Year 1

🌟 Welcome to Year 1 🌟

✨ Where curiosity grows, imaginations thrive, and every child is valued. ✨

👋 Meet the Year 1 Team 👋

We have 2 classes, which are called 1P and 1M.

👩‍🏫 Class Teachers: 1M- Miss Martin 1P- Miss Stoker KS1 leader/cover- Miss James
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Supported by our ETA- Mrs Fox

We also work closely with our SEND and pastoral teams to make sure all children feel safe, supported and celebrated every day.

👋 Welcome to Year 1 at St Thomas Primary School!

We would like to give a warm welcome to all of our families, new and returning. We are so excited to share this special part of your child’s journey with you. In Year one, children begin a more formal approach to their learning. Our class teachers have a sound knowledge of what the children have learnt in Reception and we work hard to support transition into Year one. We create a happy, calm and inspiring space where children are encouraged to develop independence and resilience. They continue to explore, ask questions and grow in confidence. We will share with you what your child will be learning in Year One on this page. We ensure all children feel valued, safe and successful as they begin their journey in Key Stage One.
We look forward to working closely with you this year.

Miss Martin, Miss Pickard and Miss James💫

🕰️ Our Daily Routine

Here’s what a typical day looks like in Year 1:

8:40 Welcome and Morning Jobs
8:50 Register
9:00 Assembly (Mon/Weds/Fri)
9:30 Phonics (ELS Scheme)
10:00 English
10:45 Break & Snack
11:10 Maths (White Rose Scheme)
12:00 Lunch
12:45 Story Time
1:00 Foundation Subjects (Art, Science, History & more!
3:10 Home Time

🧠 Our Curriculum: Learning Through Wonder

The St Thomas curriculum is packed with hands-on and exciting half termly topics. This half term, we continue our exciting project, which is called, ‘Bright Lights, Big, City.’ This project teaches children about the physical and human characteristics of the United Kingdom, including a detailed exploration of the characteristics and features of the capital city, London. We shall be learning the names of the famous London landmarks and explain the purpose of each one. We shall be looking at ariel photographs of London.

In Science the children will learn about the seasons, seasonal changes and typical seasonal weather and events. They will learn about measuring the weather and the role of a meteorologist. Children begin to learn about the science of day and night and recognise that the seasons have varying day lengths in the UK. Learn about the sun and how it gives the Earth heat and light. Find out how to protect your skin from the sun

In Design and Technology, our project is called, ‘Taxi.’ This project teaches children about wheels, axles and chassis and how they work together to make a vehicle move.

In English, we have linked the story to the main topic and chosen some beautifully illustrated books to develop children’s reading and writing.

We begin with the fantastic book called,’ No, Nancy, No!’ written by Alice Tait. This is a beautifully illustrated book about a little girl called Nancy who discovers a lost teddy in London. She and her dog Roger chase the children across the sights of the city. It is a fantastic story that introduces children to the famous landmarks of London such as Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus.

Year One children will become familiar with the story and make predictions about where it is set and what happens to Nancy. They will learn to read with fluency and expression. They will then use the story as a stimulus for writing their own postcard. The children will continue to learn how to compose a sentence orally and then write simple sentences using capital letters, finger spaces and a full stop. They will continue to use adjectives to describe a noun and is and use these in their writing. Children will be encouraged to read their writing back to check that it makes sense.

In Maths, this half term the children will be continuing to practice addition and subtraction skills within 20 before moving on to numbers up to 50. We will then be moving on to learn about measure. We will be exploring height and length followed by mass and volume.

We will continue working on maths fluency; counting on in ones; learn by heart odd and even numbers to 20; recalling number bonds to twenty. Please log into your child’s seesaw account to access online maths videos that can support your child’s learning at home.

In Year 1 computing, children will learn to group data by exploring simple ways to sort and organise information. Pupils will be encouraged to collect information, such as favourite fruits or types of animals, and then group items based on shared characteristics. They might use physical objects,

pictures, or simple digital tools to place items into categories, helping them to see patterns and answer basic questions. For example, children could group minibeasts by whether they can fly or not, and then talk about which group has more or fewer. This supports early data handling skills and builds a foundation for later work with charts, graphs, and databases, while also developing logical thinking and discussion skills.

Here is an example of groupings the children will be creating from National Pi computing scheme:

In Religious Education, the children will be learning how and why people pray. We will be writing our own prayer and learning how people pray in other faiths and religions.

In PSHE, children will learn the different forms that money can take e.g., coins, notes, bank cards, mobile phones and online shopping. They will begin to learn the value of different items and how people pay for these.

PE this half term will be every Monday afternoon. Children must wear a PE kit to school on these days.

Library books continue to be changed every Wednesday. Please ensure that your child returns their book each week so that they can be issued with a new one.

