Year 2

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Welcome to Year 2!

KS1 Assistant Head Teacher: Mrs Spoor

Class Teachers:

2S Mrs Spoor 

2M Miss Molloy

2G Miss Greenhalgh

Learning Support Assistants: Mrs Antony, Mrs Gordon, Miss Ryan and Mrs Stone.

If you have any questions, then please don’t hesitate to ask one of the Year 2 team.

Welcome to the Spring term in Year 2. This term is full of exciting learning opportunities as children continue to develop confidence, independence and curiosity across the curriculum. Below is an overview of what your child will be learning and how you can support them at home.

Reading at Home

Reading regularly at home is essential for children’s progress. In Year 2, children are expected to read at least five times a week and have their reading record signed by an adult.

Reading records are checked daily by a member of the Year 2 team

Reading records and books should be brought to school every morning

Books will be changed once they have been read three times

Each child has been given a reading folder for their book and diary – please bring this to school every day

Login details for online learning platforms can be found in the front of your child’s reading diary.

Please note: If a reading record or reading book is lost, a small replacement charge will be required via ParentPay.

Homework

Spellings are given out every Friday and should be practised nightly

A spelling test will take place the following Friday

In Maths, children are also developing their number fluency, particularly with addition, subtraction and early multiplication facts. Please support your child by regularly accessing:

• TTRockstars

• Numbots

• MagmaMaths

We also provide a range of cross-curricular home learning activities to support and extend learning at home.

P.E.

Our P.E. days are:

2S: Monday (dance) and Thursday

2M: Thursday

2G: Tuesday

Children should come to school dressed in their P.E. kit on these days.

Our school P.E. kit is:

• Plain white t-shirt

• Black shorts

• Black pumps or trainers (no visible branding)

• Some sessions take place outdoors, so children may also wear black jogging bottoms and a long-sleeved white top, depending on the weather.

Water Bottles and Snacks

Children should bring a labelled water bottle to school every day. Bottles should be refilled daily at home.

Children may bring a healthy snack, such as fruit, vegetables or breadsticks. A piece of fruit is also provided daily by the school.

Please do not send in nuts due to allergies in school.

Milk can be purchased at the start of each half-term; please speak to the school office for further information.

English

Our English curriculum consists of:

Read Write Inc.

Ready Steady Write

Ready Steady Read

Ready Steady Spell

Read Write Inc.

Read Write Inc. is a systematic phonics programme that teaches children to:

• Recognise sounds and the letters that represent them

• Blend sounds to read words using Fred Talk

• Build fluency through Fred in your Head and Speedy Reading

• Children’s home reading books are carefully matched to the sounds they are learning in phonics, enabling them to read with confidence.

Parents are encouraged to watch the Read Write Inc. phonics video for further information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXOJUPNVnLc

Ready Steady Write

Children develop their writing skills through daily practice and teacher support. Learning is structured into four stages:

• Immerse – predicting, questioning, drama and creative exploration of the text

• Analyse – identifying structure, language features and character emotions

• Plan – organising ideas using simple words and phrases

• Write – independent writing using their own plan

Daily sentence accuracy work focuses on:

• Capital letters, finger spaces and full stops

• Expanded noun phrases

• Suffixes such as -ly

• Exclamations and effective word choices

This approach supports National Curriculum expectations for grammar, punctuation and composition.

Ready Steady Spell

Children take part in weekly spelling quizzes and should practise spellings daily to build confidence and accuracy.

Ready Steady Read Together

Through high-quality and engaging texts, children develop:

• Fluency and comprehension

• Vocabulary and inference skills

• Speaking, listening and drama

Children respond to texts through discussion and writing, producing a range of outcomes such as stories, letters and reports, fostering a love of reading.

Maths

In Maths, we follow the First4Maths scheme, which is fully aligned with the National Curriculum. During Spring 1, children will focus on addition and subtraction, developing their understanding through practical, visual and written methods.

Children will:

• Add and subtract within 100

• Use number lines, ten frames and base ten resources

• Apply number facts to solve problems

• Explain their thinking using mathematical vocabulary

Regular practice helps children build confidence, accuracy and fluency.

Science

This term, children will explore three science units:

Forces
Children will investigate pushes and pulls and explore how forces affect the movement of objects on different surfaces.

Seasonal Changes (Space)
Children will observe seasonal changes, including weather patterns and daylight hours, and understand how these change throughout the year.

Living Things: Microhabitats
Children will explore microhabitats, identifying living things and learning what animals need to survive in their environments.

Across all science topics, children develop key scientific skills such as observing, measuring, testing, investigating and drawing conclusions.

History

How was school different in the past? (Kapow)

Children will:

• Compare schools today with schools in the past

• Explore lessons, classrooms, uniforms and equipment

• Use historical sources such as photographs and artefacts

• Ask and answer questions about changes within living memory

This topic supports the National Curriculum focus on understanding the past and developing historical enquiry skills.

Geography

Why is our world wonderful? (Kapow)

Children will:

• Learn about natural and human features of the world

• Use maps and globes to locate places

• Explore what makes places special

• Discuss the importance of caring for our planet

This unit develops geographical knowledge, vocabulary and map skills.

Art

Pablo Picasso and Cubism

Children will learn about the artist Pablo Picasso and the Cubist art movement. They will:

• Explore shape, colour and emotion

• Study Weeping Woman as inspiration

• Mix primary colours

• Create cubist-style self-portraits

• Evaluate and reflect on their finished artwork

This supports creativity, artistic techniques and critical thinking.