Welcome to Year 1

We would like your child to have a very happy and successful year with us. Here we provide you with information about the curriculum for Y1, and we hope you can use this to support your child with their learning at home. We look forward to working in partnership with you!

Teachers

Y1LH – Miss Harrison       

Y1RM – Mrs Mason

Support Staff – Miss Ashton, Mr Wood 

A typical Y1 day

8.35 – Children begin to arrive and start their morning task at tables.

8.50 – Register

9.00 – Phonics

9.20 – Movement break and group reading carousel (alternate between reading with an adult or accessing continuous provision)

10.10 – Assembly (Monday) /spelling games or maths games.

10.30 – Break time

10.45 – English or Maths lessons

11:50 – Lunch

13.10 - Afternoon lessons (this may be a range of subjects – e.g. History, Art, DT, Science, Geography, computing, PE, RE, PSHCE – see each half term’s ‘curriculum summary’ for what your child will be learning each half term.)

14.35 – Handwriting

14:50 - Story time/singing (Star of the week assembly on Fridays)

15.15 – Home time

Continuous provision and learning through play

In year 1, we understand that many children are still at a level of development that needs play. To support your child’s transition from EYFS there will still be access to continuous provision areas in the year 1 classrooms and corridor that will support the year 1 learning curriculum. Play can help children develop and consolidate many skills (e.g. social skills, problem-solving, resilience, motor skills); it can also help to develop knowledge of concepts and the world around them. As the year progresses and children develop and mature, continuous provision will be adapted and reduced however there will always be playful and practical lessons across the curriculum.

Morning Routine

We aim for children to become more independent now they are in Y1. All children should line up independently outside their classroom door from 8.35am, ready for staff to bring them in to school.  Teachers are available to pass information over about your child briefly in the morning, but we also have a short time at the end of the day if you wish to speak to your child’s teacher when the children are sent home. Teachers will need to speak to some parents at home time to pass information over from the day. We ask that you respectfully wait away from the classroom door while the teachers are speaking with other parents to give privacy and wait until the teacher is available to speak to if needed. Each term there will be one day a week where parents/carers are invited in to the classroom (if they wish to do so) to support their child with their morning task. In Autumn term this will be on Fridays.

 P.E. Day

Y1LH and Y1RM – Monday

Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their P.E. kit. P.E. kits should include their ‘house team’ colour t-shirt or white t-shirt, navy/black shorts and black, plain trainers or pumps. Navy/black jogging bottoms and a navy hoodie/jumper can be worn for outdoor sessions when cold. No jewellery to be worn please. If your child has their ears pierced, children will need to remove these themselves or place tape over them. Long hair will need to be tied up. Please remember a filled water bottle every day, but especially on P.E. days. P.E. days may change over the year, but parents will be informed via email/Google Classroom.

Home Reading

Book change Day: Fridays

In Y1, we encourage reading as much as possible to help children become confident and able readers. Please encourage your child to read on a daily basis (where possible) for a short time and record how they do in their reading record. Children will bring home a reading book that they have already read in school and that they should be able to read with fluency (not having to overly sound out-although they may sound out a few words). It is important to reread this book at home so that your child can build their fluency and confidence in reading. These books have comprehension question examples at the back that you can ask your child. Pupils also take home one ‘library book’ for them to read for pleasure and share with an adult. This may be at a level higher than which they can read alone. Whenever reading with or to children, encourage them to discuss the book’s features, characters and events in detail. Please also encourage your child to make predictions about what will happen next. Home reading books and library books will be changed once a week on Fridays, although they need to be in school each day for adults to be able to read with them.

Google Classroom

Please remember to join our Google Classroom and regularly check this, as we post weekly spellings and updates and photos of children’s learning. Each half term’s curriculum summary and optional ‘Can you..?’ homework grid is also placed on Google Classroom. If you wish to contact your child’s class teacher, there is a document assigned to each child on Google Classroom to do this. Each child should have an email and password assigned to them, as well as a ‘class code’ to join the class - please check your emails for this information and for how to join our Google Classroom.

Home Learning

Google Classroom will be used to post weekly and half termly home learning. Each week, your child will receive a set of spellings to learn to spell and read confidently. The spellings will be a mixture of key words and topic related words the children will be using in their work. The children’s knowledge of their spellings will usually be checked on Fridays and we call this a ‘spell check.’ Children will also have the opportunity to complete regular Math’s homework tasks that reflect what has been done in class. In addition to spellings and Maths, your child will be given a ‘Can you…?’ challenge sheet at the start of each half term. This has optional homework activities that complement a range of subjects (e.g. Art/Music/Geography/etc.). We love to share this learning in class, so please do upload any photos/videos/copies to Google Classroom, or bring it in to show.

Educational Visits

After Easter, we plan to visit a farm as part of our ‘Can I have a pet?’ topic. There will also be opportunities for children to enjoy external visitors coming into school throughout the year and we make frequent use of our surrounding grounds and the area of Grenoside.

List of Topics