Years 1 & 2 - Sycamore Class
Welcome to Sycamore Class, Year 1/2!
🌳 Welcome to Sycamore Class!
Year 1 & Year 2 | Autumn Term 1
A very warm welcome to Sycamore Class! We are so excited to start a new school year together and are looking forward to a term full of learning, laughter, friendship and new adventures.
I’m Mrs Wheeler, your class teacher, and I am very lucky to be supported by our wonderful Teaching Assistant, Miss Beth. We are looking forward to getting to know all of the children and helping them to grow in confidence, independence and enthusiasm for learning.
📚 What are we learning this term?
We have lots of exciting learning planned across the curriculum! Click here to download our 2026-2027 Long Term Curriculum Plan.
✏️ English
We will be exploring the wonderful stories Troll Swap by Leigh Hodgkinson and Trolls Go Home by Alan MacDonald. The children will develop their sentence-writing skills and then use their imagination to create their own short stories, changing characters and settings.
🔢 Maths
We will follow the White Rose Maths curriculum. Our learning will focus on place value, counting, comparing numbers, addition and subtraction. We will use practical activities, games and problem-solving to help develop confident mathematicians.
🔬 Science
Our topic is Animals Including Humans: Sensitive Bodies. We will learn about different parts of the human body and explore our five senses through practical investigations. The children will have lots of opportunities to observe, compare, sort and record their findings.
🗺️ Geography
Our topic asks “What is it like here?” We will explore our school and local area, learning how to use maps, aerial photographs and directional language. The children will also investigate our playground and think about how we could make it an even better place to learn and play.
🌎 RE
We will be exploring different beliefs and ideas about God. We will discover how some Christian, Muslim and Hindu people understand and represent God, while learning that people have different beliefs and that these should always be treated with kindness and respect.
💚 PSHE
Our topic is Connecting with Others. We will talk about what makes us special, families, friendships, kindness, feeling safe and showing respect. We will work together to create a classroom where everyone feels happy, safe, valued and included.
🎨 Art
In Art, we will be Exploring Line and Shape. We will experiment with different types of lines, shapes, colours and drawing techniques, taking inspiration from artists and creating our own unique artwork.
💻 Computing
We will develop our understanding of computing systems and networks, learning how technology works and how we can use it safely and effectively.
🏃 PE, Forest School & Golden Mile
There will be lots of opportunities to get active and enjoy learning outdoors this term!
🏃 PE – Thursdays
Please ensure your child's PE kit is kept in school at all times so they are ready to take part in every session.
👟 Golden Mile – Tuesdays
The children will take part in our Golden Mile each Tuesday. This is a great way to keep active, build stamina and enjoy being outdoors.
🌲 Forest School – Wednesdays
During Autumn 1, both Year 1 and Year 2 will take part in Forest School on Wednesday afternoons.
Please make sure your child comes to school wearing suitable clothes and footwear for outdoor activities. We will be prepared to get outside and enjoy Forest School whatever the weather!
📖 Reading at Home
One of our biggest focuses this term will be reading.
We would love for every child to read at home at least five times each week. Reading regularly is incredibly important and really is the key to so much of our children's learning. It supports vocabulary, comprehension, writing, confidence and imagination.
🎟️ Our Reading Challenge!
To make reading even more exciting, we will be holding a reading prize draw.
The more times your child reads at home, the more entries their name will receive in the draw! 📚⭐
Please encourage your child to read regularly and share their reading with you. It doesn't always have to be their school reading book — enjoying stories, comics, magazines or other age-appropriate reading materials together is valuable too.
🔢 A little bit of homework...
We won't be setting formal homework straight away as the children settle into their new routines.
However, we would encourage children to practise their maths skills using:
🔢 Numbots – for Year 1 and Year 2
⭐ Times Tables Rock Stars – particularly for our Year 2 children
Login details for these platforms will be provided in your child's reading record within the first weeks of the school term.
💬 We are here to help!
We know that starting a new school year can be exciting, but we also understand that children and parents may sometimes have questions or concerns.
If you are unsure about anything, have a question or are worried about your child, please come and speak to one of the adults in Sycamore Class.
We are always happy to listen, help and work together with you. We are a team, and we want every child in Sycamore Class to feel happy, safe, supported and successful. 💚
We are so excited for the year ahead and can't wait to see our Sycamore children grow, learn, laugh and shine!
🌳 Welcome to Sycamore Class — let's make it a fantastic year! 🌟
🗓 Weekly Timetable
A copy of the weekly timetable is available below for your reference.
📖 Curriculum Planning
A detailed curriculum overview for the year is available below.
💻 Online Learning Resources
Year 1
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Start to use Numbots.
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Move on to the 2 times table on Times Table Rock Stars when you feel confident.
Year 2
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Continue using Numbots and Times Table Rock Stars to build fluency.
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Practise multiplication and division facts for the 2s, 5s and 10s times tables.
Additional online maths resources are also available on the school website if you would like to support your child further at home.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
We are looking forward to a fantastic Autumn Term! 🌼
Useful links:
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Numbots – Earn coins to customise your robot!