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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Ready Steady Spell

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.