Key Stage 1 Easter Celebration

Wrens and Skylarks will be holding their Easter celebration in conjunction with Abberley Pre School on Thursday 26th March 2026 at 9.00am in the Village Hall.  The event will consist of an Easter Bonnet Parade followed by some Easter songs and poems performed by the children.

Please bring Easter bonnets into school on the morning of Thursday 26th March 2026.  There will be a prize for the best bonnet in each year group.

We look forward to seeing you there.

This week Wrens have been continuing to learn about Africa.  In topic we discovered why animals camouflage themselves and became detectives spotting some very well hidden animals in a range of different photographs.  We found out that chameleons are masters of camouflage and set Mrs Shelley a challenge to find the chameleons we had created which were hidden around the classroom.  In art we made some beautiful African pieces of art with Mrs Postlethwaite using printing and bead threading techniques.

We have also been getting in some jumping practice this week just in case we are called upon to help out the Easter bunny.  On Wednesday we enjoyed a day with Dan the Skipping Man.  Please see the news article for more details and pictures.  On Thursday we focussed on jumping in our PE lesson learning different techniques including using our arms to help us jump higher and further and learning how to leap.

In maths this week we have been looking at the composition of 7 and also learning to order quantities of objects from the fewest objects to the most.  The children were able to apply their previous learning to help them to order the groups correctly even when the numbers were not sequential.

The children really enjoyed their trip to see the performance of "The Musicians of Brennan" by Sealegs Puppet Theatre last Friday.  It was lovely to see the wonder on the children's faces as they watched Rob and his puppets.  They particularly enjoyed the opportunity at the end of the show to ask questions and find out how Rob created the puppets and props he uses.

Finally the children have also been busy creating this week, as they have made some very special cards.  I wonder if you can guess why!

In English this week, we explored the example text of A River by Mark Martin. We focused on the main character, Tom, and created a role on the wall to explore his personality and reactions to what he saw on his boat journey. The children then wrote a character description for him using expanding noun phrases and our key vocabulary. This week, the children have been really focusing on the structure and language of the example text so that they understand what their writing will look like in the coming weeks.

In maths, we have had a big focus on subtraction. The children started the week by subtracting without crossing over a 10, for example 48-34. Year 1 children did this practically using Base 10 equipment and Year 2 used the column subtraction method. Towards the end of the week, we moved on to subtracting while exchanging a 10 and crossing over the 10, for example 52- 26. Again, Year 1s solved these practically and the Year 2s used the column subtraction method to find their answers.

In history this week, we looked at the explorer Christopher Columbus in more detail. The children learnt about his exploration and how he did not end up in Asia, as he had planned, but instead arrived in the Bahamas. They also learnt about why Christopher Columbus might not have made the best choices when he explored the Bahamas for the King of Spain.

In art, the children used their knowledge of primary and secondary colours to create simple Clarice Cliff style plates in their sketchbooks. The children enjoyed this activity and found it interesting mixing primary colours to create secondary colours. They also explored creating different shades of colours to help them produce their own piece of artwork.

Timetable

Tuesday & Thursday: PE kits - please can those with longer hair have their hair tied up ready

Wednesday: Outdoor learning - please ensure your child brings appropriate clothing on this day

This week in English, the children used role play and freeze frames based on their chosen illustrations to help bring scenes to life. By acting out and physically representing moments from the images, they explored the mood, setting and actions taking place. This helped to inspire their writing as they planned detailed descriptive setting narration paragraphs.

In maths, we continued our work on fractions, focusing on understanding the difference between unit and non-unit fractions. The children practised identifying these fractions and developed their skills in ordering and comparing them. 

In history, as part of our Ancient Egyptians topic, we explored how the Egyptians created their gods and why religion was such an important part of their daily lives. The children looked more closely at several Egyptian gods, discussing their roles and examining the imagery used to represent them. We also looked at drawings and symbols associated with these gods and talked about what these might tell us about Egyptian beliefs and culture.

In science, we investigated different plants and learned about the function of each part, including the roots, stem, leaves and flowers. The children discussed how each part helps the plant to grow and survive. They also checked on the seeds they planted last week, observing any changes and discussing what plants need in order to grow successfully.

In English, the children have finalised their discovery narratives, inspired by Charles Darwin and the discovery of a new species. The pupils worked hard to develop engaging descriptions, thoughtful vocabulary and clear narrative structure to bring their discoveries to life.

In maths, we have continued exploring fractions, decimals and percentages. As the week progressed, the children built their confidence in understanding the links between these concepts. We finished the week by learning how to find any percentage of a given amount, using strategies such as finding 10%, 5% and 1% before combining them to calculate other percentages.

In history, we explored how the city-states of Athens and Sparta were governed. The children examined the similarities and differences between the two systems, thinking carefully about democracy in Athens and the more militaristic society of Sparta.

In PSHE, the children became “agony aunts”, responding to fictional worries from people experiencing challenges related to peer pressure and health concerns. They worked thoughtfully to offer sensible advice and discuss positive choices.

In art, we have continued developing our layered portraits. This week the children applied paint to their collages, carefully adding colour and tone to create greater depth and detail in their work.

This week in science, we have looked at the different parts of a flower and how pollination takes place. We have also looked at the different ways that seeds are dispersed.

In computing we looked at infrared waves and how they are used to transmit data. We then thought about how infrared devices could be used in school and designed a device that would either detect heat, provide an invisible barrier or show the proximity of an object.

In RE we have been looking at what it means if God is Holy and Loving. We have thought about words that Christians may use to describe God and have looked at extracts from the bible to find out some of the characteristics Christians believe God has.

Please see below information within the community but independent of the school