Year 1

Teacher – Mrs Fitzpatrick

Teaching Assistant – Miss Fagan

Autumn Term 2025:

Wow! It’s been another crazy busy half term in year 1! We can’t believe it’s March.

In Literacy the children read the books ‘No David’ and ‘David Goes to School’. They then created their own recount of the story ‘David Goes to School’, using the conjunction ‘because’ to explain why the characters felt a certain way. The children then learnt about verb, nouns and adverbs of time and why they are important in a set of instructions. They then created their own set of instructions on how to make mud buns in the mud kitchen.

In Maths, the year 1 children have been learning about ‘fact families’, in which they explored the relationship between three numbers and how they can be added or subtracted from each other e.g. 6+4=10, 4+6=10, 10-4=6 and 10-6=4. They have also been using key words such as ‘first’, ‘then’ and ‘now’ to help understand the stages in adding and subtracting numbers. The children have been using the part-whole model, tens frames, numicons and rekenreks to help support their understanding in maths.

In Science, the children have been learning all about their bodies and their senses. They tasted different types of fruit, matched different scents to pictures, guessed the sounds to explore their sense of hearing and used binoculars and magnifying glasses to explore their sense of sight. The children also learnt that they can feel things with different parts of their bodies, not just their hands. The children have also been learning about the change in season from Summer to Autumn.

In History, the children have been historians learning about the past. They are learning all about their families and their family history. The children created their own family tree and talked about what an ancestor is. They also learnt about the war and why we have different coloured poppies to remember what happened during the war.

In Geography, the children learnt all about the wonderful weather and how it can change throughout the day. They learnt about how the weather can differ depending on whether you live inland or by the coast. They kept weather diaries and sorted out pictures based on the clothes you would need for different weathers. They also explored how the seasons have different weathers. The children drew a map to the tree in the EYFS playground and explored how the leaves have started to fall off it due to it being Autumn and the weather getting colder.

In DT, the children learnt about the importance of healthy eating and food hygiene. They learnt how to use a grater to grate carrot, how to use a peeler to peel a cucumber and how to use a knife to chop fruits. They went on a class trip to morrisons to buy some fruit and then made their own fruit kebabs.

In Art, the children have been learning all about the artist and illustrator Vashti Harrison. The children have been exploring her drawings of people and have been practicing their skills on how to draw eyes, eyebrows and the shape of a face. They have also been exploring how to shade and cross hatch.

Phonic Screening Check 

The phonics screening check is taken individually by all children in Year 1 in England usually in June. It is designed to give teachers and parents information on how your child is progressing in phonics. It will help to identify whether your child needs additional support at this stage so that they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.

The check consists of 40 words and non-words that your child will be asked to read one-on-one with a teacher. Non-words (or nonsense words, or alien words) are a collection of letters that will follow phonics rules your child has been taught, but don’t mean anything – your child will need to read these with the correct sounds to show that they understand the phonics rules behind them.

The 40 words and non-words are divided into two sections – one with simple word structures of three or four letters, and one with more complex word structures of five or six letters. The teacher administering the check with your child will give them a few practice words to read first – including some non-words – so they understand more about what they have to do. Each of the non-words is presented with a picture of a monster / alien, as if the word were their name (and so your child doesn’t think the word is a mistake because it doesn’t make sense!).

There is more information for parents on the Oxford Owl Website.

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/at-school/assessment-at-primary-school/phonics-screening-check/

 

Helpful Links

Homework Leaflet-Homework leaflet

Y1 Newsletter Autumn 1 & 2 25

year 1 autumn 2025 topic web