knowledge of the different coins that we use in the U.K. and were even able to use their counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s knowledge to count out different values of money. 1LW have shown lots of resilience whist learning to tell the time. We can now tell the time to the hour and the half hour. I am sure that this is a skill 1LW will be keen to show off at home. 

We have had lots of fun with our wider curriculum topics this half term. In History, we learnt all about toys from the past. We put our knowledge to the test during our fantastic trip to Cannock Chase Museum. 1LW impressed the staff with their sensible behaviour and incredible facts about toys. In Art, we completed a unit called ‘Woven Wonders’. We learned how to tie a knot, weave and how to plait. These are all important life skills! I am sure lots of 1LW are eager to put these skills to the test by tying their own shoe laces at home.

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you all this year. I hope everyone has a safe and restful break. I hope that you all get to spend plenty of time with your families. I can’t wait to see you all in the playground at the end of the day. 

Have a super Summer,

Miss Wade and Miss Marshall

We have had a brilliant last half term as 1Q. There have been a lot of fun activities such as Sports Day and our trip to Cannock Chase Toy Museum.

In Maths we have looked at division, shape, money and time as well as learning to count in 2’s 5’s and 10’s, practising our number bonds and learning about odd and even numbers.

In English we have focused on writing a letter to our new class teacher as well as consolidating our learning on sentence writing using capital letters, full stops and conjunctions.

In Science we have carried out a range of investigations, including a really fun experiment on materials that an egg can land on safely, unfortunately we broke a few on the harder surfaces!  We have also consolidated our learning across the topics covered so far this year. 

In History we have completed our module on Toys, Mrs Sankey even answered a lot of questions about toys from her childhood and of course our Toy Museum Trip. This has been great fun. We have also studied Woven Wonders in Art and created some beautiful pieces of work using plaiting and weaving skills.

In Music we have been looking at underwater music and In PE we have worked on our basketball skills and completed some team games activities.

I am sure 1Q will have a fantastic year next year with their new teacher and I look forward to seeing them progress even more.

What a fantastic year we have had in Year 1! I am so proud of every single one of you and it is truly amazing to see how far you have all come. Your behaviour and positive attitude has really shone this year. You have shown super resilience at all times and your determination and enthusiasm will be missed. I hope you take these characteristics with you to your next class as you will continue to flourish.

In Maths, we have been looking at a range of different skills and getting even better at them. We have really enjoyed developing our understanding of place value, time and money. We have tried really hard to count in steps of 2, 5 and 10. We recognised the value of different coins and notes. We used lots of songs to help us remember the days of the week and months of the year. 

This half term in English, we have been using all of our different skills to carry out a range of tasks. Our favourite was when we wrote our own narrative in the style of Kipper’s Toybox. They were very exciting to read. We wrote a very exciting letter to our new year 2 teacher. For our last piece of writing, we wrote our own narrative. Your phonics skills this term and your reading fluency have been amazing too. 

In Science, we have been learning even more about summer. We revised past topics and developed our working scientifically skills. We planned some mini investigations and developed our predictions. We carried out investigations, including testing different materials on floating and sinking. We tested which material was the best at keeping Humpty Dumpty safe from a fall. 

In History, we looked at how toys have changed over the past. We looked at toys from over 100 years ago and how they are different or similar in the present. Mrs Brennan bought in her own childhood teddy and even her nans from 80 years ago. We even had Mrs Sankey talk about her favourite childhood toys. We brought in toys from home to share and looked at different timelines. We really enjoyed our trip to Cannock Toy Museum. 

In Art, we started our new topic called Woven Wonders. We learnt how art can be represented in different ways. We learnt how to weave and other new techniques. 

Well done 1S! You have had a great year and I have enjoyed working with you all. I hope you all have a great summer holiday and I look forward to seeing you in Year 2. Keep up the amazing and hard work and as I always say – SMASH IT!

Over and out, Mr Shah!

What a fantastic year we have had in Year 1! I am so proud of every single one of you and it is truly amazing to see how far you have all come. Your behaviour and positive attitude have really shone this year. You have always shown super resilience and your determination and enthusiasm will be missed. I hope you take these characteristics with you to your next class as you will continue to flourish.

In Maths we have been deepening and developing a range of mathematical skills. We have been focussing mainly on place value, time and money. We have also been working on the early stages of fractions by finding a quarter and a half of both shapes and quantities.  We have also learned lots of songs and rhymes to help us remember the days of the week and the months of the year. 

