Year 1: What We Are Learning!

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

This week in Geography, the children have been exploring our local area of Harold Hill!

We looked at bird's-eye view maps to locate our school and other familiar landmarks nearby. The children then put their map-reading skills into practice by labeling a bird's-eye view map of the school grounds.

Activity to try at home: To build on what we've learned, you could try creating a "bird's-eye view" map of a room in your house or your garden together. Draw the outline of the space and ask your child to draw and label where key objects (like the sofa, bed, or table) sit as if they were looking down from the ceiling! Alternatively, next time you are out for a walk in Harold Hill, see if your child can spot key landmarks and describe where they are in relation to school.

Year 1 explored how chalk and oil pastels can create wonderfully expressive marks, building on their growing confidence as imaginative young artists. Pupils experimented with spirals, sweeping arm movements and careful hand control. 

This week in Science the year 1 children have been describing the properties of different materials. They have been learning that materials can be hard or soft, shiny or dull, rough or smooth, flexible or rigid, waterproof or absorbent. They have observed and compared different materials and describe what they are like.  

Activity to try at home -     Materials hunt 

Children could choose different objects and describe their properties using words such as hard, soft, shiny, dull, rough, smooth, flexible, and waterproof. Parents could ask questions such as, “What is it made from?” “How does it feel?” “Is it hard or soft?” and “Why do you think this material was chosen for this object?” 

Next week, we will be learning about transparent and opaque materials. At home, you could introduce these new words to your child and see if they can find objects around the house that are transparent (see-through) or opaque (not see-through). Encourage your child to describe the materials they find and explain what they notice about them. 

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 2: What We Have Been Learning

 Year 2: What We Have Been Learning

Literacy

In Literacy this week, we have been continuing learning about The Adventures of the Egg Box Dragon.This week, the children moved from exploring the dragon’s appearance and mischief to describing his special searching skills. They practised using expanded noun phrases, action verbs and clear sentence structure to build a vivid character description. They are now ready to begin drafting their full Egg Box Dragon description next week.

Art

This week in Art,  the children took their learning outdoors and became true collectors. With clipboards, bags and plenty of excitement, they explored the school grounds to find objects such as leaves, twigs, stones, and other natural treasures.

They experimented with arranging their finds into patterns, shapes and mini artworks.

Science

Our mini-scientists kicked off an exciting new science unit all about materials.

We began by answering a big question: "What is a material?"

The children learned that a material is simply what an object is made from. We explored everyday items and identified common materials like wood, metal, plastic, glass, and rock. We also introduced some fantastic new vocabulary words, including property, transparent (things we can see through, like glass), and opaque (things we cannot see through, like brick or We examined various items to see how different materials are used for different jobs. The children practiced identifying objects made from glass, brick, and rock, discussing why a window needs to be transparent while a wall needs to be strong and opaque!  The children then went on a material hunt, searching every corner of the classroom to find and classify objects made of wood, metal, plastic, and glass.

Forest School - Week 2

Pine class spent the afternoon noticing the details at forest school. We played you’re only safe if … and had to listen carefully to the instructions. There included standing on a tyre, balancing a brown leaf on our head and finding a stick the same length as our hand

Then we gathered together in a circle and looked closely at the ground in front of us. The children noticed the dissent colours of the grass, areas of ground that were bald or had shells on them. Everyone had the opportunity to fill an empty matchbox with mini treasures from forest school. The children found acorns, acorn cups, galls, feathers and many more items. There was also time to choose from playing on the swing, listening carefully to sounds and continuing to make elder crafts. It was a packed afternoon.

Year 3- What we are learning

 

WC: 14.09.26

In RE, we have been exploring the word ‘creation’ and thinking about what it means to create something. This is helping us begin to explore what different religions believe about how we should treat and care for our wonderful world. The children enjoyed making their own creations and reflecting on how the experience made them feel. Lots of children said they felt proud, creative and happy with what they had made! Next week we are going to compare the creation stories from the Christian and Jewish faiths.

