Snow day phonics year 1!

Snow‑Day Outdoor Phonics Activities

For Year 1 – Phase 5 (Essential Letters and Sounds)
Due to the snow, school is closed today. There is no expectation for formal learning, but if you would like to do a little phonics with your child, here are some optional, outdoor phonics activities you could enjoy together.
They are designed to be short, playful and practical, using the winter weather as an opportunity for learning while getting some fresh air. Even a few minutes of talking about sounds and words is helpful.

❄️ 1. Snowball Grapheme Hunt

How to play:
  1. Choose a sound your child is learning  (Flashcards- sound specific ), for example /ai/.
  2. Write the different spellings on paper or the ground:
    • ai, ay, a‑e, ea
  3. Hide them around the garden or outdoor space.
  4. Call out a word (e.g. day, rain, cake).
  5. Your child finds and points to the grapheme (flash card or written sound) that fits the word.
Talk about:
“Why does this word use ay instead of ai?”

⛄ 2. Build‑a‑Word Snowman

How to play:
  1. Draw large circles or “snowballs” on the ground.
  2. Say a Phase 5 word and ask your child to ‘build it’ by writing the graphemes.
Example words:
  • snowy
  • floating
  • bright
  • winter

☃️ 3. Snowy Sentence Walk

How to play:

  1. Write a simple sentence on paper strips and place each word outside in order.
    • The snow is bright and white.
  2. Your child walks along, reading each word.
  3. Ask them to spot:
    • Harder to read and spell words within the sentence.
Extra challenge: Can the children spot the adjectives in the sentence?

❄️ 4. Outdoor Writing: Winter Caption

What to do:
  • Look at the outdoor scene: snow, frost, breath in the air.
  • Talk the sentence aloud first.
  • Encourage your child to write a caption, for example:
    • The ice on the path is slippery.
    • The snow looks beautiful in the light.
Remind your child to:
  • Say each word aloud
  • Make spelling choices using their Phase 5 knowledge
  • Use capital letters and full stops

Here are some videos to help with phoneme pronunciation:
Phase 3:

 

Phase 5:


✅ Helpful Tips for Parents

  • It’s okay if spelling isn’t perfect – phonically plausible spellings are encouraged.
  • Praise effort, not speed.
  • Short, active sessions (10–15 minutes) are ideal!
❄️ Have fun learning outdoors and enjoy the snow!
Your child is still making great progress in phonics just by talking, reading, and playing with sounds.

Spellings 05.01.26-09.01.26

Mrs Clarke / Miss Hickman / Mrs Bate Year 1 1/2B:

hair, chair, stair, pair, pure, cure, picture, sure, he, she

Miss Cole / Mrs Whitehead / Mrs Longville Year 2 1/2B:

ball, tall, love, want, usual, treasure, Asia, conclusion, night, blue

The Inn-spectors Nativity- That’s a wrap!

We are absolutely bursting with pride after this year’s nativity performance, Inn-spectors! Every child shone on stage and gave their very best. From the moment the very beginning, the audience was treated to clear, confident speaking and singing that was truly out of this world. Our soloists were simply outstanding, and the whole cast brought the story to life with energy and enthusiasm.

There were even moments of comedy that had everyone smiling – what a fantastic way to celebrate the season together! It was a joy to see the children’s hard work and talent come through so beautifully.

A huge thank you to all our parents for your incredible support with learning lines, preparing costumes, and cheering the children on. Your help makes all the difference, and we couldn’t do it without you.

Well done to everyone involved – you’ve made this Christmas truly special!

Spellings 15.12.25-19.12.25

Mrs Clarke / Miss Hickman / Mrs Whitehead / Mrs Longville:

coin, soil, boil, spoil, ear, fear, year, beard, as, is

Miss Cole / Mrs Bate:

door, floor, most, child, with, some, glove, London, wash, watch

Fizz Pop Science Assembly – A Morning of Exciting Experiments!

This morning, we were thrilled to welcome the Fizz Pop Science team into school for a fantastic assembly. The classroom was buzzing with excitement as the staff wowed us with incredible science experiments that sparked curiosity and amazement among our pupils. From mind-bending demonstrations to fun, hands-on learning, it was a brilliant way to bring science to life!

But the fun doesn’t stop there! Starting in January, Fizz Pop Science will be running an after-school science club with the exciting theme: “Science at Work” – exploring how science shapes the world around us in everyday life.
This is a wonderful opportunity for children to discover real-world science through engaging experiments and activities beyond the classroom.

Places are limited to 20 and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t miss out!

You need to sign up on their website: https://fizzpopscience.co.uk/afterschoolbooking/
See the poster attached below for more details, you must sign up through their website before 31st December!

Church of the Ascension – Letter – T3 26

08.12-25-12.12.25 Spellings

Mrs Clarke / Miss Hickman / Mrs Whitehead / Mrs Longville:

fork, sort, storm, North, owl, down, town, frown, into, pull

Miss Cole / Mrs Bate:

key, valley, face, place, pencil, fossil, city, there, because, beautiful

01.12.25-05.12.25

Mrs Clarke / Miss Hickman / Mrs Whitehead / Mrs Longville:

turn, burst, curl, hurt, zoo, moon, scoop, rooftop, to, go

Miss Cole / Mrs Bate:

knee, know, sign, design, write, what, undo, wrap, steak, break

1/2B Final Forest School!

What a brilliant final Forest School session for class 1/2B.

Despite the cold, chilly weather, the children were full of energy and excitement, ready to explore and enjoy a fire-themed session with a sprinkle of Christmas magic.

We started with a festive game of “Hunt the Elf on a Branch”, before giving the children the chance to light a fire themselves. They also enjoyed making their own Christmas deorations, adding a lovely creative touch to the morning.

The favourites were in full swing – the mud kitchen, mud-pit digging, and den building kept everyone busy and happy. We finished the session by toasting marshmallows for s’mores and warming up with a hot chocolate.

Spellings 24.11.25-28.11.25

Mrs Clarke / Miss Hickman / Mrs Whitehead / Mrs Longville:

book, foot, cook, look, car, park, market, shark, of, is

Miss Cole / Mrs Bate:

page, giant, large, fridge, jellyfish, barge, giraffe, was, they, Christmas

Experience Advent Year 2!

Yesterday our Year 2 children enjoyed a visit to Church. The children learnt what advent means and why we celebrate it.
Father Chris invited the children to discuss what joy is and what it means to them. He also related it to the Christmas story and the good news the angels shared with Mary. The children then wrote what joy means to them on a lollipop stick. Some other lovely ladies then worked with the children creating wreaths, stars and hand decorations and exploring their meanings within advent.

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