Children in years 1 & 2 are taught as separate year groups for English and maths each morning. Children are supported to develop their speaking & listening skills through drama, debate, role play, music, collaborative tasks and reporting to classmates. There is a focus on securing reading skills through daily phonics teaching alongside guided group reading tasks, individual reading and books to take home. The teaching of letter formation and the application of phonic knowledge to spelling is an integral part of developing independent writing skills alongside compositional skills.
Mathematics develops the skills of counting, calculation, finding patterns, working with shapes, introducing fractions and learning about measures, including time. The emphasis is on securing a thorough understanding through practical activities before formal recording is introduced. Children are also supported and encouraged to learn useful number facts by heart to facilitate mental calculation and reasoning about numbers.
In the afternoons, Years 1 & 2 are taught together as a mixed-age class. RE, History, Geography, Science, Music, Art and technology are taught through cross-curricular themes which also emphasise the application of the skills learnt in English, mathematics and computing. For example, the study of minibeasts in a science unit provides opportunities for children to use computing and reading skills to research creatures, create charts and graphs following fieldwork, and use their creative skills to represent the creatures in pictures and models.
At this stage there is also continued provision for play-based learning and physical development through PE and games.
The documents below show when the units of learning for subjects other than English & maths are taught in Key Stage 1.