Here is an overview of our learning this half term. 

English - We will also be practising many of the skills involved with reading and writing by recapping our Phonics and rules of writing such as capital letters and full stops. We will also explore our first text, The Jolly Postman!
Maths Units – Number and Place Value, Measurement: Length and Mass, Addition and Subtraction & Geometry: 2D & 3D Shape  
Science - Identifying and naming a variety of plants and trees and investigating if beans need water for growth.
PE - Orienteering (Reading and understanding symbols on a basic map). Catching and bouncing a ball.
RE - We will be talking about families and exploring why Christians may view God as 'The Father'. 
PRSHE - Me and My Relationships. We will share who is special to us, how they look after us and how we can care for others. We will also explore the importance of speaking to others about our feelings. We will also recap our school rules and learn to apply these within our new classroom environments and routines!
Music - Keeping the Pulse: My Favourite Things. We will explore and practise pulse and rhythms within music we hear and sounds we create.

The following subjects continue over Autumn 1 and Autumn 2:

History - To understand that timelines, photographs and people’s memories can help us learn about the past, including how people and events change over time, what stays the same, and how the past differs from the present.
Geography - To understand that they live in the United Kingdom and can use maps, atlases, aerial photographs, symbols and simple directional language to learn about and describe places.
Art - To understand how to use colour, shape, line, pattern, texture and tone to create artwork, developing skills in mixing and applying paint, and recognising that art can be created in different ways by different people.
DT - Freestanding Structures: Can we design, create and evaluate new playground equipment?

Week 6

wb 5.10.2026

Owl Board

Week 5

wb 28.9.2026

Owl Board

We used musical instruments and our body parts to keep the pulse of the music. The children listened carefully to the beat and worked together to keep a steady rhythm in Music.

In English, we explored a non-chronological report to identify its key features. The children looked at how information was organised and discussed the different features used to present facts clearly.

 

Nurse Abbie came to talk to us about the importance of keeping clean to help keep germs away. She showed us a fun ‘glitter germs’ experiment, demonstrating how germs can spread and how washing our hands with warm water and soap helps to make them disappear.

  

In Maths, the Year 1 children compared two objects by weighing them. They used their observations to identify which object was heavier or lighter and explained their reasoning.

In PE, we continued to practise our throwing, bouncing and catching skills. The children worked on improving their coordination, accuracy and control through a range of fun activities and games.

The children explored the school grounds in Science looking for evidence of both deciduous and evergreen trees. We collected and examined leaves, using their shape, size, colour and features to help identify the different tree species.

 

We went on a local walk to identify which plants were wild plants and which were garden plants. The children observed the different plants growing in their surroundings and discussed how they could tell the difference between them. 

Week 4

wb 21.9.2026

Owl Board

In DT, we designed and built our own freestanding structures using LEGO bricks. We explored how to make our structures strong and stable by creating a wide base, helping them to stand securely without falling over.

  

We are becoming music experts as we explored the concept of pulse, moving and keeping in time with the steady beat of a piece of music.

We thoroughly enjoy our orienteering lessons in PE, developing our teamwork, problem-solving and map-reading skills as we navigate our way around different challenges.

   

We completed lots of short writing opportunities in English linked to The Jolly Postman.

   

In Art, we revisited the primary colours from our previous lesson and explored how to mix them together to create the secondary colours: green, orange and purple.

  

In Year 1 Maths this week, we used a variety of practical objects to develop our understanding of comparing numbers using the terms more than, fewer than and equal to. We enjoyed using hands-on activities to explain and demonstrate our mathematical thinking.

  

 

In RE, we explored the symbolic meanings behind different rituals and items used in Christian prayer, developing our understanding of how these practices and objects help Christians express their faith, reflect on their beliefs and connect with God.

  

In PE, we developed our throwing, bouncing and catching skills, focusing on improving our accuracy and control. We then put these skills into practice by taking part in a variety of fun and competitive team games.

In Maths, the Year 2 children measured and recorded length and mass/weight using standard units (m, cm and g, kg).  

