Key Stage 1 (yr1/2): 2025 - 2026
The Key Stage 1 (yr1/2) Teaching Team are Mrs Amanda Pow (class teacher), Miss Helen Fisher (TA Mon -Wed), Mrs Jo Davis (TA Wed - Fri).
Other staff who will also teach KS1 are: Ms Suzy Brunwin (music), Miss Leigh Pavey, Mr Wright and our Sports Coaches, Mr Marc Troman and Mrs Katie Whenman.
contact us at: yr1@beacon-ce-primary.devon.sch.uk
The Learning environment:
Children will be taught through a mixture of whole class and group lessons. All children will still have access to enhanced provision activities through COOL (Choosing Our Own Learning) Rainbow Challenges. These challenges will enable children to apply new skills through an enquiry play-based approach whilst developing their learning further. It will be expected that each child completes these challenges during the week whether that be independently or with adult support. For each challenge completed children will earn a coloured lolly stick to put in their Rainbow pouch. The aim is to collect six colours; red (construction), orange (creative), yellow (English), green (enquiry/topic), blue (maths), purple (motor skills), silver (phonics) – by the end of the week. Year 2 children will still be able to access similar challenges but there will be a greater focus on more formal learning.
This term's topic is...... .
School Days
This project will help children to answer the project question: How were schools different in Victorian times from schools today? Children will learn about the history of their own school, before finding out what schools were like in Victorian times. They will study artefacts from Victorian schools to find out what they were used for and what they can tell us about the past. Children will 'meet' Samuel Wilderspin, the creator of infant school education, and experience what it was like to learn in a Victorian classroom. At the end of the project, they will compare schools in Victorian times with schools today.
See below for additional support topic resources
Companion projects:
Summer 1
- Science - Plant Parts
- Geography - Mapping the local area
- DT - Chop, Mash, Slice - Food technology
- Music - Plant rhythms
- RE - Christianity: Creation - caring for God's world
- PSHE - Relationships: Family & friends, people who help us
- Computing - Laptops & keyboard skills
- PE - Net & wall games (Mr Troman), Dance (Mrs Whenman)
Summer 2
- Science - Animal Parts
- Art - Street View: artwork depicting buildings, James Rizzi
- Music (Miss Brunwin)
- RE - Christianity: How should we care for others?
- PSHE - Changing Me: Human life cycles
- Computing - simple animation (Scratch Jnr)
- PE - Striking & fielding games, Dance (Mrs Whenman)
Reading
Reading books will be changed each Friday when your child will bring home 2 reading books which match their reading ability. We suggest children are heard read at least 5 times a week - little and often is very effective. Please comment in the accompanying yellow reading record each time your child has read at home to an adult and send reading folders into school EVERY WEDNESDAY/ THURSDAY.
This year we will be continuing The Rocket Reading challenge. For every 10 reads completed at home, children move their rocket to the next planet and receive a certificate in achievement worship. We would like to emphasise the importance of reading a book more than once. The first read should be to decode the words using their phonic knowledge; the second should be to increase their reading fluency, and the third time to develop their understanding of the story further. When reading in school, we always love spending time talking about the story with the children, this discussion is vital for developing comprehension skills.
Click below to see access the FFT phonics Success For All parent portal where you can find many helpful videos including sound pronunciations and reading tips.
PE days
Spring
Tuesday - Dance with Mrs Whenman
Friday - Net & wall/striking & fielding games with Mr Troman
Wear PE uniform to school (yellow t-shirt, blue shorts, jogging bottoms/leggings when cold & suitable footwear) for all PE sessions.
Timetable
This is an example of our weekly timetable. Please note PE days do change every 1/2 term. There may be occasions when we need to amend, swap or add sessions to cater for visits or special events.
Outdoor Learning
During the first half of Spring term, outdoor learning will take place most WEDNESDAY afternoons, weather & adult help permitting. Sessions will take place at the Beach, Manor gardens and Holy Trinity Church grounds and will include team building games and activities linked to our classroom learning. Please wear suitable shoes, coat and trousers to school and bring wellies in a bag when wet. Also, please wear a hat and apply sun cream in the hot sunny weather. We do supply all-in-one wet weather suits when raining.
Home Learning
An information sheet outlining new activities will come each Friday in reading folders. Activities will generally consist of number facts, tricky word spellings and key phonic sounds (Tricky Teddies/Trucks). There will be QR code links to access online maths activities.
Home Learning support resources
Phase 3 Phonic sounds
Phase 5 Phonic Sounds
Tricky Words (CEWs)
