Over the next few weeks, our English lessons will be centred around the beautiful and uplifting book Whirly Twirly Me by Manjeet Mann. This vibrant story will serve as our creative springboard as the children learn how to capture thoughts, feelings, and everyday adventures by writing their very own diary sentences. The children will be developing their use of capital letters, full stops and conjunctions, helping them express their personal experiences with growing confidence. We cannot wait to see their independent writing take flight!

We follow the Read Write Inc. phonics programme, which gives children a flying start in learning to read and write.  Children are assessed regularly and grouped to meet their needs. We teach children the initial sounds, moving into reading 'special friends' such as ng and oo.  Then children are taught to decode and blend to develop their reading skills.  Reading is the key to opening the door to learning.

This half term, our Key Stage 1 mathematicians are diving deep into the world of numbers up to 20! We will begin by securing a firm understanding of place value within 20, helping the children recognize that two-digit numbers are made up of tens and ones. Using lots of hands-on resources like Tens Frames, Base 10, and bead strings, we will be counting forwards and backwards, ordering numbers, and finding one more and one less.

Once our place value foundations are rock-solid, we will move on to addition and subtraction within 20. The children will learn to use practical equipment, number lines, and mental strategies (like 'counting on' and 'making ten') to solve both calculations and real-life word problems. By focusing on these core skills, we aim to build mathematical fluency and confidence, ensuring every child feels like a successful problem solver.

This half term, our KS1 geographers are staying close to home to investigate a very important place: our school and its immediate surroundings. Through our exciting unit, "My School," the children will develop their spatial awareness and look at their everyday environment through a scientific, geographical lens.

Our adventure begins right inside the classroom, where the children will make simple observations and look at aerial photographs to spot familiar human and physical features from a "bird's-eye view". We will then use our fieldwork skills to venture outside, exploring the school grounds and beginning to recognise familiar places in our local area. These hands-on outdoor explorations are a wonderful way for the children to build meaningful local memories, anchoring their learning in the community they know best. The children will also learn the importance of knowing where we are by practising how to write an address correctly.

As we progress, we will become expert mapmakers! The children will learn how to recognise basic map symbols and understand why a map needs a key to make sense. We will then put this knowledge to use by using simple compass directions (North, East, South, West) to navigate, plan a route, and track paths across our school site—an essential step in broadening horizons as they build the foundational navigation skills needed to explore the wider world. By the end of the term, our mini-geographers will have a fantastic foundation in mapping and a deeper connection to their local community!

This half term, our Key Stage 1 scientists will be turning their eyes to the sky and nature as we explore the wonderful unit of Seasons. As the year unfolds, the children will learn to observe and describe the fascinating changes that happen all around us as we transition from one time of year to the next.

We will spend time exploring the differences between all four seasons, but our main focus will be diving deep into the chillier months. The children will become nature detectives, learning to identify the distinct signs of Autumn and Winter, including the specific leaves, berries, and natural treasures related to each. We will also learn to track, measure, and describe the typical weather associated with these colder seasons.

Beyond the weather, we will discover how wildlife copes when the temperature drops. The children will explore the clever ways animals survive the winter, learning to name and group creatures that hibernate, migrate, or adapt to the cold. Connecting these lessons to our own outdoor environment will allow us to create special local memories, while learning about global animal migrations will assist in broadening horizons. 

This half term in Religious Education, our Key Stage 1 classes will be exploring a wonderful, immersive question: "What do my senses tell me about the world of religion and belief?" We will be focusing our learning on Hinduism to discover how sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell play a vital role in how people express their faith.

The children will learn about the Hindu temple (Mandir) as a special place of worship and will explore various Hindu artefacts to understand their meaning and purpose. A major highlight of our learning will be discovering puja—the beautiful ritual of worship—and understanding why it is so important to Hindu families. By looking at how Hindus use all of their senses during puja, from the smell of incense to the sound of bells and the taste of sweet offerings, our children will build meaningful local memories of their classroom discoveries while broadening horizons by learning about the diverse traditions of our wider world.

