Year 1
Welcome to Year 1
Year 1 is a wonderful year filled with exciting discoveries, new challenges and lots of opportunities to learn, explore and grow.
Our class teachers are Mrs Thomas and Mrs Tillman, supported by Mrs Olsen, our teaching assistant. Together, we aim to create a happy, caring and stimulating classroom where every child feels valued, supported and encouraged to achieve their very best.
We know that moving from Reception into Key Stage 1 is an important step. We build upon the wonderful foundations established in the Early Years, gradually introducing more structured learning whilst continuing to provide practical, creative and engaging experiences. We want our children to develop confidence, independence, curiosity and, above all, a genuine love of learning.
Learning in Year 1
Every day brings something new in Year 1.
Our learning is brought to life through exciting books, imaginative activities, practical investigations and opportunities to explore the world around us as we step towards more formal learning.
English
Reading and writing are at the heart of our learning. Through engaging stories, carefully planned writing activities and opportunities to develop spoken language, we help children become enthusiastic and confident communicators, readers and writers.
We love sharing stories, exploring characters, using our imaginations and celebrating the children's writing achievements. Throughout the year, children develop their sentence writing, handwriting, spelling and ability to communicate their ideas clearly.
Maths
Our maths lessons follow the White Rose Maths scheme, complemented by the NCETM Mastering Number programme. Together, these approaches help children develop a deep understanding of number, mathematical fluency and confidence in solving problems.
Through practical activities, mathematical discussions, games and the use of equipment, children explore number relationships, develop their reasoning skills and learn to explain their thinking.
We encourage children to be curious, have a go and recognise that making mistakes is an important part of learning.
Our Wider Curriculum
From discovering the world around us in science, history and geography to expressing our creativity through art, music and design, there is always something interesting happening in Year 1.
Our curriculum provides opportunities for children to ask questions, investigate, work together and develop new interests and skills.
Growing Together in Faith
Our Catholic faith is central to everything we do.
Through prayer, Religious Education, reflection and everyday acts of kindness, we encourage our children to follow Jesus' example by showing love, respect and compassion towards others.
We celebrate everyone's unique gifts and encourage the children to care for one another, our school community and the wider world.
Phonics and Early Reading
At St Thomas of Canterbury, we believe that learning to read is one of the most important skills a child will develop. Our aim is to nurture confident, enthusiastic and independent readers who develop a lifelong love of books.
We teach phonics systematically through daily Twinkl Phonics lessons, building on the knowledge and skills children have developed in Reception. Children learn to recognise the sounds represented by letters and groups of letters, blend sounds together to read unfamiliar words and segment words into sounds to support their spelling and writing.
Through regular practice, carefully matched reading books and opportunities to apply their phonics skills across the curriculum, children develop the accuracy, fluency and confidence needed to become successful readers and writers.
We recognise that every child learns at their own pace. We regularly assess children's phonics knowledge and provide additional teaching and support where needed, ensuring that all children have opportunities to make progress.
Reading Together
We believe that developing a love of reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.
Each week, children bring home two reading books to enjoy with their families. We encourage parents to listen to their child read regularly, ideally every day, even if only for five or ten minutes.
Talking about stories, asking questions, discussing characters and sharing favourite books are all wonderful ways to support reading development.
Children also have the opportunity to choose a library book each week, helping them discover new authors, stories and interests.
Thank you for supporting your child's reading journey at home.
Working Together
We believe that a strong partnership between home and school helps every child flourish.
Homework is usually sent home on Fridays and returned by Wednesday. We also share weekly phonics information to help families practise and reinforce the sounds and words being taught in school.
We use ClassDojo to share reminders, celebrate achievements and give families a glimpse of the learning taking place in our classroom.
Useful Reminders
- PE days: Thursday and Friday. Friday PE lessons are often outdoors, so suitable warm clothing is particularly important during colder weather. Plain navy blue or black, unbranded tracksuits may be worn in accordance with our school uniform policy.
- Reading books: Please bring reading books and reading records to school each day.
- Homework: Sent home on Friday and returned by Wednesday.
- Water bottles: Please ensure your child has a clearly named water bottle each day.
- Uniform and belongings: Please label all clothing and personal belongings.
A Happy Year of Learning
Above all, we want Year 1 to be a place where children feel happy, safe and excited to come to school each day.
We celebrate effort, encourage independence, nurture friendships and help every child recognise just how much they can achieve.
We look forward to sharing a fantastic year of learning, laughter and special memories together.
Mrs Thomas, Mrs Tillman and Mrs Olsen
Our Class Saint
Our class Saint is St Francis of Assisi.
St Francis is remembered for his love of God, his kindness towards others and his special care for animals and the natural world. Inspired by his example, we encourage our children to appreciate God's wonderful creation, show kindness to others and recognise the difference that even the smallest acts of love can make.
St Francis of Assisi… Pray for Us
Curriculum Overviews
Class Newsletters
Phonics Check
The check is not something children need to worry about. It is simply one way of checking their progress and identifying whether any additional support may be helpful. Children who do not meet the expected standard continue to receive phonics support and will take the check again in Year 2.
Our focus is not simply on preparing children for a screening check, but on giving every child the strong foundations they need to become a confident, fluent reader and writer.
We value the important role that parents and carers play in supporting their child's reading development. Each week, we send home phonics learning activities linked directly to the phoneme and graphemes, words and skills being taught in class. These activities are designed to reinforce our daily phonics teaching, provide opportunities for regular practice and help children become increasingly confident in applying their phonics knowledge.
We also encourage families to explore the Twinkl Phonics App, which offers a wide range of interactive games and activities to support children's phonics learning at home. These resources complement our teaching in school and provide further opportunities for children to revisit and consolidate their learning.
Alongside phonics practice, we encourage parents to listen to their child read regularly, talk about the stories they share and enjoy reading books together for pleasure.
By working together, we can help children develop secure phonics knowledge, growing reading fluency and the confidence to become successful readers and writers. Most importantly, we want reading to be a positive and enjoyable experience for every child.