Welcome to Milestone 1, where in Year 1, children make the transition from play based learning in Foundation Stage to more structured, independent learning in Year 1. Children continue to have access to many of the valuable learning resources used in Foundation Stage, including the outdoor classroom, as we aim to make learning as hands on and practical as possible. 

We value the importance of children having a positive attitude towards their learning. Children are encouraged to become confident and resilient learning who appreciate and become excited by learning that offers challenge.

Children in Year 2 are continuing to develop their independence and deepen their understanding of the Key Stage 1 curriculum. 

PHONICS & READING:

We deliver a daily synthetic phonics session. We use the Letters and Sounds document for our planning. There are six overlapping phases, in Year 1 we build on the learning covered during phases 1 – 4 in Foundation and work on phase 5.

The purpose of phase 5 is to broaden children’s knowledge of sounds and how they are written for use in reading and spelling. Children learn new ways that sounds are written and also alternative pronunciations of written sounds. Spelling patterns are investigated and children begin to think about making sensible choices when choosing which spelling of a sound to use in words.

We regularly carry out individual phonics assessments with children to monitor and track progress.

PHONICS SCREENING CHECK

In June all pupils in Year 1 will take part in the phonics screening check. This is a statutory check that was introduced by the government in 2012 to confirm if individual pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate level. The check consists of reading 40 real and 'alien' words.

Pupils who do not reach the required standard at the end of Year 1 will receive extra support and will have the opportunity to retake the check in Year 2.

In Year 1&2 we work to develop children as confident and enthusiastic readers. During English lessons and story time we share a variety of high-quality texts. Our reading books are organised into coloured bookbands, children each have a book appropriate to their ability and in line with the phonic phase, they are working at. Each week children have a guided group read where they are supported to read a more challenging book.

ENGLISH:

Throughout the year pupils develop their literacy skills through a variety of engaging topics. Pupils are taught and encouraged to become more confident at applying their reading, writing, and communication skills for different purposes. Literacy lessons provide many opportunities for children to express their ideas through speaking and listening activities. Drama is often used to explore a topic and allow children the opportunity to take on different roles.

MATHS:

We enjoy lots of practical activities to use and apply our learning in maths. Here are the different strands of learning and some of the key objectives we work towards achieving.

• Number and Place Value
• Addition and Subtraction
• Multiplication and Division
• Fractions
• Measurement
• Properties of Shape
• Position and direction