Class 1
Autumn Newsletter
Spring Newsletter
Welcome to Year 1
2024-2025
Year One begins the children's journey into Key Stage One, so it's a very important year!
We offer Continuous Provision and enhanced learning opportunities alongside precision group teaching, there is plenty of hands on learning through our inspiring and creative curriculum.
Spring Term - Is an exciting term as the children are starting to apply prior learning, they're developing into independent learners, grasping new concepts and consolidation friendships.
Meet the Team
Mrs Kirkham (Class Teacher)
Mrs Robinson (Teaching Assistant)
Mrs S Wyn (PPA teacher)
Our class page is an area where you will find out about learning this term, also our fantastic Facebook page and Class Dojo's if you are already a parent/carer.
Please read our spring newsletter at the top of this page to find out more!
PE
PE will take place on Tuesday and Thursday. Please ensure your child comes to school in a full PE kit on those days . This consists of a white T shirt ,black plain shorts and black or white trainers. Please ensure earrings/jewellery is removed.
Forest school
Forest school sessions will be held on a Friday afternoon, these sessions will go ahead unless extreme weather. The children can bring their wellies into school and these will be kept in school during the term, enabling the children to access our outdoor learning area weekly.
The children will need to bring long trousers or leggings and a warm coat, hat and gloves (weather flexible) each Friday.
Things you can do to help at home :
Counting to 100 and beyond forwards and backwards
Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.
Spotting numbers when you are out and about .
Reading the words and sounds which your child will bring home each week.
Reading your guided reading book which will come home on a Wednesday and to be returned the following Monday. This book will have been specifically matched to your child's ability, enabling them to read to you fluently and expressively - using the phonics skills taught to them earlier that week in school.
Reading and enjoying your child's chosen library book with them.
Our door is always open.
Do not hesitate to ask if there is anything else you need.
Thank you for your support
Mrs S Kirkham and the Year 1 Team
What an Amazing Start to British Science Week 2025! 🚀🔬 Monday 10th March What a fantastic morning we’ve had at Holme Slack Community Primary School. As part of our celebration for British Science Week 2025, our pupils kicked things off by drawing individuals in various STEM careers. Little did we know, we would have the incredible opportunity to meet real-life professionals from our very own community! A massive thank you to our brilliant guests: a gas engineer, an optician, and a robotics engineer! 🤩 Your insights and experiences have inspired our students and brought science to life in such a meaningful way. 👩🔧👓🤖 Today has been filled with learning, curiosity, and excitement as fantastic knowledge has been shared across our school. 🌟 Swipe through our photos to catch some of the highlights from the day! Let’s continue to spark interest in science and technology throughout this week. Keep an eye out for more exciting activities to come!
What’s new today? Thursday 6th March 2025 - Physical Benefits To Parachute Play They will develop their sight, sound, and touch senses, along with rhythmic body movement which, aids in communication development. Inclusive Parachute Play: Parachute play is inclusive for all as it helps children with diverse needs develop physical and teamwork skills. In the after we had a special visitor, they introduced VR units to us. We discovered about climate change and how it effects the Great Barrier Reef.
A Curious Adventure with The Mad Hatter and Alice! 🎩✨ World Book Day at Holme Slack
Today, on Tuesday 4th March we had an enchanting surprise visit from none other than The Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland! 🐇✨ from Just Imagine UK
They whisked us away on a whimsical journey through this beloved story, filled with catchy songs, lively actions, and boundless creativity.
We brought to life memorable quotes like “Off with their heads!” and “I’m late, I’m late,” all while igniting a passion for reading in our wonderful children. 📚🌼
A huge shoutout to our amazing parents for their splendid costumes – the children looked absolutely stunning and were so proud to showcase their imaginative attire!
Reading isn't just a pastime; it's a vital part of your child's early years, opening doors to new worlds and nurturing their curiosity and creativity. Let’s keep inspiring our little ones! 🌟💖
ReadingRocks
#AliceInWonderland #ImaginationMatters #SchoolAdventures #EarlyYearsEducation #CreativeKids
A taste of life in Year 1
Writing in Year 1
To enable our children to write effectively and coherently we teach Writing using 'The Write Stuff' approach by Jane Considine. This approach is used in Year 1 and Year 2 and allows children to apply basic skills, vocabulary and grammar knowledge to write effective sentences, which are full of impact and keep the reader interested. 'The Write Stuff' brings clarity to the mechanics of teaching writing. It is introduced though the 'Writing Rainbow', using the three zones of writing.
From 'The Writing Rainbow', symbols are used to support children within their writing journey and to ensure that all children can use them in context as they move through KS1.
As part of the teaching sequence, teachers plan experience days; sentence stacking lessons and independent writing sequences. Experience days immerse children in experiences linked to their writing and drench them in vocabulary linked to the lenses in 'The Writing Rainbow'. From the experience days, children take part in the sentence stacking lessons. Sentence stacking lessons include effective demonstration writing from the teacher and the writing of three high-quality sentences with focuses on lenses of the rainbow. Children are also given the opportunity to 'Deepen The Moment' and add more to their writing using a lense of their choice. Independent writing sequences give children the opportunity to showcase everything they've learnt in their experience days and sentence stacking lessons.
Over their time at Holme Slack, children will write a range of genres focused on high-quality texts. The chosen texts and genres cover a wide range of themes, including cultural, social and physical diversity. All fiction texts are explored through a central character, where the children put themselves in their position and focus on the highs and lows of story events and discuss the range of emotions from plot point to plot point.
Handwriting in Year 1 (age 5–6)
In Year 1, your child will learn to:
- sit correctly and use the right pencil grip
- form lowercase letters in the correct way: starting in the right place, moving the pencil in the correct direction and finishing in the right place
- form capital letters in the correct way
- forming the digits 0–9
- understand which letters are formed in similar ways
- to leave a space between words.
Phase 4 Tricky words
Tricky words are common words which are not able to be segmented, these are sometimes tricky for the children to read and write.
Little Wandle Phonics - Grow the code
Phonics Screening Check
Please view below a parent guide to further explain the phonics screening check, as well as a recommended website to play related games with your child.
Here is some simplified information for parents - more to follow on dojo
Have a go at these past example papers
Information
How will the children know which words are ‘alien’ (nonsense) words?
The made-up ‘alien’ words are always presented with a picture of an alien, so the children know that they are not real words that they might recognise. They are very familiar with this concept.
How will the phonics screening be administered?
Each child is taken through the screening check by a teacher on a 1:1 basis. This will be in a quiet area and there is not a time limit.
Will we be told about our child’s results?
The results of the check will be issued in the end of year reports.
What is the pass mark?
The standard threshold pass mark for this year’s phonics screening check will be published after the children have sat the check. In previous years the pass mark has been 32 out of 40.
What happens if my child doesn’t pass the phonics screening check?
Any child that does not reach the standard threshold will sit the 2026 screening check when they are in year 2, with the following year’s cohort of year 1s.
When will the phonics screening take place?
The government requires that the check must be taken during the week commencing 9th June. A pupil may only take the check the following week if they were absent during check week.
How can we support our child out of school?
Support your child by sharing their reading books at home and practice unknown sounds.
An excellent website for phonic games is: http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ All phonics phases are covered on this website.
Read as much as possible to and with your child. When children become more capable readers they develop the skill of word recognition. However, it is important that children continue to practise good sounding out and blending so they don’t fall into the trap of guessing the wrong word.
Which phonics phase will the phonics screening check focus on?
The check includes graphemes from all of the phases taught to the children since they started school. (Phases 2-5).