Welcome to Doves Class!
Welcome to Year 1!
We hope you had a wonderful summer break and are feeling refreshed and ready for the new school year. The children have made a fantastic start and are already beginning to settle well into Year 1.
This first term will focus on helping the children transition smoothly from Reception into more structured learning. While routines will become more established, there will still be plenty of opportunities for play-based learning, where children can explore, make choices, and engage in exciting challenges linked to our curriculum topics.
The adults working with your children this year are:
· Miss Ruse – Class Teacher
· Miss Patel – Teaching Assistant
· Miss Grayson – Teaching Assistant
This newsletter will give you an overview of what your children will be learning during the Autumn 1 term.
We are really looking forward to working closely with you and your children to create lasting learning memories and make this a brilliant year.
What will my child be learning in Autumn 1?
This term, the children will continue developing their phonics skills using the ‘Little Wandle’ phonics scheme, which prepares them for the Phonics Screening Check later in the year. The books your child reads at school and at home will be carefully matched to their current phonic level to support confident and fluent reading.
In Maths, we’ll be exploring:
- Place value within 20 – including counting, reading, writing, and ordering numbers to 10 and 20.
- Addition and subtraction within 10 – focusing on number bonds and simple calculations.
- 2D and 3D shapes – recognising and naming common shapes in everyday contexts.
Our whole school topic question this term is:
“Do we love where we live?”
In Year 1, we’ll be exploring this through our class question:
“What do we love about nature?”
Children will learn about their local environment, including the school grounds and surrounding area. We’ll also be observing the season of Autumn, and investigating different plants and trees around us.
In English, we’ll be using Jane Considine’s ‘The Write Stuff’ approach to write our own versions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Children will be introduced to the ‘Fantastics’, ‘Grammaristics’, and ‘Boomtastics’ to help them develop rich vocabulary, accurate grammar, and exciting storytelling skills.
PE
PE lessons in Year 1 will take place on the following days:
- Tuesday – Indoor PE
- Wednesday – ACE Club
All children will get changed into their PE kits in the classroom, so it’s important that they can manage this as independently as possible. To help with this, please make sure:
- All items of PE kit are clearly labelled with your child’s name and class.
- Your child has the correct PE kit:
White t-shirt without buttons
Black shorts
Black pumps
Having everything labelled and easy to identify helps us keep belongings safe and ensures a smooth transition during changing times.
Ways to help at home
Reading regularly with your child is one of the most important ways you can support their learning.
Each child will bring home a ‘Little Wandle’ Phonics reading book that matches their current reading level. They will read this book in school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and bring it home on Thursday to continue reading with you.
Please support your child by:
- Reading the book with them at least three times over the week.
- Returning the book the following Thursday so it can be swapped for a new one.
- Signing their reading record each time they read at home.
This helps us track their progress and celebrate their efforts.
Children will earn Blackgates points every time they read at home - so every read counts!
In addition to phonics reading, we encourage you to read a bedtime story to your child each evening. Listening to stories helps build vocabulary, imagination, and a love of reading.
Polite reminders
· Please ensure that your child brings water only in their water bottle to drink throughout the day. This helps us promote healthy habits and keeps everyone hydrated and focused during learning.
· Children will order their own lunches each day, helping to build independence and confidence. For our SEND and younger children, we provide visual support to help them make their choices more easily. Staff are always on hand to guide and support the children during this process, ensuring everyone feels comfortable and included.
· A gentle reminder of our daily schedule:
Doors open: 8:40am
Learning begins: 8:50am
Morning register closes: 9:00am
End of the school day: 3:20pm
Please ensure your child arrives promptly so they can settle in and start their day smoothly. Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a calm and punctual start to each day.
