Year 1 - Spring Term 1 - 2026

Welcome back everyone – we hope your New Year has got off to a great start! Since returning to school, we have been learning about the different parts of our brains that help to control our focus, memories and emotions. Armed with this knowledge, we have been revisiting our mindful breathing techniques, ready to begin the New Year with optimism and gratitude. The children have also been writing about their hopes, dreams and goals for 2026.

Our topic this term is ‘Wonderful Nature’.During our Learning Journey afternoons, we will be learning all about plants and what they need to grow. We will be exploring what we eat and where our food comes from, including the food we grow ourselves. The children will be planting seeds such as cress and then making cress sandwiches to enjoy together! We will also be learning about lifecycles, building on our previous learning about plant lifecycles and introducing the frog lifecycle. This learning will link to our Fabulous Frogs artwork and writing activities.

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In History, we will be learning about Mary Seacole. The children will create fact files about her life and achievements, developing their research and writing skills. We will also enjoy hands-on activities such as potion making, where the children will write ingredient lists using descriptive language, for example spiciest herbs and freshest mint.

In English, we will continue to build key skills such as sentence structure, vocabulary development, handwriting, phonics, spelling and the use of punctuation. We will be exploring the books The Extraordinary Gardener and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children will write their own stories based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

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In Maths, we will continue our work on addition andsubtraction, using a range of practical resources to support learning. We will also be learning about 3D shapes and halves.

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This term, we will be sending home weekly spellingsfor your child to practise in preparation for a spelling test. The first set of words will be simple and the same for everyone, as we want the children’s initial experience of spellings to focus on listening carefully, practising correct letter formation, and understanding where to write their words. This will prepare them for future weeks, when spellings will be matched more closely to each child’s stage of development.

Thank you once again for your continued support. We are really looking forward to an exciting and enjoyable half term ahead.

The Year One Team

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