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    • Class 1 -EYFS and Year 1

    Welcome to Class 1

    Class 1 is a fun, caring and exciting place to learn and grow. Our class is made up of Reception and Year 1 pupils who learn through a carefully planned blend of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 curricula.

    The adults who work in Class 1 are Miss Eley and Mrs Peace. Together, we create a welcoming environment where every child feels safe, valued and inspired to achieve their best.

    We work closely with local nurseries and pre-schools, visiting children in their settings and using transition information to ensure that we build upon what they already know and can do. In Reception, we place a strong emphasis on the prime areas of learning, particularly communication and language, as these provide the foundations for future success across the curriculum.

    To enrich children's learning and develop their understanding of the world, we provide a wide range of memorable experiences. These include Forest School sessions, visits to places of worship, educational trips to locations such as zoos and historic sites, and workshops led by visitors including the library service and other specialist providers. These first-hand experiences help to bring learning to life and spark children's curiosity.

    In Class 1, we love asking questions, exploring new ideas and discovering the world around us. Our curriculum is carefully planned around engaging themes and high-quality texts that inspire learning across all areas of the curriculum. We make full use of our beautiful indoor and outdoor learning environments, where children learn through a balance of adult-guided activities and purposeful play.

    Every day is an adventure, and we take great pride in supporting our youngest learners as they develop confidence, independence, resilience and a lifelong love of learning. Watching children flourish as they take their first steps on their Newton Burgoland journey is one of the most rewarding parts of life in Class 1.

    Together, we learn, grow and achieve excellence.

    All About Me

    In this unit of work we talk a lot about ourselves and our families. We explore our school and where we live.

    We look at houses and homes and families, discovering that all families are different. A washday visit from Museum services helps us to learn about life in the past. We find out about Florence Nightingale and compare her life with that of Mary Secole - developing our knowledge of diversity, equality and the importance of respect for all. 

    You can help me at home by talking about the people in our family, the jobs they do and what makes them special. You can talk to me about my life, so far, helping me to understand chronology.

    Our Wonderful World

    We start to think about the wider world, continents, countries, seas and oceans. We watch the weather and find out about the seasons.

    We will find out about our capital city and our monarchy comparing the lives of 2 queens: Victoria and Elizabeth II. We love building London's landmarks in the block area. We come back to this in year 2 when we study the Great Fire of London.

    You could take me to London, explore an atlas with me  or help me to keep weather diary.  You could read stories to me from around the world.

    Off to the seaside

    We find out about holidays in the past. About the 'penny lick' and bathing huts. We look at maps of England to locate the coasts (we will come back to this in year 5 and 6).

    A highlight of the term is our trip to the Sealife centre. We will be looking at ocean habitats. In year 3 and 4 we will look at other habitats and biomes.

    Finding out about Grace Darling and her heroic rescue efforts, has us building lighthouses and re-enacting her life story. We can compare her with Florence Nightigale as they were both awarded medals. 

    You can take me to the seaside and help me explore rock pools or a trip to Bradgate to fish in the river would be good. We will come back to habtitats in class 3 and 4.

    If you go to the seaside in the summer do send us a postcard.

    Hot and Cold Places

    We study the life of Ernest Shackleton and find out about hot and cold places. In continuous provision. We build habitats for polar bears and penguins. Some of us will be found outside building ships to sail to the South Pole.  We will contrast Ernest Shackleton with Admiral Heng Ze to begin to understand how different groups of people have been represented in the past.

    We will be exploring the seasons and animals with a trip to the zoo. 

    You could take me to visit a farm and we could pick fruit or vegetables.

    Off to the moon

    We are going to the space centre to find out about space and astronauts. 

    Some of us will be found outside building rockets. We are going to think about who should be remembered for the first moon landing, building our understanding of equality.

    We will find out about the history of flight and key people like the Wright Brothers, exploring why some people are remembered more than others. We will study space again in class 4.

    In the garden

    Time to start planting so we can create a healthy snack. We will build on our cooking and preparation skills as we move form class 1 to class 4.

    We will be visiting the botanical gardens to look at different habitats, looking at minibeasts in the woods and school garden.

    Leicestershire museum services will visit and help us with our drawing and printing skills.

    You can help me by letting me grow some vegetables in the garden and taking me for a walk to look for mini-beasts.