Year 2

There are three Year 2 classes and each class has a full time teaching assistant. During their time in Year 2, we encourage the children to become more independent and strive to do their very best. In Year 2, the pupils also prepare for their end of Key Stage 1 SATs. These are administered at the end of May in a low-key setting to minimise stress and enable the pupils to do their best.

Every morning, the children have an English and Maths lesson. These are taught within their individual classes.

We follow the White Rose Maths scheme and the pupils thoroughly enjoy the challenges that come with it. The children develop their understanding of maths through learning how to tackle problems using different methods. They first start by using equipment and move onto representing their problems by drawing pictures. They then develop their understanding of abstract methods. By the time the children leave Year 2, we want them to have the skills needed to be competent mathematicians.

English (Reading and Writing) units follow a three-week structure which is consistently adapted throughout the school (see our writing page). Pupils learn and consolidate new skills based on a variety of different books, within a wide range of contexts. The text types covered in Year 2 include: character descriptions, information texts, instruction texts, short stories and recounts. We believe that learning to read is one of the most important things your child does at school. Pupils read individually during most English lessons. Our goal is for all pupils to be independent readers and have a real love of reading by the time they leave Year 2.

Some children continue with their phonics learning in Year 2. The school follows the Read, Write Inc phonics scheme. The children are very familiar with this from Year 1. They are taught in groups, but these groups are flexible and may change throughout the year. The children who have completed their phonics learning will move onto Year 2 spelling lessons. These lessons focus on learning one spelling rule a week. These are explained in your child’s weekly homework.

In their History lessons, pupils explore the story of Lady Godiva, the Great Fire of London and Queen Elizabeth II. We believe in bringing history to life so our lessons are very active. For example, the children get the opportunity to create their own houses from the Great Fire of London and watch them burn down! Throughout our Geography lessons, the children learn about the United Kingdom, World Geography and map skills. Again, these lessons are very active and the children will get the chance to create art work around these topics. Within History and Geography, the children also have the opportunity to develop their writing skills.

Weekly Science lessons as well as RE, PSHE and Music also form part of our curriculum in Year 2. Science topics covered include: plants, animals including humans, habitats and living things and materials and their properties (see our science page). Our Science lessons involve carrying out lots of scientific experiments and this is always something the children enjoy.