April 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the Easter break. Here is some information detailing our curriculum for the summer term. 

In English our focus will be on learning phonics and developing language and communication skills, with an emphasis on listening, speaking, signing and using PODD books and high-tech communication devices. We will have daily phonics sessions and children will be reading decodable books 3 times a week. They will have the opportunity to share their reading books with their teacher and/or a Special Needs Assistant and some of them will take them home. If the book is sent home, please record it in your child’s yellow book when you shared it with them and keep it in their school bag. This term children will also experience Pattern and Rhyme by engaging in a sensory, shared and active exploration of poetry.

In Mathematics we will continue working with numbers up to 20 (and beyond as appropriate). The children will begin to count, recognise and sequence numbers to 10/20 as well as practise writing them correctly.  Measurement, shape and space will be explored through lots of exciting role-play and practical activities linked to children’s interests and personal experiences.

The Science topic of the term is ‘Plants’.  We will begin by looking at plants by examining and planting various seeds and bulbs, indoors and out, and tracking their progress as they grow. We will also perform an experiment to look at what seeds and plants need to grow and be watching carefully to see the results. 

In Design and technology lessons children will design, decorate and build a windmill for a mouse to live in and begin to develop an understanding of different types of windmills, how they work and their key features. 

In Art and Design children will create landscapes using different media, exploring beach textures, shades, and colours of the sea and creating beach collages.

In PSHE there will be a strong emphasis on personal, social and emotional development. We will be reading stories, using rhymes, playing games and singing songs with links to our topics, ‘Different types of relationships’ and ‘Changing and Growing’. 

During P.E. sessions we will focus on individual physical development and expression, including dance, swimming and Yoga taught by specialist teachers. We will also practise fundamental movement skills e.g. run, jump and throw using a range of techniques. 

In the first half of the term we will have Geography where we will learn about Diverse Places e.g.  Polar / Desert and Rainforest. In the second half term in History we will learn about Dinosaurs and Fossils. 

In RE we will discuss why some stories are special and what stories and books say about how we should live, including special books for Christians, Muslims or Buddhists. 

During the Computing lessons, children will learn simple Bee-Bot programming and will be introduced to data.  

Summer clothing

Outdoor playtime is a part of our daily routine. Your children’s safety is our priority and we kindly ask you to provide a sun hat for your child on a sunny day. We strongly advise that you apply sun cream each morning before coming to school. Remember, even on cloudy days the weather can improve! 

We are looking forward to another very busy and enjoyable term.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns at any time, please do not hesitate to contact us.

With Best Wishes,

Dorota and team