Freezywater St George's CofE Primary School

Writing: 

This year in English, the children will continue to develop their confidence, stamina and enjoyment in writing. They will learn how to build upon their ideas; edit and improve their work; and express themselves across a range of writing styles, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. 

In narrative writing, the children will explore texts such as The Tunnel by Anthony Browne, which will support them in thinking more deeply about character and setting. In non-fiction writing, the children will create newspaper reports linked to their topic on the Great Fire of London, learning to include key features. Using Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett, they will organise information into simple sections to create short fact files, developing their ability to write with clarity and purpose. The children will also enjoy letter-writing units inspired by The Day the Crayons Quit and The Twits, where they will be encouraged to express opinions and emotions imaginatively through their writing. During the poetry unit, they will explore list poems and create their own themed pieces.

Across the year, the children will be supported to apply their growing grammar, spelling and punctuation knowledge with increasing independence.

Reading:

This year in Reading, the children will continue to develop their fluency, comprehension, and enjoyment of a wide range of texts. They will explore high-quality core books such as The Twits, The Day the Crayons Quit, and Ruby’s Worry, which help to deepen their understanding of stories and characters, enrich their vocabulary and spark thoughtful discussion.

Reading comprehension is supported through the VIPERS approach, focusing on Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequencing. 

Phonics continues to support reading fluency and accuracy, enabling the children to decode unfamiliar words and read aloud with expression and intonation. 

Maths:

This year in Mathematics, the children will continue to develop their confidence, fluency and reasoning skills across all areas of the maths curriculum. Year 2 are currently piloting our new White Rose Maths scheme, moving away from Rising Stars. Alongside this exciting shift, lessons will be planned using a spiral curriculum, where key mathematical concepts are revisited and built upon throughout the year to strengthen long-term understanding. The new approach also embeds the CPA model – ‘Build it, Draw it, Write it, Say it’ – which supports children in developing a deep conceptual understanding by moving from concrete materials, to pictorial representations and finally to abstract thinking.

The children will develop a secure understanding of number and place value, working confidently with numbers up to 100. They will use a range of concrete and pictorial strategies to support their work in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; improving both their fluency and accuracy in calculations. In shape, space and measure, the children will identify and describe the properties of 2D and 3D shapes; recognise symmetry; and use positional language accurately. They will also compare and measure length, mass, capacity, and temperature using standard units and appropriate tools. One particular focus this year will be on developing confidence in telling the time to the nearest quarter hour and understanding the relationship between units of time. 

Maths home learning will be set a couple of times a week - either in their maths practice books or through one of our online maths learning platforms. 

RE:

This year in Religious Education, the children will explore key beliefs, stories and practices from Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They will reflect on important questions about faith, belonging and values, while learning to show respect and empathy for the beliefs of others.

In Christianity, the children will study The Lord’s Prayer, Christian symbols, and the concept of Salvation. In Judaism, they will explore festivals and traditions that help the community remember key stories, while in Islam, they will learn about the Five Pillars and how these guide daily life. 

The children will be encouraged to use key religious vocabulary, explain their ideas, and make comparisons between different faiths. Weekly R.E. home learning tasks are also set to help consolidate learning from the R.E. lesson. By the end of the year, they will have a secure understanding of how beliefs influence actions, a greater appreciation of diversity and the ability to reflect thoughtfully on their own values.

Geography: 

In Geography this year, the children will extend their knowledge of the world around them and develop key geographical skills. They will begin by exploring Our Wonderful World, learning to identify and name the continents and oceans, as well as what makes different places significant. The children will use maps to locate places, describe key physical and human features and compare environments using appropriate geographical vocabulary. Later in the year, during our Life Below Water unit, the children will study rivers and their journeys from source to mouth, investigating how their shape, depth and flow change along the way. They will also explore river habitats, identifying the wildlife found there and explaining how living things are adapted to their environments. Throughout the year, pupils will build a stronger sense of place, curiosity about the world and a growing understanding of how people interact with their environment.

History: 

This year in History, the children will explore a range of fascinating topics designed to develop their curiosity about the past and strengthen their understanding of how people and events have shaped the world around us. They will learn to ask perceptive questions, use different sources of evidence to support their ideas and make meaningful comparisons between past and present. Key units will include The Great Fire of London, Queens of England and a Local History study of Forty Hall. The children will investigate significant events and individuals; deepen their understanding of chronology by placing events accurately on a timeline; and consider how and why interpretations of history can differ. Our Local Heritage unit will give pupils the opportunity to explore how historians use artefacts and primary sources to learn about the past, bringing history to life through hands-on experiences and local fieldwork.

Science:

This year in Science, the children will continue to develop their understanding of key scientific concepts and skills. Topics covered include habitats and food chains, how materials can change and plant growth - including what plants need to grow healthily.

The children will develop important scientific skills such as careful observation, classification and carrying out comparative investigations. They will also begin to make simple conclusions from evidence and make links between different areas of learning.

Through practical investigations, discussions and hands-on activities, the children will use scientific vocabulary to explain their ideas and develop confidence in applying their learning.  By the end of the year, the children will have developed more understanding of the world around them and the skills to explore it further.