English

This week, we concluded our learning based on the book Martha Maps It Out. The children have been busy writing back‑and‑forth conversations using speech bubbles, imagining a dialogue between themselves and a character they meet on a journey.

We then moved on to writing short narratives in which one of the characters shares some exciting news. Children were challenged to use ‘and’ to join two ideas in a sentence—an important Year 1 writing objective.

We also revisited how to use adjectives to make sentences more vivid. “Adjectives” has been our Word of the Week, and it has been wonderful hearing the children’s creative vocabulary choices.

If you would like to encourage writing over the holidays, you might ask your child to write a short story about something they do during the break—perhaps imagining they bump into someone and share some real‑life good news! We would love to see their work when we return.

Maths

In Maths, we explored the final parts of our place‑value unit. Children worked with number lines to 50, filling in missing numbers and estimating where numbers should be placed. We particularly enjoyed getting hands‑on by drawing giant number lines on the tables!

We also practised finding one more and one less, using number lines and number squares to support us when needed. The children have grown so much in confidence with their number knowledge.

Phonics

This week has been full of phonics assessments, and we are incredibly proud of the progress the children have made. After the holidays, we will begin preparing for the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check in June.

What is the Phonics Screening Check? 
The Phonics Screening Check is a short, one‑to‑one activity where children read 40 words—a mix of real words and “nonsense/alien” words. These nonsense words help show that children can use their phonics knowledge to decode unfamiliar words.

After the break, we will be revisiting all the key phonemes covered in Year 1 to best prepare the children for this. 

Topic Learning

This week we said a big thank you and farewell to Hannah and Becky during our final Forest School session of the term. Hannah lit the fire, and some of the children even made the grown‑ups cups of tea (thank you—the cups were delicious!).

The children prepared and enjoyed fire‑roasted bananas topped with honey, marshmallows, and chocolate. They also had the most incredible time on the slackline—an activity that brought out smiles, giggles, and loads of determination.

A huge thank you to Hannah and Becky for creating such magical experiences this term. The children have absolutely loved exploring and connecting with nature.

Reminders

  • PE days return to Monday and Wednesday after the holidays.
  • All phonics reading books are to be collected in for the holidays - Please continue to enjoy reading at home with your child: library books, home books, and local library visits all make a big difference.
  • Children bought home all spare clothes today. Please can we kindly remind you to return these with them at the start of the new term.

Thank you all for your support over the year so far! We hope you and your families have a wonderful Easter break, and we look forward to seeing you back at school in April! 

Miss D, Mrs Smith & the Year 1 Team xx