
Puffins and Kittiwakes News

W/B 13th October 2025​
​What a brilliant week we’ve had in Year 1! The children looked fantastic for their school photos—lots of smiles and smart outfits. In phonics, we focused on the red words to, go, and me, and practiced reading sentences like “Shall we go for a swim?” and “Your mum is on the swing.” We also recapped the sounds ar, ou and air, using Fred Talk and picture cards to help us blend and read new words.
In maths, we introduced the part-whole cherry model to help us understand how numbers can be split in different ways. The children enjoyed using drawings and objects to show how a whole number can be made up of different parts. It was great to see their confidence grow as they explored numbers in new ways.
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​We also went on a local walk to explore the area around our school. The children used simple field sketches to record what they saw and learned to identify human and physical features in our environment. It was a lovely way to bring our geography learning to life.
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​In PE, we’ve been working on skipping and combination jumps using individual ropes. The children practiced turning the rope from their wrists and keeping their bodies upright. We’ve also been focusing on encouraging each other, taking our time, and not giving up when things get tricky—great resilience, Year 1!
W/B 6th October 2025​
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In phonics, we explored the sounds wh, kn, and ph. The children practiced Fred Talk, spotted special friends in words, and read both green and nonsense words with growing confidence. We also worked on spelling using Fred Fingers and wrote sentences like “The wheels are black” and “The knight knocks on the door.” We’ve been highlighting our focus sounds in pink to help us spot them more easily.
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In maths, we consolidated our understanding of number lines up to 10. Children practiced identifying numbers that are greater than, less than, 1 more, and 1 less. We used dice games, fingers, and problem-solving questions to deepen our understanding. Some children even created their own number lines outside using chalk—great teamwork and creativity!
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Handwriting lessons focused on capital letters F, G, H, I, J, and later K–O. We experimented with water-soluble pens and mark-making, adding water to explore texture and flow. The children are becoming more confident in their letter formation.
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In Geography, we learned about human and physical features. We asked, “Where is my school?” and identified features like rivers, forests, hills, shops, houses, and offices. We now know that human features are man-made, while physical features exist naturally.
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PE was full of movement and coordination! We practiced combination jumps and dribbling a ball with our feet. The children learned to bend their knees, keep their heads up, and use different parts of their feet. We also focused on teamwork and perseverance—well done, everyone!
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In PSHE, we discussed choices and consequences. We sang songs, shared ideas, and talked about how our actions affect others. Children wrote their thoughts on whiteboards, which we’ve added to our floor book.
Keep up the fantastic work, Year 1
W/B 29th September 2025 ​
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It has been another great week across Year 1. Children have been well settled in their routines and there has been lots of progress made. It has been lovely to see how much children have enjoyed lots of new learning!
This week, we explored the sounds ir, ou, and oy through Fred Talk, word spotting, and phonics sentences. Children practiced spelling with Fred Fingers and read both green and nonsense words.
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In maths, we compared and ordered numbers using number tracks, cubes, and objects, reinforcing greater than, less than, and equal to. Handwriting focused on forming letters x, z, v, and w, and we used them in words like fox and zip.
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In PE, we practiced jumping, hopping, and skipping, focusing on balance and coordination. Geography activities helped us learn how to give directions using left and right, and in science, we explored sounds and ordered them by volume. We also enjoyed storybook reading groups, IT, music, and a joyful Harvest Celebration Assembly.
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To finish the week, we revisited everything we’ve learned, especially our phonics and number work. The children showed great focus and teamwork throughout—well done everyone
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W/B 22nd September 2025
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What a fantastic week we've had in Year 1! The classrooms have been buzzing with excitement, creativity, and curiosity as we explored new sounds, built our writing muscles, and even met a real-life author!
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This week, we’ve been diving into the sounds ar, or, and air. The children have been spotting these sounds in words, using Fred Talk to decode them, and writing sentences with our red words like your, said, be, and you. We’ve been using Fred Fingers to help us spell.
On Wednesday, we had a magical visit from a children’s author! The children joined a draw-along session, asked brilliant questions, and created their own illustrations. It was a truly inspiring experience that brought books to life. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!
In art, the children began exploring patterns and shapes. We’re collecting shells for next week’s creative project—thank you in advance to anyone who can help!
This week’s focus in maths was on comparing amounts and numbers using fewer, more, and same. We used cubes to build different amounts and practiced using stem sentences to explain our thinking. On Friday, we took our learning outside with giant chalk crocodile symbols to compare numbers—who knew maths could be so active?
In Geography, we mapped our route to school and labelled key features. In Science, we explored different smells—some lovely, some not so lovely! The children were fascinated and had lots of giggles.​​
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W/B 15th September 2025
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This half term in Phonics we will be practising the following Set 2 sounds in Year 1. Please use the links below to practice these at home.
Ay - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/SRcdWhlQ/T2wh1Pat
Ee - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/F8zo9DgL/0Y6NV6mD
Igh - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/yguy6NO9/RTNSunjo
Ow - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/EWznssC9/3M9NxtIO
Oo - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Hij3UHaJ/3347XpbF
Oo - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/ace6Ybcx/7SeNdVsv
Ar - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/zYCzJRfS/wwtQozbG
Or - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/tq4PaYTl/NR06GxNq
Air - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/SyNiaT6z/DctHQgl1
Ir - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/iNkK7e9r/9UhjQx0G
Ou - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/btKmNdol/C41QlWwl
Oy - http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/NPXtziny/0McXtAdJ