 

In Maths, we have been developing our understanding of three-digit numbers by exploring hundreds, tens and ones. The children have been partitioning numbers into their different place value parts and writing number sentences to show their understanding. They have worked hard to explain how the digits in a number represent different amounts. Next week, we are going to explore flexible partitioning. 

 

In Literacy, we have started writing a shared piece of writing together. We have been learning how to use expanded noun phrases to add detail and description to our writing. We have also begun exploring inverted commas and using direct speech to bring our writing to life. We then used a green pen to fix our marvellous mistakes! Next week, children will begin to create their own story episodes, with increased independence.

In Science, we planted our own seeds as part of an experiment. We are investigating what happens when we change one variable, while keeping the other conditions the same. The children made predictions and are excited to observe their seeds over the coming weeks to see what happens!

Well done, Year 3, for another brilliant week of learning! 

Forest School Week 1

Pine class had lovely weather for forest school this afternoon. We began by reminding ourselves about keeping safe at forest school. The children knew to stay within the boundary markers, stay out of the fire square and never put things into their mouths.

We had fun playing the boundary game, spent some time exploring and made our forest school necklaces. Each child chose their forest school name, added this to their necklace and decorated it.

Then we learnt about the elder tree. We learnt that usually its leaves are in groups of 5 and it has a soft pith in the middle. Elder can be very useful for crafts and the children learnt how to make elder beads but removing the pith with a tent peg. It is important to always point the peg down towards the ground. The children used their elder beads to make bracelets and caterpillars.

We ended forest school with a drink and a biscuit which was most needed in the heat

Please send your children’s wellies, waterproof and change of clothes into school as soon as possible.

Year 1: What We Are Learning!

 

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

This week in PE, Walnut Class have been exploring dance and movement to music. While the other classes are working on different areas of PE, Walnut Class have been focusing on developing their rhythm, coordination and confidence through dance. 

We have been learning to count and move in beats of 8, keeping our movements in time with the music. We have also been using different movements inspired by the weather, including the sun, rain, ice and snow.

The children have really enjoyed being creative and using their bodies to express different types of weather while developing their movement skills. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow throughout the week, and we look forward to building upon these skills in PE next week!

If you want to continue  the learning at home, create your own weather dance routine! 

Put on a song: Choose a song with a clear, upbeat rhythm. 

Count the beat: Practice counting out loud together in groups of 8. 

Pick a forecast: Have your child invent an 8 beat movement for a specific type of weather e.g. rain, sun, thunderstorm

This week, our Year One children took part in an exciting whole-school interactive workshop with Drama Geezers, focusing on resilience, one of our four Rs!

The children thoroughly enjoyed sharing their creative ideas, working collaboratively, and performing alongside the ‘Geezers’ to create their very own chapter of a book. It was wonderful to see their confidence, creativity and resilience shine throughout the session!

The finished book will be professionally printed and shared in every classroom, allowing everyone in our school community to enjoy the children’s fantastic work.

Broadford DIY-

Every Friday, the children in Year 1 will be learning and practising a new practical skill that they can continue to develop both in the classroom and at home. These skills are designed to encourage independence, confidence and perseverance, while helping the children develop important everyday life skills. They have been learning how to wash their hands properly, practise doing up their zips and buttons and use scissors safely when cutting. It was lovely to see the children supporting and encouraging one another. They enjoyed helping their friends and celebrating each other’s successes. We are very proud of their teamwork, patience and growing independence!

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Year 2 Curriculum Letter

  

Dear Parents, 

Please find below the link to the Year 2 Curriculum letter - 

Year 2 Curriculum Letter

Year 1 Curriculum Letter

 Dear Parents, 

Please find below the link to the Year 1 Curriculum letter - 

Year 1 Curriculum Letter - Autumn

Apricot Forest School

 Apricot class had a good start to forest school. Lots of children remembered their forest school kit and were raring to go.

