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Catholic Primary School
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Year One
Welcome to Year One!
We’re delighted to have you with us as we begin this exciting new chapter in your child’s learning journey. Year 1 is a special and important stage—it marks the start of Key Stage 1 and brings with it lots of opportunities for growth, discovery, and joy.
Throughout the year, we’ll embark on many engaging learning experiences together, helping children deepen their understanding of the world around them and build on the strong foundations developed in Reception.
One key milestone this year is the Phonics Screening Check, which takes place in June. You can support your child by listening to them read their book-bag books regularly and by watching the weekly phonics videos shared on Class Dojo. These small, consistent efforts at home make a big difference.
Please keep an eye on Class Dojo for regular updates about what we’re learning in class, as well as photos and messages about the fun, hands-on activities we’re enjoying.
We’re so excited to work in partnership with you this year—here’s to a fantastic start to Year 1!
Warm regards,
Miss McHale, Miss Phillips & Miss Darbyshire 
Toys Over Time – History in Year 1
Toys Over Time
This term, we’re learning all about toys — old and new!
We’ll start by thinking about the toys we love to play with today. Many of our toys are linked to the things we see in films, on TV, or on YouTube. Sometimes, when a new movie comes out, you can even find toys of the characters in the shops!
We’ll also find out how toys have changed over time. Long ago, children didn’t have the same adverts or the same kind of toys that we have today, but they still had lots of favourites — just like us! Some toys, like dolls, teddy bears, and bikes, have been loved by children for many, many years.
In this topic, we’ll become history detectives! We’ll look closely at toys from the past and toys from today to spot what’s the same and what’s different. We’ll:
Talk about our favourite toys.
Look at toys that our grown-ups used to play with.
Sort and group toys in different ways.
Find out what toys are made from and how they’ve changed over time.
Learn to put toys in order from oldest to newest.
Take a look at our wonderful learning!
Reading in Year 1
In Year 1, your child will bring home two types of books each week:
A banded book matched to their phonics level to help develop decoding skills
A phonics book.
Reading with your child regularly at home plays a vital role in their phonetic development. Even just a few minutes a day can make a big difference in building their confidence and fluency.
Phonics Screening Check
During the summer term, Year 1 children will take part in the Phonics Screening Check. This national check assesses how well children can apply their phonics skills to read a range of real and pseudo (nonsense) words.
To support your child, we’ll continue to provide phonics activities in school and share weekly phonics videos and additional resources on Class Dojo. Continued reading practice at home is especially important—your encouragement and support make a huge impact!
Homework
Each Friday, your child will bring home their homework book, which includes:
A weekly spelling list on the front cover to practise throughout the week
Activities designed to reinforce classroom learning
Spelling tests will take place each Friday. Please return completed homework by the following Wednesday so that we can celebrate and review your child’s efforts together.
Our Year One Class Timetable
