Autumn Term 1 

Reading – Storytime and Retelling
Children will enjoy daily storytimes, listening carefully and responding through words, actions and role play. They’ll learn how to retell familiar stories, sometimes exactly and sometimes in their own words, helping to develop their comprehension, imagination and love of books.

Writing – Mark Making to Writing
This term focuses on developing fine motor skills and holding a pencil correctly. Children will practise making marks and pre-writing shapes, and begin to understand how these marks can communicate meaning. They’ll explore different tools and materials for writing and drawing, and start to label their work.

Science – Exploring Plants
Our young scientists will be learning about different types of plants, including trees, flowers and wildflowers such as daisies, buttercups, roses and sunflowers. They’ll take part in nature walks and use their senses to observe what they see, hear and feel in the natural world.

Geography – Inside, Outside
This term the children will be exploring the idea of places and spaces, both indoors and outdoors. They will learn how to notice where things belong in the classroom and around school, and how we can represent these places on simple maps and plans. By looking at aerial views and exploring their surroundings, children will begin to understand how we know where things are and how to show this in drawings and maps.

History – Marvellous Me
In history, children will be exploring their own immediate environment – home, school and local places they visit. They’ll compare the past and present by looking at different types of houses and the lives of people in the past. Through stories and play, they’ll notice similarities and differences between then and now.

PSHE – Me and My Relationships
This half term’s focus is all about relationships and feelings. Children will learn to share their thoughts, talk about special people in their lives, and begin to recognise and name different emotions. They will also explore ways to look after their own wellbeing and support others, with ELSA visits providing extra enrichment.

Art – Exploring Lines, Shapes and Portraits
This half term, children will learn how to use different lines – straight, wavy, curved and zig-zag – to create shapes, objects and figures in their drawings. They will practise holding pencils and paintbrushes correctly and experiment with using different tools and materials to make marks, shade and add colour.

Children will also explore portraits, learning how to start with simple shapes like an oval for the face before adding details such as eyes, nose and mouth. They will look at how artists and illustrators represent people in different ways – from the realistic style of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, to Gustav Klimt’s patterned and decorative portraits, and Axel Scheffler’s fun, cartoon-style characters from The Gruffalo.

Design & Technology – Exploring Food
This term, children will be learning all about food – why we eat it, how it helps our bodies, and how we can make healthy choices. They will discover that food gives us energy to move and grow, and that different types of food do different jobs in keeping us healthy.

Through hands-on exploration, children will use their senses to look at, smell, touch and taste a variety of foods. They’ll describe what they notice using words like sweet, sour or sticky, and begin to understand that foods come in many shapes, colours and textures. They will also learn that some foods grow naturally, while others are made.

Religious Education – Harvest and Celebrations
This half term, children will be exploring the idea of celebrations. They will start by sharing their own special celebrations and listening to others talk about what celebrations mean in their lives. Together, they will think about what makes a celebration special and learn to spot some common features, such as food, music, or coming together with family and friends.

The children will then find out how Christians celebrate Harvest, learning about the traditions, symbols and reasons behind this festival. Finally, they will reflect on why Harvest is important for Christians and consider what celebrating means to different people.