  

Week 3

wb 14.9.2026

In Maths, the Year 2 children used large-scale number lines to compare two numbers. They explored which numbers were greater than, less than or equal to each other and developed their understanding of number size and place value.

  

In DT, we investigated freestanding structures in our school grounds. The children explored different structures, looking at how they are built and what makes them strong, stable and suitable for their purpose.

In PRSHE, we discussed how to recognise when someone might be feeling lonely and explored ways we can support them. We also talked about what we can do and who we can speak to if we are feeling lonely ourselves.

   

In Science, we identified the different parts of a flowering plant. The children looked closely at real plants and observed their different features. They created a labelled diagram, identifying key parts such as the roots, stem, leaves and flower.

  

  

In RE, we explored how Christians might talk to God through prayer. The children discussed and wrote about the things that they are thankful for.

In Geography, we identified the countries that make up the United Kingdom. The children then explored features of England and created postcards showcasing some of the places and features they found interesting.

Week 2 

wb 7.9.2026

Week 2 - Owl Board

In Maths, the Year 1 children matched numerals to the corresponding number words and quantities, using objects to help them recognise and represent numbers.  They also explored different ways of representing the number 5 using a tens frame, finding three different arrangements and discussing how the quantity remained the same even when the objects were organised differently.

  

In English, a mystery envelope arrived addressed to Horse Chestnut Class! The children were very excited and curious to find out what could be inside. Before opening it, we discussed the clues and made predictions about what the envelope might contain, sharing our ideas and explaining our reasoning. We then opened the envelope together to reveal a special book that we will be studying in our English lessons. The children were excited to discover what the story might be about and are looking forward to exploring the book together.

  

We completed a range of short writing opportunities linked to our focus text, The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters. The children enjoyed stepping into the roles of different characters and using their imaginations to create their own pieces of writing. They wrote an apology letter from Goldilocks to Baby Bear, thinking carefully about how Goldilocks might feel and what she would say. We also created a ‘Role on the Wall’ for the postman, recording words and phrases to describe his appearance. These activities helped the children develop their vocabulary and build a deeper understanding of the characters in the story.

          

In History, we talked about our own chronology and explored important events from our lives. The children placed photographs in the correct order on a timeline, helping them to understand how events happen in sequence and how we can use timelines to show the passing of time.

In Art, we have been learning about the primary colours: red, yellow and blue. The children explored how these colours can be mixed together to create the secondary colours: orange, green and purple. We experimented with different colour combinations and enjoyed watching new colours appear as we mixed the paints together. This helped us to develop our understanding of colour and how colours can be combined to create different effects.

  

In Music, we have been learning about pulse and exploring how it helps us to keep a steady beat. The children practised demonstrating their understanding of pulse by using different parts of their bodies, such as clapping their hands, tapping their knees and stamping their feet. We enjoyed experimenting with different movements while keeping a steady pulse and developing our confidence in performing together.

We were delighted to welcome Nick from our local tennis club to school, who delivered an exciting tennis taster session for the children. The children had a fantastic time developing their tennis skills, practising their coordination and having a go at different activities and games. They were amazing and showed great enthusiasm, determination and sportsmanship throughout the session. For those who have enjoyed the session and would like to continue developing their skills, there is a local tennis club available for children to attend.

Week 1

wb 31.8.2026

 

Week 1 - Owl Board

We have had a wonderful first week in Horse Chestnut Class and have really enjoyed getting to know one another. We have taken part in lots of fun and engaging activities that have helped us learn more about our families, our interests and the things we enjoy.

We have enjoyed sharing stories about our families, talking about our favourite things and discovering what we have in common with our new friends. It has been lovely to see everyone settling into the class, building new friendships and becoming more confident in their new surroundings.  Look at all our smiley faces:

We wrote sentences about ourselves, sharing information about who we are, our families, our favourite things and the activities we enjoy. We thought carefully about what makes us special and unique and enjoyed sharing our ideas with our new friends. This was a lovely opportunity to learn more about each other and discover some of the things we have in common.