Strong Foundations for Learning in Year 1

Year 1 is all about building secure, essential foundations in reading, writing and maths while ensuring children continue to enjoy a rich, broad and balanced curriculum. Our approach aligns closely with Ofsted’s Firm Foundations guidance, ensuring every child is supported to make strong progress across all subjects.

Core Foundational Skills: Reading, Writing & Maths

In Year 1, children move from early‑years exploration into more structured learning. We focus on the key knowledge and skills that underpin success across the whole curriculum.

Reading — Daily phonics through Little Wandle, fully decodable books matched to each child’s secure sounds, and regular reading practice to build fluency and confidence.
Writing — Children learn to form letters correctly, spell using taught phonics, build sentences, and begin to write for different purposes.
Maths — Strong number sense, counting, place value, addition and subtraction, early problem‑solving, and practical maths using concrete resources.

These foundations ensure children can access learning across the curriculum with increasing independence.

A Broad, Ambitious Curriculum

Alongside core skills, Year 1 children enjoy a wide range of subjects that nurture curiosity, creativity and confidence. Our curriculum includes:

Science — Exploring materials, plants, animals and seasonal change.
History — Learning about significant people and events.
Geography — Understanding local places, simple maps and weather patterns.
Art & Design — Experimenting with colour, shape and texture.
Music — Singing, rhythm and simple composition.
PE — Developing coordination, balance and teamwork.
PSHE — Building friendships, resilience and emotional awareness.

This breadth ensures children develop a wide range of knowledge and experiences, supporting their personal development as well as academic progress.

Our Year 1 Curriclum

We ensure our Year 1 curriculum provides children a secure level of foundational knowledge by:

Prioritising secure early reading, including high‑quality phonics teaching.
Ensuring children have strong early mathematical understanding.
Providing a carefully sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge step by step.
Maintaining a broad curriculum, so children continue to learn in all subjects.
Using assessment to identify children who need keep‑up support, ensuring no child falls behind.
Creating a calm, purposeful learning environment where children feel confident and ready to learn.

This balance of ambition and support helps every child thrive.

Our Commitment

Year 1 is a crucial year. We make sure children feel secure, happy and excited about learning while gaining the essential skills they need for future success. By combining strong foundations with a rich curriculum, we give every child the best possible start to their educational journey.