Welcome to Year One Parent Induction Meeting

What does your child need at school everyday? Communication book A coat and jumper A waterproof jacket A named cup for water Named fruit (small pots where possible please!) Named PE kit – indoor and outside

What is a typical day in Year One like? Children are encouraged to enter school independently They register themselves & change their reading book Do their Ready Steady Go! activity Start their learning Attend reflections Lunchtime Continue with their learning Reading Literacy PE Problem solving Technology Teacher focused/ Child initiated Outside Classroom Enquiry and investigation Creativity Numeracy Integrated day

The learning activities are chosen to provide children with the opportunity to –  Learn something new  Practise skills they have learnt  Confidently apply skills and understanding

The outside classroom At The Horsell Village School we have excellent outside facilities. Children have the opportunity to use these facilities on a daily basis, as part of their outside classroom, to enhance their learning. Activities are planned using the Year One curriculum and are linked to the objectives inside. Please help us to look after our facilities and encourage children not to play in vulnerable areas such as the Sensory Garden and Pond Area before or after school.

Photographs We have included some photographs for you to see of the children during a typical Year One day

Topics Autumn – Class Animals, Under the Sea and Space Spring and Summer topics will be decided nearer the time by the children.

Marking Symbols We use a range of symbols when marking. Improvement Target Met Good Presentation Hard work Next Step Target Self-assessment

PPA Tuesday afternoon is the Year 1 teachers PPA time (Planning, Preparation & Assessment). This time is planned for by the Year One team and delivered by our team of excellent TA’s, who will also dismiss the class at the end of the day. The children enjoy a wide range of activities linked to the current topic.

Phonics and Word work Phonic and word work have started in school already and are practised daily. There is a key word list on the website of all the key words we will be covering in Year One. These can be used for word finding when reading and for spelling practise at home. Weekly phonics and key words for reading and spelling will be shared via the website.

Reading Reading at school Guided reading takes place weekly. This is a group activity which discretely teaches reading strategies and comprehension. Individual reading is also weekly. It is an opportunity for children to practice skills acquired during guided reading. Reading comments will be recorded on alternate weeks with numeracy comments. Reading skills are taught daily.

Reading Reading at home Your child’s homework is to read everyday with you for about 10 to 15 minutes. Please sign their communication book when you have read with your child. They can read the same book more than once. Please support us in encouraging your child to change their books daily. Books from home or the library can be read alongside school books.

Library Please encourage children to treat Library books responsibly and try and keep them separate from other books at home so they can be identified quickly and easily! Children will only be allowed to take a new book once the old one has been returned. There will be a charge for lost books.

Open classroom Is on Thursdays. You are welcome to come into the classroom to look at what your child has been learning. Please respect the privacy of others and only look at your child’s work. Younger siblings are more than welcome in the classrooms, but please ensure the children are not touching any of the classroom resources particularly the interactive whiteboards.

Parent Helpers We love to have help! We ask that parents have a CRB/DBS check before you help us in school. Forms can be obtained from the office. We particularly need help with school trips and the library on a regular basis – could be a job share!! Help is sometimes shared between other classes. Please could you note on the attendance sheet if you would like to help.

Drawing and Talking What is Drawing and Talking? Drawing and talking is a safe and effective method of working with children to help them to overcome any emotional barriers that may be affecting their learning and behaviour. The core of the method is encouraging the children to draw with a person they feel comfortable with regularly at the same time each week, and this person asking some non-intrusive questions about the child’s drawings. If you feel that your child may benefit in any way, please let us know. We will be starting the first round shortly.

Reminders Please encourage children to come in independently with their belongings in their bags. Always have a named cup, PE kit and waterproof coat in school (hat in summer). Please write messages on our class whiteboard. Please ask your child to hand their communication book to their teacher if there is an urgent message or one that requires a response. Communication diaries to be signed daily to show reading homework has been completed. Website will be updated weekly. You can the class. Please let us know if you do not wish to have your child's photo appear in any publications.