In English, we were phonic superstars and put all our phonics knowledge to great use during the Phonics Screening week. Well done to everyone for all you hard work. We have enjoyed finding out who was responsible for Kipper’s nibbled toybox in the story Kipper’s Toybox by Mick Inkpen. We were authors and used our creativity to write an alternative ending to the story. We have also completed a recount of all the wonderful activities of our recent visit to Cannock Toy Museum. The children certainly had a lot of fun!

Our D&T topic saw us explore different ways to prepare a range of fruit and vegetables including cutting, grating and peeling. We were able to tingle our taste buds by designing and making our very own fruit kebab. There were so many delicious fruit combinations. What would you have on yours? 

In History we learnt about the evolution of toys within living memory comparing them to toys we play with now. We have been busy making comparisons between new toys and those form the last 100 years and can describe how toys have changed over time. We also had the pleasure of visiting Cannock Toy Museum and experiencing a very funny Punch and Judy show! 

In Science, we have worked on lots of different scientific investigations including keeping Humpty Dumpty safe using different materials, waterproof materials and exploring the different parts of plants. The warmer weather helped us to observe seasonal changes that take place during the summer and we were able to compare all four seasons. 

1W, you have been AMAZING this year! You were an absolute pleasure to teach and I wish you all the best in Year 2. Continue to strive to be the best that you can be, and you will succeed! Miss Hanif is so lucky to have you in her class next year.

Enjoy the summer holidays with your wonderful family! Stay safe and take care.

Love from, Mrs Wilson 

Welcome back to our final term in Year 1. We have 7 more weeks together and so many exciting things left to learn and do. We hope you’ve had a lovely holiday. We really appreciate any parental support that can be given at home through helping your child with basic number skills, Phonics practise and hearing them read regularly. 

This half term we will be learning about:

English

In our English lessons we will be working on the following areas:

• Phonics – recapping all of our Phonics sounds from Phase 2 to Phase 5 in preparation for the Phonics check in June.

• Exploring a range of texts, including picture books to develop those writing skills ready for being in Year 2. 

• Continuing with the use of basic punctuation (capital letters, full stops, finger spaces) within our writing. Practising writing in sentences.

• Handwriting — practising using the correct letter formation.

Maths

In our Maths lessons we will be working on the following areas:

• Consolidation of reading and writing numbers in digits up to 100.

• Learning about money. 

• Learning about time. 

• Counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. 

• Position and direction – left, right, forwards and backwards. 

• Developing our reasoning skills. 

Science

In our Science lessons we will be working on the following areas:

• Observing changes across the four seasons (focusing on Summer). 

• Observing and describing weather associated with the seasons.

• Working scientifically by completing some more scientific investigations involving materials. 

History

In our History lessons we will be looking at how toys have changed. We will be discussing our favourite toys using language related to the past. We will make comparisons between toys in the past and present and sequence artefacts from different periods of time. We will identify changes between teddy bears today and those from 100 years ago and be able to describe how toys have changed over time.

Art

In Art we will be exploring Woven Wonders. We will be sharing experiences of making something creative and to creative interests of others. We will select materials of different lengths, colours and thickness to work in the style of Cecilia Vicuna by creating weaves incorporating patterns. We will be discussing choices and what we like about our finished work.

Computing

In computing we will be finding out about and understanding algorithms before creating our own algorithm and identifying how to debug it. We will also be learning how to change the font and the size of the font, add clipart into a word document and copy and paste a picture using safe search form the internet into a word document.

P.E./Sports

This terms topics will be Basketball and Team Building. We also have a sports day to look forward to!

On the days of P.E. lessons, pupils should come to school in their P.E. kit.  Details of kit required for P.E. can be found here.  Please ensure that they still have a warm, waterproof coat for lunch and play times on these days too.  ALL P.E. KIT MUST BE LABELLED WITH YOUR CHILD'S NAME AND CLASS.

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, there are three options on P.E. days:

1. Children do not wear their earrings on the day that they have a P.E. lesson.  This is the safest option.

2. Children have plasters put on at home so that their earrings are already covered for their P.E lesson.

3. Send plasters in so that their earrings can be covered.  Children will need to do this themselves, staff are not able to.

R.E./P.H.S.E.

In P.S.H.E we will continue to be looking at Citizenship and why rules are important, the different needs of a range of pets and the needs of babies and young children. In R.E we will descry and describing reasons why people choose to care for people other than it being their job and recognising ways of caring  that take more effort and receive less thanks.

Learning at Home

All classes are on Twitter so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download this week using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.

What a lot we still have left to get through! Let’s hope the sun is shining all the way to the end of the year.

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