Year 1 Class Blog: 

19th January 2026

Year One children have been developing their drawing skills this week. Using their knowledge of 'Line' from an Art unit last term, the children have been looking carefully at photos and pictures of famous buildings and trying to replicate these in a pencil sketch. They have learned about the design work of architects and how their plans are key in the building process.

This week, the children learned about Sir Christopher Wren and his plans to build St Paul's Cathedral in London. We discussed how some of the children had visited London and some of the amazing and very beautiful old buildings. The children then worked quietly and with concentration to draw lines to create their own sketch of St Paul's. They were very proud of their final drawings, as were we!

The children loved their first Forest Schools session on Tuesday! Wild Space looks very different at this time of year to when the children last visited in the Summer term of Reception. They enjoyed exploring and quickly began designing, building and making alongside their friends.

Thank you for ensuring that the children have their Forest Schools bag every Tuesday.

12th January 2026

In their Maths lessons this week the children have resumed their learning about shape and their properties. We focused on 2D shapes last term, so we are looking at 3D shapes this time. The children are learning to recognise and name cuboids (including cubes), pyramids and spheres. They have really enjoyed making these shapes and finding examples of them in their environment.

This half-term we continue to have PE lessons on Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings. We try to have an indoor lesson to focus on gymnastics skills and an outdoor lesson on games skills every week, weather dependent of course!

The children are looking forward to resuming their Forest Schools sessions next from next Tuesday onwards. Please see the separate letter sent home for the clothing the children will need to bring each Tuesday. Thank you for your support in ensuring that they are ready and prepared to get the most out of these sessions.

5th January 2026

Happy New Year to you all!

It was great to see all the Year One children settle quickly and happily back into their learning at school this week.

In English, we have started reading Beatrix Potter's classic Tale of Peter Rabbit. It has been great to hear that some children have some of her tales in their book collections at home, and they have been very keen to bring these in to share with us. In Sounds Write Phonics lessons, we continue to learn the Extended Code, with a focus on the sound /oy/ and its related spellings this week. The children continue to "Say the sounds to read and write the words."

The children were very excited to continue their Computing lessons on Wednesday. This week they explored the painting tools using the iPads, which linked to our Art unit 'Colour' last term. The children have also used the laptops to develop their mouse control. They enjoy this lesson very much!

15th December 2025

What a wonderfully busy last week of term in Year One!

The children took part in three performances of 'The Nativity' for the school, parents and families. They played the important part of the shepherds in the story and sang their hearts out throughout! Well done, Year One! You were amazing and made us all very proud.

The Christmas Fair was a great success and the children had a great time playing the games and buying treasures from the stalls! The older children helped the younger children throughout, which was wonderful to see. Thank you parents for all of your donations which helped to make the day such a success. We also had many happy raffle winners in Year One!

On Thursday the children enjoyed 'Pride in Elm Day.' Every term we hold this day to celebrate the hard work and effort of the children. This term they were rewarded with hot chocolate, popcorn and a Christmas movie. Great fun was had by all!

The hard work continued this week as the children completed their work on artist's use of line. Inspired by the work of Miro, the children created different types of lines from varied resources and using different media. They made their own choice of colour, length, shape and organisation on the page. The results were very impressive!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents for their support this term. In any quieter moments over the Christmas break, please encourage your child to read some of the stories we have included in a reading pack, which include the Extended Code knowledge taught so far. Many thanks!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Mrs Foster and Mrs Hall

Year One Team

8th December 2025

In History lessons Year One children are developing their understanding of the past and present. They can recognise some events and ways of life in the past and compare this to what is happening now in the present. They were really keen to make their own family trees and to discuss the history of their loved ones. The children busily ordered their family members on to their individual trees.

This week the children loved participating in Christmas Jumper Day, raising money for 'Save the Children.' We discussed why we hold a Christmas Jumper Day and how by taking part they are helping children in need around the world. The children enjoyed designing their own jumpers and considering which toys they would select for a child who had lost so much and did not have any. The children's thought and kindness shone through all of these activities and discussion.

The children also enjoyed Christmas dinner on Jumper Day, celebrating and joining in together.....Great fun!

1st December 2025

Year One children have loved reading the story 'Coming Home' by Michael Morpurgo in their English lessons. This beautiful story of a tiny robin making the long and often treacherous journey home in time for Christmas has really captured the children's imagination and they can't wait to see what happens next!

They have joined in reading together as a class, using their voices expressively to convey their understanding of how the little bird feels. This shared understanding is also conveyed in their writing, when we write together about the different parts of the story. To do this, we have really concentrated on what is a sentence? The children have identified fragments and turned these into complete sentences, with a subject and predicate. They have also started to write questions with a question mark, whilst also remembering capital letters and full stops in their sentences.

The children work hard to apply their phonic knowledge to the writing process and we support with spellings for the extended code we have not yet learned. We always read our writing back to check that we have really conveyed meaning clearly to the reader.

Year One children are very proud of their writing and they continue to work hard in their handwriting lessons to continually develop their handwriting style.