We walked to the forest school area and thought about how to keep ourselves safe. This included staying inside the boundary markers, walking in the fire circle and ‘no pick, no lick’ making sure we don’t pick flowers or plants and never put things into our mouths.

We played a game to help us remember the boundaries and spent time looking for things in nature. We looked at flowers, leaves, acorns, spotted a butterfly and looked at the clouds. There was a short time to explore, followed by a drink, biscuit and a story. We finished off with our goodbye song.

Please remember to send in wellies, waterproofs and a change of clothes for your child if you have not done so already.

Important: Forest School (Y1-Y2) and Wild Curriculum (Y3-Y6)

Good morning,

Forest School and Wild Curriculum play a big part at Broadford Primary School; together, they create a rich, continuous outdoor learning pathway from Reception to Year 6 - enriching the wider curriculum while helping pupils grow into confident, capable, and nature-connected learners.

Please find attached guidance and advice for the up and coming year. It has dates and uniform expectations.

Outdoor Learning Clothing

Outdoor Learning Dates and Info'

Kind regards,
Broadford Primary School

Year 2: What We Have Been Learning

Year 2: What We Have Been Learning

What a fantastic start to the new school year! We are so proud of how brilliantly the children have settled into Year 2. They walked through the door with huge smiles, enthusiasm, and a readiness to learn that has set a wonderful tone for the year ahead.

Moving into Key Stage 1's final year is an exciting milestone, and our new Year 2 stars have already shown fantastic independence, teamwork, and kindness towards one another.

Have a look at what we have been learning this week!

Maths

Year 2 have kicked off the Autumn term by diving into Place Value up to 20, building a crucial bridge from Year 1 before tackling larger numbers. The children practice counting and ordering numbers to 20, using hands-on equipment like Base 10 blocks and visual tools like Part-Whole models. Mastering this concept of partitioning into tens and ones gives children a solid, confidence-boosting foundation for all future maths learning.

Literacy

In Literacy this week, we have been learning about The Adventures of the Egg Box Dragon. This week, the children stepped into a world of imagination, creativity and descriptive language as they began exploring the story of the Egg Box Dragon. They learned how authors build characters using everyday materials, and how writers use powerful adjectives, verbs and expanded noun phrases to bring those characters to life.

PSHE

Starting a new school year is full of big emotions for six- and seven-year-olds. To help our children feel secure, Year 2 has spent the week learning about "Me and My Relationships". The children have been focusing on helping children understand how their choices shape our classroom. the children worked together to design their very own Class Pledges.

Creating pledges helps them understand why positive behaviour matters:

Rights and Safety: Children learn that everyone in our school has a right to feel safe, listened to, and included.

Shared Ownership: When children choose their own classroom values, they feel a sense of pride and are far more likely to stick to them.

Empathy: Discussions around scenarios encourage children to think about how their actions impact their friends.

Through role-play, story prompts, and circle-time chats, the children identified what a happy classroom looks and feels like. They then agreed on key pledges for the year.

Computing

In computing this week, the children have been learning how to keep themselves safe when using devices. The children have been developing practical strategies for managing their feelings -- good, bad and everything in between. They have been learning how to recognise the different kinds of feelings they can have when using technology and knowing what to do when they don't have a good feeling when using technology.

A Few Reminders for the Term Ahead

Our PE days are Tuesdays and Thursday

Reading Books: Every child has been given a reading book and a reading folder. Please ensure that your child brings their reading book to school on their reading day. We encourage reading for 10–15 minutes each evening at home.

Water Bottles: Please send your child with a reusable, named water bottle each day.

Thank you to all our parents and carers for your support in making this transition smooth and joyful. We have an incredible term planned, and we can't wait to share more updates as our journey continues!

Year 1: What We Are Learning!

Year 1: What We Are Learning 

What a fantastic first full week in Year 1. This week in maths, the children have been learning all about sorting objects. They have been exploring how objects can be sorted by colour, shape, size and other features, while explaining their reasoning and noticing similarities and differences. 

