Welcome to Year 1
Class teacher: Miss Martin
Teaching Assistant: Mrs Turvey and Miss Tait
HLTA: Mrs. Smith
Miss Martin
Class Teacher
Mrs. Turvey
Teaching Assistant
Mrs. Smith
Higher Level Teaching Assistant
Miss Tait
Teaching Assistant
We have a Big Question in each class. In Year 1 Our Big Question is;
Who am I, who can I be and how do I belong?
We answer these questions in our Topic and RE work.
Children will have an understanding of what the future can bring for them. They will learn about different roles that people have in life and think about what that role will be for them. They will build on prior knowledge and learn to be curious and ask questions in order to discover more about themselves. They will begin to find out what they are good at and what they enjoy and learn to use their skills to help them improve and progress.
Dear God,
Bless all the people who love me
And bless all the people I love
Help us to help one another each day
And make earth like Heaven above
Amen
How to contact us
If you would like a quick chat, Miss Martin and/or Mrs Smith are available every morning and every evening when you drop off/pick up your child. For anything else, you can contact us directly on Class Dojo or via the office. Please also keep an eye out on Class Dojo for any photos and updates during the school day.
PE
Our PE Days are on Mondays and Fridays. Please come to school in your PE kit.
Read Write Inc.
Read Write Inc. Phonics is a systematic synthetic phonics programme. Children develop reading fluency and comprehension, spell and write with confidence and learn to articulate their ideas and understanding. Every morning from 9.30 – 10.30, all of the children in Year 1 work in targeted progress groups so they can all participate. They are assessed each half term to ensure the speediest progress. Every lesson connects with the last and each activity connects with the next: the phonics, the reading and writing. Talking is at the heart of every lesson. Children learn the routines that enable them to explain and practise what they’ve been taught with a partner. One-to-one tutoring provides quick keep up and long-term support for children with SEND. To help prepare the children for the phonics screening check in June, we also deliver an extra phonics session to the whole class after lunch. We are delighted to announce that 85% of our children reached the expected standard in the 2025 Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, which is above the national average. Please see below for the RWI ‘Expectations of Progress’ document. Please also keep an eye out on Class Dojo for any videos we send home for some extra practice.
Reading at Home
In Year 1, we send home a reading book or ditty sheets for the children to read.
In addition to this, children can choose a book from our class library to share with you at home.
We try to read with the children as much as possible in class, but we rely on parents and carers to read with their children at home at least three times a week.
The children read the books in their RWI lessons and once they have read it three times, we send it home for them to read with a grown-up. We also send home a bookbag book which is linked to their storybook so your child will be familiar with the words inside. This helps the children to be successful at reading. There is guidance for parents inside the books on how you can support your child with their reading at home.
Books should be brought into school every day.
The children read their storybook books in their RWI lessons and then we send it home for them to read with a grown-up. We also send home a bookbag book which is linked to their storybook so your child will be familiar with the words inside. There is guidance for parents inside the books on how you can support your child with their reading at home. Children also have the opportunity to borrow one of the books in the classroom to read for pleasure. We reward the children every time they read at home with a sticker on their chart. Once they have completed their chart, they receive a dip in the prize box.
Because of the way RWI works, we have no set day for changing books so please bring your books to school every day.
Handwriting
Every day after playtime, we pay a visit to the Letter Village. Here, we learn how to develop letters that will flow into a joined style. We use a sponge cake to help us to place the letters in the right place on the line!
Maths
In Year 1 the children build foundational skills by counting, reading, and writing numbers to 100, while adding and subtracting within 20. Key learning includes counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s, understanding 1 more/less, recognizing 2D/3D shapes, measuring time, and starting simple multiplication/division through grouping.
The children take part in a daily Maths lesson which always begins with some counting and ‘Number of the Day.’ Please see the links below if you would like some extra practice at home. In addition to the daily Maths lesson, the children also take part in an extra afternoon session delivered using the NCTEM’s Mastering Number programme, which aims to help secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/todays-number-up-to-20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTcpfSnOMQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EemjeA2Djjw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftati8iGQcs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ots_roOw4Pg
The Colour Monster
At Christ Church Academy, PHSCE is woven into all areas of the curriculum. In addition to our weekly PSHCE lessons and our My Happy Mind sessions, in Year 1, we start every morning and afternoon with an emotional check-in based on the story, ‘The Colour Monster’. Children signal their feelings by colouring in a monster and placing it in a jar. This routine builds a supportive, communicative classroom community, helps us identify children needing immediate, discreet support, and allows pupils to build self-awareness and regulation.
Please see below for knowledge organisers for the Autumn Term. These contain a summary of key facts and essential knowledge your child will need to know.
Place Value Knowledge Organiser
Religious Education
As a Christian school our syllabus follows the ‘Understanding Christianity Approach’ from the Church of England. In RE lessons in Year 1 this year we will cover the following topics. Please click on the topics for the corresponding knowledge organiser.
| Topic | |
| Autumn 1 | What do Christians believe God is like? |
| Autumn 2 | Why does Christmas matter to Christians? |
| Spring 1 | Who am I? What does it mean to belong? |
| Spring 2 | Why does Easter matter to Christians? |
| Summer 1 | Who is a Muslim and what do they believe? |
| Summer 2 | What is the good news that Christians say Jesus brings? |
Curriculum
Children will have an understanding of what the future can bring for them. They will learn about different roles that people have in life and think about what that role will be for them. They will build on prior knowledge and learn to be curious and ask questions in order to discover more about themselves. They will begin to find out what they are good at and what they enjoy and learn to use their skills to help them improve and progress.
Our Key themes/questions for the year are:
- Autumn 1 – What makes me special?
- Autumn 2 – How can I understand the world around me?
- Spring 1 – How do I belong?
- Spring 2 – What is an explorer?
- Summer 1 – What seasonal changes do I see?
- Summer 2 – How can I look after my world?
| History/Geography | Science | PSHE | Art/DT | PE | Music | Computing | |
| Autumn 1 | What makes me special? | The Human Body | Family and Relationships | Picasso | Multiskills | Intruoducing Beat | We are treasure hunters |
| Autumn 2 | The Gunpowder Plot | Materials | Health and Wellbeing | Sock Puppets | Gymnastics | Adding Rhythm and Pitch | We are TV chefs |
| Spring 1 | My Local Area and the Amazon Rainforest | Animals | Safety | Andy Goldsworthy | Net and Wall Games | Introducing Tempo and Dynamics | We are painters |
| Spring 2 | Captain James Cook | Plants | Citizenship | Model Making | Archery | Combining pulse, rhythm and pitch | We are collectors |
| Summer 1 | Maps and Seasonal Changes | Growing and Cooking | Economic Wellbeing | Chosen Artist | Athletics | Improvisation | We are storytellers |
| Summer 2 | Weather and Climate | Caring for the Planet | Transition | Food Technology | Strike and Field | Explore sound and create a story | We are celebrating |