Hello and welcome to Year 1

We will do all we can to make the transition from Ladybirds to Butterflies as smooth as possible. We look forward to learning together in the year ahead. 

What’s it like in Year 1 

As the children move into Year 1, they will continue to learn in a practical and exciting ‘hands-on’ way. During the year, we will be encouraging a more independent approach to their learning, and gradually shifting the balance of ‘learning through play’ towards more ‘taught sessions’, as the children get more mature. 

Staffing 

Let us introduce ourselves; the Year 1 team are Mrs Muir (class teacher) and Mrs Hunt (teaching assistants). All staff are experienced in supporting Year 1 learning.  

Curriculum 

We have different topics each half term to keep the children motivated and inspired to learn. Topic plans go home to show what we will be learning about and to encourage parents to be involved in their child’s learning. Homework is set linked to the learning objectives from that week in class. 

Snacks 

We have a fruit snack every day and we do encourage children to try all the different fruits we receive. Children need to have a named water bottle which they can access all day. Milk is also available.  

PE 

PE days can vary each half term and we do a mixture of sports, dance, gymnastics and yoga

Autumn First half PE is on a Tuesday and Wednesday.  

Kipper’s Diary 

Kipper is our class mascot. The children in year 1 take it in turns to take him home on Fridays. They look after him over the weekend and return him to school. On Friday afternoons they have time to share their diary entry and tell the class about their special time with Kipper.  

Home Learning 

Each child has a Homework Folder, and any homework activities they have for the week will go in it along with interactive learning tasks that will be messaged out via Marvellous Me. Reading books are changed every Monday and Thursday and we expect children to read at least 5 times a week. This will mainly be literacy, numeracy or topic based learning, in addition to daily reading. All children have a password to access IXL which covers both maths and literacy skills. Children in Key Stage 1 are expected to do one hour a week of homework, and we try to make this as fun as possible.  

Please come and see myself (Mrs Muir) or Mrs Hunt if you have any questions or need to discuss anything.

British Values

We have talked about rules and why we need them. Together we created our own Butterflies class charter and discussed how rules are there for everyone. The children wrote the rules out for us to follow and drew pictures to represent them which went on a display to help remind us of the right choices.

We also all agreed;

• We all have the right to learn and to grow in confidence.
• We respect the culture and beliefs of others.
• We understand the consequences of our actions.
• We treat everybody equally.
• We listen to and respect other people’s opinions and values.

Phonics

In Year 1 phonics is very important. We practice our phonemes everyday in a very structured fast paced session. We assess our children so that they are in a 'stage not age' group so that their learning is appropriate to them. Phonics games are also sent home weekly to help support learning. We encourage children to use their sound mats in class to support sounding out and spelling. These are also sent home for children to practice with their parents.

Please have a look at an example of a phonics powerpoint used in a session.

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check Information for Parents

What is the Phonics Screening Check?

Children complete a word-reading check towards the end of Year 1 so that parents can be confident their children are being taught to read successfully. Children read 40 words. It takes between 15-20 minutes but children can read in their own time and not rushed. If they do not manage to read 32 of the words, they are given extra support in year 2, and repeat the check at the end of Year 2. The 'pass' mark of 32 is subject to change by the government and schools will be notified some time in June of this figure. Year 1 will take the Phonics Screening check during the summer term. We politely request that parents ensure children in Year 1 and those in Year 2 who have to retake the Check are in school during the administration of the phonics Screening Check.

How can you support your child out of school?

Support your child by sharing their home reading books at home and playing any phonics games that have been sent home. Please go through their sound mat and tricky words which are attached to their reading diary. An excellent website for phonic games is: http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ All phonics phases are covered on this website.

Read as much as possible to and with your child. When children become more capable readers they develop the skill of word recognition. However, it is important that children continue to practise good sounding out and blending.

Here is some information regarding the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check for you to read.

• https://www.theschoolrun.com/year-1-phonics-screening-check