Keep up the good work, Year One!

24th November 2025

What a brilliant day of cooking we had in Year One on Thursday!

The children were so excited to be reading and following the recipes to make jam tarts and to learn new chopping skills such as the 'claw' and 'bridge' to chop vegetables. We used a wide range of ingredients to make the dips, including lemons and cannellini beans. The children cut, mashed, mixed, rolled and assembled to make some very appetizing foods. Well done, Year One!

We were so proud of the way in which the children listened to and followed instructions. They worked individually, with a cooking partner and as part of a small group to cook in stages. In between the cooking, the children worked happily on linked activities. Cooking is part of the Food and Nutrition element of our Design Technology curriculum this term. Next term we will have another DT day, which will focus on different skills.

When it came to tasting, many children had a taste of the bean and Tzatziki dips. Even if they didn't love the taste, we were so proud of the children for trying! They also munched the vegetable sticks with much enthusiasm and

ALL children loved the jam tarts!

We hope they enjoyed sharing some of these with you at home, too.

17th November 2025

In RE lessons this week, the children have explored Creation, from the Christian worldview. They listened carefully to stories that explained how Christians believe that God created the world over 7 days. To help them remember what was created when, the children made their own 'Creation Wheel' which they could turn to match the day with what was created. These really helped the children to secure their knowledge recall and understanding.

As the children progress in their understanding of place value, they have been working with higher numbers up to 100. This has involved essential counting every day in every Maths lesson. The children have been making and counting in tens on the tens grids and then counting on 'how many more?' They have then recorded this count, writing two-digit numbers carefully and accurately.

We are very much looking forward to cooking in the classroom next week! More details to come via email.

10th November 2025

What a busy week we have had in Year One this week!

On Tuesday the children observed the two minutes silence impeccably alongside the rest of the school for Remembrance Day. During the special assembly the children joined other schools across the country to listen to Prince William address the nation and to learn more about how people show respect for those who have lost their lives in conflict. The children made beautiful poppies to join in with this important occasion.

On Friday the children thoroughly enjoyed dressing in Pudsey tops and ears to join in with Children in Need day, raising money for this cause. They joined in with a Joe Wicks 'Challenge 25' PE session and completed 25 other challenges during the day, across the wider curriculum. Thank you for helping us to raise money!

During the afternoon the excitement continued with our class celebration assembly. The children made us all very proud with their confidence and enjoyment of sharing their learning with their friends and families. Thank you for joining us to support the lovely Year One children!

3rd November 2025

It was lovely to welcome Year One children back to school on Monday. They already look very settled into Year One learning and routines and they were keen to start their second half-term!

In Maths, the children have been working practically to find and represent all the addition and subtraction facts of 5 and 6. Recall of key number facts is essential in supporting future mathematical learning in Year One, so time spent learning these facts off by heart is very beneficial. We have also been focusing on counting to 100 and finding one more and one less than numbers.

In PE we are continuing with an indoor hall session each Thursday this half-term, with our focus now moving from dance to gymnastics. The children are very excited about our lessons and take part with much effort and enthusiasm to learn the different shapes, stretches and routines. We work on the mats and introduce apparatus such as the benches as the weeks progress. We continue to have an outdoor PE lesson every Friday, in which we will continue to develop sending and receiving skills.

We look forward to welcoming parents and carers to our class celebration assembly next Friday 14th November at 2.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

20th October 2025

Having completed their mixing and painting of orange in Art, this week the children decorated their beautiful flowers which were inspired by Van Gogh. They look amazing in our classroom!

In PE this week the children completed their weather dance. They have been counting to the beat and adding the steps to the music in time. The resulting dance sequences have been really impressive. Many children also enjoyed the school disco this week. It was wonderful to see the children's enjoyment as they danced to their favourite songs!

It was great to meet parents and carers this week to discuss progress so far in Year One. With a particular focus on reading, we were able to share some home packs of words for practising segmenting and blending:" Say the sounds to read the words." Many children have already told us that they are using these words at home already....many thanks for your continued support.

We wish all Year One children and their families a very happy half-term break!

13th October 2025

As you know from the children's Reading Logs, we are learning the Extended Code in our Year One Sounds Write lessons. The children have a whole hour of Phonics every morning, straight after Collective Worship school assembly. These lessons are very focused on the systematic learning of sound spelling correspondences and the varied lessons involve the children in "Saying the sounds to read/write the word."

The children follow the decodable texts with their 'reading finger' and work hard to learn the new code knowledge and skills, in addition to reviewing previously taught sound spelling correspondences. Further information on reading in Year One can be found in the introductory letter in the Reading Logs.

We hear the children read aloud during our phonics and whole class reading lessons. We thank you for supporting the children to read and re-read the aligned phonics books sent home each week to help develop accuracy, pace and fluency. We appreciate all your comments which let us know how the children are getting on with their reading at home, so that we can work in partnership.

We hope that you enjoy sharing the book that the children choose from our School Library each week.

Happy Reading, Year One!

