This autumn term, children in Lower Key Stage Two will be exploring a rich and varied curriculum. In Religious Education, we are learning about Hinduism, focusing on the story of Rama and Sita and the significance of Diwali as a festival of light and good triumphing over evil. In Art, pupils will study sculpture, creating their own pieces inspired by the work of Giacometti and Picasso. Our History topic looks at how children’s lives have changed over time, with a focus on the Tudor and Victorian eras. In Geography, we are investigating volcanoes, particularly how they affect the communities that live near them. PE lessons will develop orienteering and teamwork skills, alongside learning net and wall games. In Science, we are exploring forces and magnets, encouraging curiosity through hands-on investigations and experiments.

Week 3

This week in Geography, we have been learning all about the different layers of the Earth — the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. The children have created their own  Earths to help them understand how our planet is structured. These have now gone home, so please take a moment to ask your child what they can tell you about each layer. You might be surprised by how much they know!

In Maths, children have been deepening their understanding of number and place value by exploring what happens when we add or subtract 10, 100, or 1000. Using practical resources such as place value counters and base ten apparatus, children have been able to visualise how digits shift within a number depending on the value being added or subtracted. 

Week 2

In English, we have been exploring The Tin Forest and focusing on how the main character feels throughout the story. To help us describe these emotions more precisely, we have been learning to use a thesaurus. This helps children find richer words—for example, using hopeful instead of just happy, or lonely instead of sad. Expanding vocabulary in this way supports both emotional understanding and creative writing. You can try this at home too, by encouraging your child to find new words for feelings in the stories you read together.

In PE, the children have been developing their orienteering skills by working in pairs to follow cone courses using simple maps. They have learned how to set and orientate a map, improving their teamwork, problem-solving, and spatial awareness—all while having great fun!

Week 1 

This week, we have been diving into the concept of exchanging in Maths, and the children have really enjoyed the hands-on learning! We have been using counters and base ten apparatus to explore how we can exchange up (like turning ten, ten rods into one hundred) and exchange down (like breaking a hundred into ten tens).

To make it fun and engaging, we played our special "Exchange Up and Exchange Down" games, which helped the children understand place value in a practical way.

This week in English, we have begun exploring our new unit based on the modern folk tale The Tin Forest by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson. This beautifully illustrated story encourages children to think about themes such as hope, imagination, and transformation.

To spark curiosity and discussion, we started by looking closely at pictures from the book. The children have been generating thoughtful questions based on what they see, helping them to make predictions and deepen their understanding of the story’s setting and characters.