We even took our learning outside and practised sorting natural materials we found in our environment. The children did a wonderful job working together, discussing their ideas and deciding how best to group the objects. 

We are so proud of how enthusiastically the children have approached their first week of Year 1 maths! Well done, everyone!

This week our literacy focus book has been: Beegu, by Alexis Deacon

We have had an exciting start to our Literacy lessons in Year 1!

The children arrived at school to discover that a spaceship had crash-landed in our school! We became detectives and looked for clues to find out what had happened.

We soon discovered that the spaceship belonged to ‘Beegu’, a little alien from our story.

      The children used their imaginations to talk about Beegu and came up with lots of fantastic adjectives to describe her such as small, yellow, cute, lonely and friendly.

 We then used our adjectives to write sentences describing Beegu. The children have been fantastic storytellers and writers! 

In PSHE, we have been learning about how to make our classroom a happy, safe and positive place. We talked about why classroom rules are important and how they help us to learn and play together. We have also been practising active listening, learning to look at the person speaking, listen carefully and take turns. Finally, we explored different emotions, such as happy, sad, angry, worried and excited. We learnt how to recognise our own feelings and understand how others might be feeling too.

Well done Year 1 for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Welcome to Year 2

 We would like to invite all Year 2 parents and carers to our Welcome to Year 2 meeting on  Thursday 17th  September at 2:45pm in the Charlton Hall. 

The meeting will provide important information about the academic year ahead, including what to expect in Year 2 and how you can support your child throughout the year.

We look forward to welcoming you and working together to make it a happy and successful year for all our Year 2 children.

Welcome to Year 1

 

We would like to invite all Year 1 parents and carers to our Welcome to Year 1 meeting on  Tuesday 8th  September at 2:45pm in the Charlton Hall. 

The meeting will provide important information about the academic year ahead, including what to expect in Year 1 and how you can support your child throughout the year.

We look forward to welcoming you and working together to make it a happy and successful year for all our Year 1 children.

Autumn Treasure Hunt: Help Our Year 2 Artists Explore and Create!

Autumn Treasure Hunt: Help Our Year 2 Artists Explore and Create!

Dear Parents and Carers,

As the leaves begin to turn and autumn approaches, Year 2 classrooms will be exploring an exciting, hands-on art unit! This half term, we are diving into the world of natural art inspired by two incredible artists: Andy Goldsworthy and Alice Fox.

Our big guiding question for the children this term is:

How can we become open, curious explorers of the world, and use what we find to inspire us to make art?

To answer this, we need to bring the great outdoors directly into our learning space.

🍁 How You Can Help at Home

Next time you are out on a weekend walk, visiting the local park, or even spending time in the garden, please encourage your child to keep their eyes open for nature’s treasures. We would love for the children to collect and bring in any natural resources.

What we are hunting for:

• Autumn fallen goods: Pine cones, conkers, acorns, and seed pods.

• Leaves: A variety of shapes, sizes, and autumn colors (reds, yellows, browns, oranges).

• Sticks & Twigs: Small, interesting twigs or bark pieces

• Pebbles & Stones: Small smooth stones, pebbles or shells

Both Andy Goldsworthy and Alice Fox build their artistic practice around curiosity and a deep connection to nature:

• Andy Goldsworthy uses natural, found objects to create temporary sculptures—arranging leaves by color, weaving twigs, or stacking stones.

• Alice Fox works with nature to create prints, textiles, and mark-making, exploring textures, botanical dyes, and natural patterns.

By hunting for these materials themselves, our Year 2s won't just be collecting supplies, they will be practicing mindfulness, noticing tiny details in the world around them, and learning to view the everyday environment through the eyes of an artist.

Please send any collected treasures into school with your child starting next week when we return to school.

Thank you so much for your support. We can't wait to see what natural wonders they discover!

Warmly,

The Year 2 Team