🏡 Home Activities to Support Our Learning

We upload activities onto Seesaw on a regular basis, which is our online learning platform. Please log in regularly to check for activities that support your child’s learning at home.

Reading at home

Children in Year One have a phonics screening check in the summer term. This is a mandatory, short assessment to see if they can decode words using their phonics knowledge. This test checks their ability to read real and alien words (nonsense) to assess their ability to blend sounds together in words. Please find further information below;

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-information-for-parents

Therefore, we cannot stress enough the importance of reading at home with your child. We actively encourage children to read, read and read again to support their fluency and confidence. We want children to be able to read their book fluently; this means without stopping, hesitation or relying on sounding out. The only way children can improve is by regular practise. We really need your support at home to encourage your child to read their book at least four times a week. Please consider reading in short bursts, little and often if your child finds it overwhelming to read in one sitting. Also consider reading at different times of the day e.g., whilst eating breakfast, sat in the car on the way to school, at bedtime and on a weekend. Create a positive approach to reading by praising their effort and helping them to sound words out and recognise the harder to read and spell words. Please click the button below to access supporting materials.

We also upload the white rose maths videos that demonstrate what and how your child is learning at school. There are follow up tasks for your child to complete at home. These are really useful for you to know and understand how your child is being taught at school.

Children in year one need to be able to count aloud in ones to 100; count aloud in 2s, 5s and 10s. They need to recognise odd and even numbers up to 20; They also need to be able to recall number bonds to 20. Again, regular practice at home will really support their progress.

Home activities to support our learning

English; Poetry, Descriptions & Fact Files

Weather report- Ask your child to create a weather diary for a week. Can they write a simple sentence for each day? Can they write the days of the week e.g. Monday- It is wet and frosty?
Write a simple recount about your half term holiday. Use the words First, Next, Then and Finally to help structure your sentences. Remember to use a capital letter, finger spaces and a full stop.
Send a postcard to school of a place that you visit!

Maths- Number

Do you know your number bonds to 20?
Can you practice addition and subtraction number sentences?
Have a go at some word problems
Doubles/Near doubles
Height and Length
Can you sort your family into height order?
Who has the longest arms/legs?

DT- Taxi!

Explore wheels in and around your home. Look at the wheels on a suitcase, toys with wheels, roller-skates and even a shopping trolley! Look at your toy cars and vehicles and find the axels and the wheels that are attached to the chassis. Can you use a construction kit to build your own wheeled toy or create one using junk materials?

Geography- Bright Lights, Big City

All cities, towns and villages have physical and human features. Physical features form naturally, and human features are made by people. Take a walk around your local area and draw a map showing the physical and human features you see.
Four countries make up the United Kingdom. Use an atlas, map or the internet to find the name of each country and capital city. You could also find out the names of the surrounding seas and oceans. Can you find the place where you live?
London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom and has many landmarks that tourists like to visit. Use information books and the internet to find as much information as you can about a London landmark.
Use Google earth to find famous Landmarks in the city of London!

Science-Seasonal Changes

Keep a weather diary and record the weather each day using simple weather symbols.
Create a simple diagram showing the four seasons, autumn, summer, spring and summer.
Use the internet or an information book to find out about the changes that happen each season.
Use a thermometer and record the temperature in the morning, afternoon and at night.

PSHE- What can we do with money?

Look at coins in your purse or wallet and talk about the value of these coins.
Give children an amount of money they can spend in a shop to help them understand that some items may be too expensive to buy.
Set up a role play shop using items around the home and make price tags for these items.
Use an online shopping website and look at the cost of different items.

🧰 Extra Support & SEND

We are proud to be an inclusive and nurturing school. In Year 1, we:

Use visuals, sensory breaks, and personalised timetables
Follow targets and the Kirklees Graduated Approach
Run interventions like Lego Therapy, Extra reading and Phonics.
Have close links with external agencies.

If your child needs extra support, we’ll work with you every step of the way.

🎒 What to Bring Each Day

✅ Bookbag- Please remember to bring your book bag every day and check that they have their reading book and record. Please do not put your child’s water bottle into their book bag to avoid leakages damaging reading books.

Children visit the school library on a Wednesday afternoon. Please ensure your child returns their book weekly

✅ Water bottle
✅ Coat (we go outside rain or shine!)
✅ Reading book & record
✅ PE is on a Monday afternoon. Children must wear their PE kit on this day

💬 Communication

We use Seesaw to share updates and photos. You can also reach us via the school office or email. We’re always happy to help!

❤️ A Place to Belong

In Year 1, we believe in:
✅ Being Ready, Respectful and Safe
✅ Celebrating our differences
✅ Helping children find their voice
✅ Growing confidence through creativity and kindness