Learning in Year 1

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”  Fred Rogers

Leaving Reception behind and moving into Year 1 can feel like a big step for both children and their parents. We are here to make this transition easier for everyone by supporting the children (and their parents!) in their next learning step.

The children will still be learning through play, they will still be exploring, discovering and making.

Your child’s day may be a little more structured than it was in Reception and they may have to sit at a table for a little longer than they are used to, but they will still also be learning in a variety of ways; while moving, exploring outdoors, in groups, on the carpet or walking around the school!

What will my child do in Year 1?

Your child will have left the EYFS behind in reception, although some goals may be carried on with them as they move into Year 1. This will be their first year of the National Curriculum.

Like all year groups, Year 1 has government statutory schemes of learning to follow.

Phonics is a big part of Year 1. Your child will continue to expand on their knowledge of phonics (Phase 5 Letters & Sounds) and will probably surprise you with just how quickly they develop their reading. They will learn tricky words, spelling rules and how to sound out and blend to aid them with their reading and writing.

Your child will be learning through a topic this year, which makes lessons relevant and exciting. They will learn English through all sorts of wonderful stories and they will also act out stories that may be familiar to you at home.

They will plan and write their own wonderful creative stories, design posters and leaflets. They will learn to write in sentences and to use exciting language — all while improving their handwriting.

Maths lessons this year tend to be enjoyable, with plenty of hands-on activities. Your Year 1 child will count with objects and work in groups to explore shapes and pattern. Now that they are using numbers over 20, they will learn to use a 100 square to help with their adding and subtracting. Number bonds will also be reinforced.

They will learn to count forwards, backwards, in 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, and they will double and halve. They will do maths inside and outdoors and, because we work in a very cross-curricular way in Year 1, he/she will be talking about maths during other subjects, for example; while measuring ingredients for cooking (DT), drawing tables to record experiments in science or drawing maps in geography.

There are a wide range of topics covered in Year 1, and your child will undoubtedly have their personal favourites. Check out the Cornerstone Curriculum tab to find out what exciting topics they will be exploring this year!