Welcome to Year 1

2025~2026

We are Peake Class

We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to working with your child as they learn and grow in Year 1. Please come and say hello; we are looking forward to getting to know you too!

The staff in Year 1 are: Mrs Walker (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday), Mrs Brant (Thursday and Friday) and Mrs Kettley, our wonderful Learning Support Assistant.

The Year 1 Curriculum

The curriculum includes teaching and learning of Maths, English (including Reading, Writing and Phonics) and Project.  Project includes: Science; History; Geography; Computing skills; Art; Design Technology (D.T.); Music; Religious Education (R.E.); Physical Education (P.E.); Personal Social and Health Education (P.S.H.E.), which includes Heartsmart and ‘my happy mind’, an NHS approved programme. The children will have structured whole class learning times as well as learning through their own exploration and play.

Our Projects this year are:

• Autumn 1: All About Me
• Spring 1: Our World
• Summer 1: Fire! Fire!

Through the year, the children will have the opportunity to widen their experience and further their understanding through trips and visits.  Further details regarding itinerary and costs for these trips will follow nearer the time.

The Beginning and End of the Day:

Please encourage your child to come into school by themselves each morning, via the Main School entrance.  The children will be greeted in the classroom, before hanging coats etc in the cloakroom. If you need to pass a message to us, please speak to the staff at the front door.

Children will be dismissed at the end of the day, at the same entrance.  Children will only be allowed to leave when the member of staff can see that their adult is there to receive them.  If the usual adult(s) are not collecting your child, please let the school office know so that we are informed.

Phonics Screening:

Later in the year, the children will sit the statutory Phonics Screening Assessment.  The assessment tests the children’s phonetic knowledge and asks them to read both real and ‘alien’ words.  Alien words are read using phonetic knowledge, however they are nonsense words, so children are not able to use word knowledge and have to use phonics exclusively.  The learning the children do in school will prepare them for this assessment.  If your child does not pass, they will have another opportunity to do this in Year 2.

Home Learning:

The expectation is that children read at home at least 3 times a week.  On the home learning sheet provided each week, there is a space to record this and make any comments that you feel would be helpful for us to know about your child’s reading. All reading books will be changed on Tuesday and sent home in their Home Learning folder, along with an information sheet regarding the phonics that we have learnt that week and activities to do. In previous years, we have found that consolidation at home is important for the children and it also enables parents to understand the phonic knowledge being taught, making it easier to support reading at home.

Over the next few weeks, the children will begin to bring home key words to learn.  The children need to learn to read these words initially.  Once all words are known, the children will be given the same word lists again to learn to spell them.  The children should practise these at home frequently.  They will be assessed regularly in school and given new word lists when appropriate.

In the back of the Home Learning folder, you will find your child’s log-in details for ‘Numbots’.  This is an online maths programme designed to support your child’s number knowledge.  The games are fun and interactive and a great way for your child to learn!

If you require any further advice on supporting your child at home, please see your child’s teacher(s).

Year 1 Key Information:

• Please make sure that all uniform is named clearly, including shoes.
• If your child wears earrings, these should be studs.  No hoops, please.
• Please send a full, named water bottle to school each day.
• For OPAL at lunchtimes, your child may need wellies (weather dependant) and a change of clothes or waterproof puddle suit.  Please provide a suitable bag to keep these on your child’s peg.
• Please provide a change of clothing (particularly underwear and socks) if you think your child may have toileting mishaps whilst at school.  These can be kept on your child’s peg or in their school bag.