The work covered builds upon the phonic, literacy and numeracy skills the children learned in Reception. Learning is fun and we tailor the national curriculum to our children’s needs, to make it interesting, exciting and relevant to young children.
Literacy lessons are taught in class and in small groups. We consolidate and build upon reading and writing skills which are started in Reception. We use synthetic phonics as our main approach, incorporating other methods of teaching and learning depending on the learning styles of the individual child. By the end of the year, most children are confident readers and writers and are beginning to join up their writing, developing a neat style.
Numeracy lessons build upon the children’s knowledge with lots of practical and oral work. By the end of Year 1, the children have a solid understanding of basic number, addition, subtraction and number bonds which is essential for future learning.
Topic work continues to develop the children’s interest in Science, Geography and History. Topics include Toys, Famous People and Events, Our Local Area, Ourselves and Plants and Animals. Educational visits to local places of interest and visits by individuals and groups throughout the year extend the learning experiences for the children and provide them with valuable practical hands on activities.
During the week the children also participate in ICT, Music, French, Art, P.E. and Forest School lessons, all taught by specialist teachers and support staff in specialist teaching areas.
All children take part in Drama with their class teachers, which takes place in the Eadon Hall. This may be curriculum based or a more formal occasion such as Harvest or a Christmas production. Parents, families and friends are encouraged to attend these events.
Additionally, ICT is taught in both the ICT suite and by using iPads and other equipment inside and outside the classroom. All this, along with a structured R.E. and Life Skills programme, ensures the children develop well academically, creatively and socially through the year and are ready for the next step in Year 2.
