Welcome to Year 1and Year 2 -2015/16

Class Teachers:

Mrs Kay, Mrs Arrevillagas, Miss Hughes

Meet the Teacher meeting: information for the parents of children in Year 1 and Year 2.

The following notes are intended to enable us, as teachers and parents, to work together to develop the independent learning skills, raise the achievement of each individual child and to realise his/her potential.

This type of teamwork between school and home provides a consistent and supportive learning environment where your child can feel secure and happy. Communication between parents and the school is very important; therefore, please do not hesitate to come into school to discuss any concerns that you may have regarding your child.

We work hard in Year 1 and 2 to build upon previous year’s learning to further develop the children’s independence. They respond to clear expectations and are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves and for each other in many small ways e.g. by taking responsibility for their homework etc. Children learn best when they feel that they and their efforts are valued. Praise and encouragement, in many forms, are used to develop and maintain a positive atmosphere.

Literacy

Literacy skills are taught through all curriculum subjects, through our daily phonics/spellings/grammar, guided reading lessons and in the daily literacy lessons.

We teach our Literacy skills over a two-three week unit. The first phase of the unit focuses on reading and immersion in a new text type or genre of writing. This is then followed by the second phase which provides opportunity for speaking and listening sessions or drama activities which prepare the children for the final phase which is our writing phase. Children plan, write and edit their texts and are given many opportunities to self or peer assess their work.

Reading: Each child will receive2 reading books per week. These will be at a lower level than they are working on in class so should appear easy. This is to enable the children to practice their reading skills rather than having to work hard to work out lots of words. Please find time each week to listen to your child read. In year 1/2 books are changed on a Wednesday so please ensure that their book bags are in school on that day.

Handwriting

As a school we expect our children to take pride in their work and to endeavour to write neatly at all times. To achieve this,all children are expected to be writing using a cursive handwriting style. Advice can be given on this if you wish to practise this at home with your child.

Marking

Marking at Barlow Hall is in-depth marking that recognises whether the child has achieved the Learning Objective for the lesson and then suggests the next steps for the child’s learning. Children know this as “Two stars and a wish.” and use this method to also assess their own work and that of their peers.

Maths

We teach the children a daily Maths lesson which follows Inspire Maths. During the year we also spend half a term on each number operation to ensure that the children can use a formal written method to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers.

Homework:

Homework is essential, not optional. It is an integral part of the children’s learning. In Year 1/2, children’s Literacy-based homework will be an extension of the work done in phonic/spelling/grammar lessons. Maths homework will be linked directly to the area of Maths which has been taught during that particular week. Homework is set on a Friday and needs to be in for the Wednesday of the following week in order for it to be marked promptly.

Other Subjects

This termstopics, which will teach Art, DT, History and Geography, are: “Do you think Goldilocks should say sorry?” and Are computer games more fun than grandma and grandad’s toys?’

Science, RE, Music, ICT and PSHE are also taught on a weekly basis.

P.E: lessons are taught regularly each week. Children need their PE kit in school every week Monday-Friday.

They must have bare feet inside for gym and dance. For games, we recommend children with trainers use those, if they do not have trainers they will need black pumps. We go outside throughout the winter, and requiretracksuit bottoms and sweatshirts to be in school for this - all named please.

Generally, if children are not well enough to do P.E., they are not in school, but if they have an injury or other serious problem, we will need a letter for the day, or clearly stating the length of time that they are unable to participate in P.E.

Uniform:

Children are expected to wear uniform, which is available from the school office. Children should wear grey, black or navy trousers or skirts, a white polo shirt and a navy blue school sweatshirt. Girls are able to wear pinafore dresses or blue-checked summer dresses. Warm school fleeces are also available for winter. Black, sensible shoes should be worn; in the summer months, toes need to be covered: no open-toed shoes or sandals. Please ensure all items of uniform are clearly labelled/marked with your child’s name

Healthy Snacks

At Barlow Hall, we have worked very hard to achieve our Bronze, Silver and Gold ‘Healthy Schools’ Award’. To maintain healthy eating habits, children must bring in fruit only as a break-time snack. Crisps, sweets and chocolate must not be brought into school. Your child will have their own personal water-bottle to use within school. A daily carton of milk can also be ordered for your child each term at a cost of £7 per term. This needs to be ordered by the final week of the previous term. All children in Year 1/2 receive free fruit daily which is eaten at break time.

Behaviour matters:

As a school our children behave well - Ofsted described it as ‘Outstanding’.

We use various behaviour rewards in Year 1 and year 2.

  • Achievement cards
  • In-Class reward systems such as stickers and smiley faces

Attendance and Punctuality

The Government has set a minimum target for all children to reach 95% attendance, which is the current National Average attendance for each child. Good attendance at school is vital if your child is to learn and reach their full potential. School starts at 9 o’clock and your child needs to be in the playground to join their line by 8:55 am.

If your child is ill you must telephone school that day before 9 am. You must inform school of the reason for any of your child’s absences. Our Attendance Support Worker, Sharon Drinkwater is very involved in managing attendance and punctuality at school and will become involved in supporting families with any difficulties they are experiencing.

The Department for Education (DfE) has changed the legislation regarding leave of absence for pupils during term time and all requests for Leave from Education will need to be given to Sharon Drinkwater in writing or by email at . Parents must inform school if their child is or will be absent from school for any reason. Government Guidelines state that from 1st September 2013 Headteachers will not be able to authorise any holidays during term time and that proof must be brought into school in respect of any medical appointments or illness or if requests are made due to exceptional circumstances.

School has a policy for extended absences and it is important that you ask for a copy of this policy from the school office if you plan to take your child out of school as failure to follow the policy could result in your child losing their place at Barlow Hall.

Issues/Concerns: If you have any worries about your child then please speak with your child’s class teacher or Mrs Kay who is the Assistant Headteacher for Years 1 and 2.

Thank you as always for your support. It makes all the difference. It is only working together with you that we can enable each of your children to achieve their very best.

We look forward to working with you.