Maths:

To kick off our Aspire for Higher curriculum, we read The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds—a story that encourages self-belief, creativity, and taking that all-important first step. After reading, we reflected on the story’s message and thought about something we can’t do yet, but would like to achieve by the end of Year 1 and Year 2. 

Year 1:

Year 1 went on an exciting circle hunt around the classroom and the school grounds. The children explored their environment carefully, spotting and identifying objects with circular shapes. They discovered circles in everyday items such as clocks, wheels, plates, and signs.

Year 2:

As part of our activity, we explored how even a simple dot can grow into something amazing. We each created our own artwork, starting with a painted dot on one side of a folded paper. When we folded the paper, it created a symmetrical print on the other side—transforming a single dot into a unique piece of art! 

English:

Year 1:

Year 1 enjoyed listening to the story The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. After hearing the beginning of the story, the children each drew their own dot and then used their imagination to predict what might happen next. This activity encouraged creativity, storytelling, and thinking about how characters might change and grow.

Year 2:

Year 2 read the story The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. After sharing the book together, the children worked in groups to sequence the events using picture cards. This helped them to recall key parts of the story, discuss what happened in order, and build their understanding of how stories are structured.

To celebrate and summarise our learning, we took part in our very own Aspire for Higher activity. The children thoroughly enjoyed challenging themselves on an inflatable assault course set up on the school field. This was a fantastic opportunity to build teamwork, resilience, and confidence, while having lots of fun together.

We look forward to what we are going to achieve this academic year!

As the school year comes to an end, we would like to say a heartfelt goodbye to our fantastic Year 2 children as they get ready to begin their exciting journey into Key Stage 2.

It has been an absolute pleasure teaching all the children in Key Stage 1 this year. Together, we’ve embarked on an incredible learning adventure — from discovering our capital city, London, to stepping back in time to learn about the Gunpowder Plot and the Great Fire of London. Our visit to Cadbury World and learning about Bournville brought chocolatey history to life, and we were inspired by the work and values of Mahatma Gandhi.

In Design and Technology, the children showed creativity and teamwork as they built timber-framed houses, and in Art, they impressed us with beautifully crafted clay elephants and glowing diva lamps. In Science, we explored everyday materials and investigated how and why the Great Fire of London spread so quickly.

our curriculum has been brought to life with a range of exciting enhanced learning experiences that have made learning truly memorable for our Key Stage 1 children.

Our visit to Cadbury World gave us a delicious insight into the history of chocolate and the story behind Bournville Village, linking beautifully with our learning about local history and the wider world. The children were fascinated to learn how chocolate is made – and, of course, loved the chance to taste some too!

We were captivated by the Trunk Theatre’s Great Fire of London performance, which transported us back to 1666. The engaging show helped children understand the causes and impact of the fire in a fun, theatrical way — a fantastic addition to our history topic.

The Treasure Island theatre show had everyone hooked with its swashbuckling characters and adventurous storyline. It was a great way to inspire imagination, story writing, and creative thinking in the classroom.

Our India Day celebrations were another unforgettable highlight. The children immersed themselves in Indian culture through music, dance, art, and food, and deepened their understanding of diversity and the life and values of inspirational leaders like Mahatma Gandhi.

These experiences have not only enriched our topics but have also built confidence, curiosity, and lasting memories. We are so proud of how the children embraced every opportunity with such enthusiasm!

We are so proud of how much each child has grown — in confidence, curiosity, and independence. We will miss their enthusiasm, laughter, and big ideas, but we know they are ready for the new challenges and opportunities that Key Stage 2 will bring.

Thank you, Year 2 — you’ve been amazing. Good luck and keep shining! We look forward to continuing to work with Year 1 next academic year.

In our History lessons, we have been focusing on the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. We have explored key facts about his life, including his early years, his leadership in the Indian independence movement, and his philosophy of non-violence. As part of our learning, we have written short retells to summarise important events and reflect on his impact on the world. This work has helped us better understand Gandhi’s values and how he influenced history through peaceful resistance. Have a look at some examples below…