6th October 2025

In our Year One Science lessons, the children have been learning all about the Human Body, with a particular emphasis on the five senses. We have been on sound walks around the school, discussed pleasant and unpleasant smells and how our sense of smell can also alert us to danger. We have learned the importance of using our eyes and ears to cross the road safely and thought about those tastes we like and dislike. The children have enjoyed using their hands to find out how different materials feel.

The children have also learned about the extraordinary life of Helen Keller, who was both deaf and blind. They have understood how blind people use braille to help them read and they made their own form of braille out of playdough. In this, they made the shape of each braille representation of letters to make words. This was quite challenging, but the children did not give up! They showed resilience in their attention to detail and were inspired by Helen and her determination to succeed. Well done, Year One!

Thank you for ensuring that the children have their wellies in school. These are essential for them to be able to enjoy playing in the space offered by the field when it is their turn at lunchtime.

29th September 2025

It was wonderful to see so many parents and carers in church last week for our school Harvest Festival! The children were so excited to share their Harvest songs and actions with you. It was so lovely to see how the Year One children in our class helped the Reception children to sing in church for the first time. They showed such kindness and  empathy towards their Reception friends. We were very proud of you all, Year One!

The children are really enjoying exploring the 'Colour' unit in our Art lessons this term. They absolutely love their painting activities, and this week they completed their interpretations of Mondrian's painting, with his use of rectangle shapes and the primary colours. The children decided on their own number and size of rectangles, the orientation of their painting, and which primary colour to use where. They made their decisions with thought and care and were very proud of their final paintings.

Each half-term we will display some of the children's art work in the hall, alongside that of other classes. Every child will have their art work on display in celebration of their knowledge and skills in this subject, both in the classroom and in the hall.

On to Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' next week!

22nd September 2025

In Geography lessons the children in Year One have been learning more about maps and plans. They have understood that an 'aerial view' is a view from above and they were able to identify pictures of different things from their aerial views. The children then had great fun making their own aerial views from above of our school, including the buildings, playground and field. They worked co-operatively in their groups to design and build. Well done, Year One!

We have been thinking internet safety and keeping safe online. The children have watched 'Jessie and Friends' to collect certificates for their learning in this area. They have shared their understanding through respectful discussion, listening carefully to the experiences and opinions of their friends. They know to 'Tell a Grown Up' (TAG) if there is anything of which they are unsure. They were able to bring their first certificate home this week. Great learning, Year One!

We are busy learning our Harvest song to sing with the new Reception children in church next week. We look forward to seeing you there on Thursday afternoon to celebrate our Elm Harvest Festival!

15th September 2025

This week the children have continued to settle really well into our Year One learning and classroom routines. Our mornings have been busily full of phonics, reading, writing and maths learning each day. The children are all reading aloud daily in their reading lessons and

we thank you for sharing the phonics books at home as much as possible, to help develop accuracy, pace and fluency. The children really enjoy exploring the wider subjects of the curriculum in the afternoons.

Each Thursday the children are enjoying Dance in the hall and on Friday they are developing their throwing and catching ball skills outside on the playground. Thank you for ensuring that the children are in their PE kits on these days and that jewelry is removed for these lessons, to ensure safety.

Please see the subject tabs above to find out more about our Year One curriculum learning this term, where the subjects each have a 'knowledge organiser'. The children are fully engaged in their learning activities and are hopefully keen to tell you about these! The knowledge organiser should be helpful to you in sharing in their exciting learning. We hope that you found the maths place value unit information useful,  that we sent home recently. The children are enjoying learning maths with the help of the characters shown here!

Thank you for all your support for your child's learning.

8th September 2025

Welcome to Year One!

It was lovely to see the children ready to begin their Year One learning journey last week, and for us to meet parents and carers. Our first three days for the children in Year One were very much about settling into their new classroom and Year One routines. We have of course been busy getting to know the children much better, building on from

their transition activities during the summer term.

This week has been our first full week back in school and the children have already made us very proud with their enthusiasm to learn and their good behaviour for learning. What a great start!

In our Sounds Write Phonics lessons we have been revising the Initial Code, with a particular focus on the /sh/, /th/, /ch/, /ng/, /ck/, and /wh/ sound-spelling correspondences. We hope that you have found the 'Reading in Year One' information in the Reading Log useful. Thank you for all your support for reading at home. We have appreciated your feedback comments in your child's Reading Log, to support the home-school partnership.

In our English lessons we have enjoyed the story of 'The Gruffalo' and we have been writing some simple sentences together. In Maths, we have been counting together as a class and counting objects to at least 20. Our particular focus has been numbers 11-20 in terms of counting, reading and writing these, building on the children's learning around numbers 0-10 in Reception. When we count as a class we go all the way to 100 and the children love counting really high together! Please look out for the place value knowledge organiser which we will send home next week, which outlines our first unit's maths learning in more detail.

We really look forward to working together this year, to continue your child's learning journey at Elm.

Mrs Foster and Mrs Hall

Year One Team

Curriculum visits and enrichment activities: