Welcome to Year One!

Staffing The teaching staff are; MRS TODD – Key Stage One Leader, Transition Leader, School Literacy Leader and Y1 Teacher MRS WILLIAMS – Y1 Teacher MISS YOUNG– Y1 Teacher. Maternity leave for Mrs Artley MISS QUARTLEY – Teaching Assistant

Additional Staff Miss Stansmore – our school sports specialist Mrs Hards – supports Read Write Inc Mrs Edon – supports Read Write Inc Miss Quartley will welcome the children at the door each morning. Please speak to her if you need a message to be passed on to the teacher. Teachers will normally be available to speak to at the end of the school day and appointments can always be made.

How is Y1 different to YR? We aim to make transition smooth for children with learning being a mix of formal and play based learning. More formal tasks will be teacher led with seating usually at tables, modelling by teachers and formal recording e.g spellings, recording information in books. Some tasks will be child led using resources available in the classrooms and wet area.

Progression and challenge in play based learning Children will complete challenge sheets to describe and evaluate tasks undertaken. The tasks completed in Year One will provide greater challenge and ensure that progress is made. Road map Y1T

Read Write Inc Read write Inc is the daily Literacy session in Y1. The children are assessed and streamed according to their learning needs. Read Write Inc groups are smaller than their normal class size due to additional staff. The children are assessed every six weeks and the groups are changeable. Each Friday, spellings (or another form of homework) are given out to be returned the following Thursday. The school RWI manager is Mrs Anderson who is based in Year Two.

Reading We aim to hear children and change books at least twice a week through a combination of guided (group) and individual reading. Please can you ensure that children bring their reading books in daily. We can offer guidance on how to support reading at home and welcome feedback in reading records. We can’t emphasise enough the positive impact that regular reading at home has on children’s overall progress across the curriculum. The first groups in Y1 will be the groups formed and set in the final term of Reception.

Numeracy We will be setting across the year group according to each child’s learning needs. We have found that setting has a positive impact with both building confidence and ensuring that progress is made. Initial groups will be formed by current Reception teachers but will be fluid over the year according to individual progress made – so children have the potential to move groups.

How can parents help? Complete the All About Me book with your child. We are interested in your children! Reading - signs, comics, labels, books. Summer diary/ scrapbook/collection box – whatever holds the children’s interest. We would love the children to come into Year One with something to share with us and the rest of the class. Take a look at the Year One section on the school website for information on curriculum coverage.

Other Information Every parent will receive a ‘Welcome to Key Stage One’ newsletter on the first day of the Autumn Term. This will give more detailed information about when P.E takes place, useful websites, parent helpers, homework (weekly maths and Read Write Inc work) and other general information.

The first day and week On the first day, can children please bring a full indoor and outdoor kit (Indoor – plain T shirt - white or house colours Round Hill - red, Sober Hall - green, Myton Farm- yellow, Quarry Farm - blue), shorts, plimsoles. Outdoor – tracksuit bottoms, trainers, possible track suit jacket) For the first week parents are welcome to bring the children down to the classrooms. After that, can children please be handed over at the door where Miss Quartley will be there to meet and greet. This develops independence and creates a smooth start to the day. Bring in holiday diaries or objects to share with the class. Children will be given a reading book.

Helping to develop independence Please can you encourage your child to empty their book bag as needed each morning. Reading books and records need to be taken out of book bags by children as do notes from parents and dinner money. Your child’s book bag will not be checked or emptied by staff on a daily basis. Please can you encourage your child to come into school independently.

Upcoming meetings We aim to have a meeting in November with the focus on the Year One Phonics Screening Check that all children in Year One have to sit. This is a national test which was made statutory by the government in 2012.

Any Questions?