Children learn and develop more from birth to five years old than at any other time in their lives. If children are at risk of falling behind the majority, the best time to help them to catch up and keep up is in the early years. Every child can make progress, if they are given the right support.

(Development matters, DfE 2021)

Welcome to Holly Class
2024 - 2025

Class Teachers  -  Mrs Wallis and Mrs Knox

Class Teaching Assistants - Mrs May and Mrs Marsh

P.E. - Mr Parish In2Sport (Monday) (CPD)

Class Organisation

Holly Class are taught by Mrs Wallis all day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as Thursday morning. Mrs Knox teaches on Thursday afternoons.

Mr Parish from In2Sport provides CPD for Holly Class Teaching Assistants in P.E. on Monday afternoons.

 

Home learning and support

Please read with your child as often as possible.  There is much research to show that a broad vocabulary and good reading skills set children up well for learning across the subject areas.  Incidental and real-life Maths such as counting, talking about shapes and measuring (eg ingredients, their height) in their everyday lives is useful.  During the year, teachers will suggest fine motor skills activities as well as phonics and number games to play.  Deliberately talking about the environment and nature within it helps children to start to notice details and to learn how to describe what they see, spot patterns and notice changes.  

Providing appropriate and clearly named clothing and footwear is a useful way to support your child whilst they are at school.  Children in our school will need wellies and coats (or sun hats) in school every day as we use our outdoor environment throughout the day.  We prefer wellies to stay in school.  Parents will receive further information about PE kit in the termly curriculum letter.

If you have any queries or want to know more about how to support your own child's learning at home, please don't hesitate to ask Mrs Wallis or Mrs Knox.

Phonics

How to pronounce sounds
Looking at the sounds letters and groups of letters make.

• Unlocking letters and sounds - Actions, images and handwriting Phase 2
• Unlocking letters and sounds - Actions, images and handwriting Phase 3

Reading at home.

• Reading folder letter
• How to help your child with reading

For more confident readers.

• Reading prompts for parents. Questions you can ask your children about the books they are reading.

Year 1 Phonics Check

• Phonics-Screening-Check-A-Guide-for-Parents
• Practice Sheet
• Pupil Phonics Screening Materials

Maths activities - Have a look at these fun activities to do at home.

• Home Maths activities

Useful information

• Songs and rhymes
• Bare Necessities Maths Games
• Learning games websites

• Lataca school lunches
  Register for school meals. Orders should be received the Friday before they are required.

• Cool Milk
  Register for milk for daily snack time. Under 5s free.

Before and After School Clubs

• Parents can pre-book before (8-8:45am) and after-school care in our in-house Wrap Around Care.

Useful Websites

• CBeebies
  Programmes and games for younger children.

• BBC Bitesize for Year 1

• Place value with base ten blocks (MAB or Dienes blocks)
  Dienes blocks are used in class alongside the White Rose Maths scheme. This website explains what dienes are and how they are used.

• Go Noodle website link
  Lively videos for learning linked activities to have a go at outside school. Parents need to sign up to gain points.

• Numbots and Times Tables Rockstars website
  All pupils across the school now have login details for Numbots and pupils from Year 1 upwards have been given their login details for the Times Tables Rockstars website. This is useful for rapid recall of the times tables. In year 1 children should focus on the 'Garage' and 'Arena' games as these focus on counting in 2s, 5s and 10s to start to learn their 2,5 and 10 times tables. You will need the school postcode when logging in to either of these maths websites.: SN152EY

• White Rose Maths 1 Minute Maths
  Build number confidence and fluency in 1 minute chunks.

• How to pronounce sounds (phonemes)
  This link shows how to pronounce the 44 sounds taught in Phonics lessons.

• Letters and sounds phonic games
  This website offers children games which support the phonic programme we use in our school.

• Typing
  If your child would like to learn to type quickly and efficiently, there are many programmes available online but the BBC link here provides a fun and motivating approach.