This half term, Turtles will be starting the Jigsaw PSHE scheme. Our first unit, "Being Me in My World," focuses on helping the children settle into their new routines, celebrate their individuality, and understand how they fit into our school community. We began the term by reflecting on the year ahead, giving the children a safe space to identify some of their personal hopes and fears. As we establish our classroom environment, the children are discovering what it means to be a responsible community member. They are learning about the rights and responsibilities we all share, as well as the value of making positive contributions to our school. A significant part of this unit involves working collaboratively. The children are practising how to listen to other people’s perspectives while contributing their own ideas about rewards and consequences. Together, we are exploring how following our shared Learning Charter helps everyone feel safe and ready to learn. By helping them recognise the daily choices they make and understand the consequences of those actions, we are guiding the children to create positive local memories in the classroom while broadening horizons for their future roles as global citizens.

This term in art,  we dive into an exciting unit focused on the art of drawing. Over the coming weeks, the children will be given wonderful opportunities to produce creative work, exploring their own unique ideas and recording their personal experiences through line, shape, and texture—all working towards creating their very own self-portraits!

This term in DT, we will jump into an exciting Design and Technology (DT) unit. Our mission? To design the ultimate lunchbox! The children will act as real-world designers, using their own daily experiences and knowledge of existing lunchboxes to help generate fresh, innovative ideas.

Throughout this project, the children will learn that excellent design always serves a purpose and must be aimed at an intended user. To bring their ideas to life, our mini-designers will practice explaining exactly how their product will look and work using clear talking and simple, annotated drawings. They will also learn to understand and follow specific design criteria to ensure their lunchboxes are truly fit for purpose.

We will be learning to perform actions to music and respond to musical signals and themes using movement. We will be exploring and creating rhythm patterns and learning how to use these to create a composition, writing down our compositions.

This half term, we are focusing on a vital life skill: Online Safety. As our young learners engage more with technology, we are empowering them with the digital literacy tools they need to navigate the online world confidently, responsibly, and safely. Our learning begins by exploring exactly what is meant by "online information." The children will learn to distinguish between general content and private details, recognising exactly what information is safe to be shared online and what should remain private. We will also dive into data protection, exploring why we need passwords and investigating the secret ingredients that make up a strong, secure password. A significant focus of this unit is digital respect and digital rights. The children will learn that they must always ask a trusted adult for permission before sharing any content online, and we will discuss the reasons why. Crucially, they will also discover that they have the right to deny permission if they do not want information about themselves shared online. As we grow as digital citizens, we will practice some simple strategies to work out if online information is reliable or not. Finally, the children will identify their trusted networks, learning exactly who they can ask for help if they ever encounter online worries.

We link a range of learning to our woodland sessions.  The children really enjoy their time in the woods (both learning and wild play time for exploring and following their own interests).  This is a fundamental opportunity for children to develop teamwork skills and build resilience through problem-solving.  It also teaches children about having respect for our environment.

Our woodland session is on a Tuesday afternoon. Please could children wear clothing suitable for the weather, as we are likely to be outside even if it is raining.  They will also need different shoes or wellies to wear in the woods.

This half term, our Turtles will be keeping active and energised with two PE units: Fundamentals and Team Building!

In our Fundamentals sessions, the focus is all about developing core movement skills, body management, and agility. The children will explore how their bodies move at different speeds, practising how to accelerate, decelerate, change direction quickly, and dodge. We will be perfecting our jumping, hopping, and skipping—including learning how to combine different types of jumps safely. The children will also challenge themselves to balance with control, land safely from equipment, and build up their coordination by skipping and jumping using a rope.

Alongside these individual physical skills, we will be diving into Team Building to develop our social and cooperative abilities. Through a series of fun physical challenges, the children will learn the importance of following instructions and working with others. They will collaborate in small groups to communicate clearly, build trust, and create clever plans to solve active problems together. A highlight of this unit will see the children using their teamwork skills to copy and create their very own maps to navigate challenges!

Class Dojo is our main form of communication with parents. If you have not yet signed up for Class Dojo and would like to, please do not hesitate to come and see us.  We are more than happy to help if you are having difficulty in accessing this.  It's a great space where you can view photos, videos and information about all the amazing things that are happening in our classroom and around the school. It gives you the chance to see what your children have been learning in school each week, giving you the opportunity to talk to them at home about what they have been doing.

A home learning menu will be posted on Class Dojo at the beginning of each half term.  These activities are suggestions linked to the Discovery Learning focus for the half term, but you are free to explore other home learning opportunities with your child.

Please ensure your child’s clothing and belongings are clearly labelled.