Year 1
Autumn 1
In Maths, children learnt to recognise quantities as more, fewer or the same. They then used this knowledge to learn how to compare numbers and quantities using the symbols greater than, less than and equals to.
In PE, the children put together a dance to a piece of music from the Three Little Pigs soundtrack. They will perform their dance using simple movement patterns. In outdoor PE, the children have practised their throwing and catching skills using a 'tick-tock' and over-arm throw.
As Scientists and Design Technicians, children investigated the properties of different everyday materials in order to design their house as one of the Three Little Pigs. The children were inspired by houses around the world and the different materials that they had been built from. They discussed which material was the best to build a house for the little pigs and why.
This term the children have been reading the story of the Three Little Pigs. The pigs had left their building materials in our garden area and the children were very excited to explore these.
We developed our environmental awareness by enjoying our Art and Craft learning session with 'Junk Jodie'.
Keeping in theme with the three little pigs in Art, the children made houses from clay. They used a technique called slabbing to flatten their clay and used a number of tools to carve shapes into their houses.
Autumn 2
This term the children have been reading the story 'On Sudden Hill'. A story about two best friends who love to play and be creative with their cardboard boxes. For their writing journey, the children made a 'cardboard box creation' and wrote their instructions for making it. At the end of the unit, the children learnt how to use adjectives and conjunctions, then wrote letters. 
As part of our History unit, 'Toys from the past', the children happily interviewed their parents and grandparents about the toys they grew up with. The children brought in some of their favourite toys as well as a few from their older relatives. These were presented as 'show and tell'. The children made Science links about 'everyday materials'. While learning about toys from around the world, links were made to the handmade toys at Kibubula (our partner school in Uganda). Reflecting on this, the children learnt to weave and sew and made their own toy puppets in Art.
As Geographers, we learnt about seasons and weather. The children were able to name all 4 seasons and say what weather we experience in each along with how we might dress for these conditions.
In the lead up to Christmas, the children learnt about Advent and made their own Christingle candle. The final highlight was the KS1 Nativity, 'Lights, Camel, Action', which had the audience feeling like they were watching 'Strictly come Dancing'!
Spring 1
The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the life of Florence Nightingale this term. We learnt about her life in three stages, and the children were very engaged and interested to find out more. They had opportunities to become researchers and find out more about her life at the beginning of the term through iPad, books and pictures. We explored the conditions of the hospital in Scutari and how Florence made positive changes there and also to the nursing world. The children enjoyed role playing as nurses and soldiers.
This term, our topic for Art has been about painting. The children have learnt about primary and secondary colours by creating a colour wheel. They also learnt about tint and shade and explored this using white and black to make colours lighter or darker. We found making colours darker trickier as the black paint was very pigmented. We have also learnt about the artists Piet Mondrian and Wassily Kandinsky and their style of painting. The children were able to explain that the main things that make up this style of painting are bold lines, geometrical shapes and primary colours.
In P.E., we have consolidated the 5 basic gymnastics shapes and thought about transitioning in order to create and present a short floor routine.
On 22nd of January, KS1 had their Modern Foreign Language day which focussed on French speaking countries around the world. Year 1 chose to learn about French Polynesia. We looked at their location on a map and globe, their food, flora and fauna, music, dance and tattoo art traditions. We made a flag, shell bracelets and created our own tattoo designs using geometric shapes.
At the end of the learning journey, we had a visit from a drama company called Open Box. They helped the children consolidate their learning about Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Ken was very impressed with how much the children knew about the two nurses. In PE, the children learnt football skills : side kick, laces kick and toe tapping to stop the ball.
Spring 2
This term, the children have been exploring our text 'The Big Book of Beasts' in English. They have learnt what a non-fiction text is, the features of one and how to add adjectives into their writing to make it more interesting and detailed.
For PE, the children have enjoyed exploring the wall bars and apparatus in the hall. They practised their basic shapes on these and worked hard on their balancing.
In Maths, we have been learning to measure the length and height of objects using non-standard units of measurements such as cubes and paper clips before moving into standard units of measurements such as centimetres. They explored how to measure using rulers and how to compare the length of different objects.
We had fun dressing up as our favourite characters during World Book Day. We attended a whole school assembly led by 'Mr. Tall' - Mr. Glue, before going back to our classrooms where we were provided with some fun activities. We shared some of our favourite stories with our friends.
In Science, we have been learning about animals, in particular, what they eat and what they need to survive. We practised grouping them according to their characteristics. We went into our school woods to find signs of wildlife, and we thought about what was available in this environment for them to survive.
Summer
Jack and the beanstalk
This term, the children have been reading the traditional tale Jack and the beanstalk. They have been rehearsing the story, story mapping and re-writing the story by adding in adjectives, sentence openers and speech marks. They have also explored alternative stories of Jack and the beanstalk, with the main focus being on how the giants' character is portrayed. The children debated on whether they thought the giant was always the villain in these stories, supporting their argument with evidence from the texts.
Oceans and continents
Pupils learnt about the names of oceans and continents this term. We discussed where the hottest and coldest places can be found on earth and what the equator is. We played the guessing game where children were given clues such as landmarks and animals found around the world. They then had to guess which continent they belonged to. The children also learnt about human and physical features of geography.
Maths
This term, the children have been learning how to count in 2s, 5s and 10s. They have learnt to recognise patterns when counting. For example, when counting in 10s, each number must end with a 0. They also began learning about multiplication and division, using arrays. We did some practical activities where the children had to divide into groups and decide whether the groups were equal or unequal. The children have also learnt how to recognise and find halves and quarters of shapes and quantities. 
R.E
The children discussed what the word 'precious' means and what is precious to them. We discussed whether we think water is precious and why, linking this to the story of John the Baptist. The children understood that only holy water can be used in a baptism as it has been blessed.
