Welcome to Birch tor. We are a mixed year 1/2 class. Our teacher is Mrs Shearer and we have 2 amazing teaching assists: Mrs Jutson and Miss Baldock. We love to learn and show off our good behaviour. We can’t wait to show you what we are learning. 

Autumn

Week Ending 24th October 2025

This week, we have had our last lesson of the half term in PE. We learnt how to bounce a ball. We also learnt how to dribble the ball to a partner. In computing we have programmed our beebots to move to a location accurately. In science we have learnt about our 5 senses. We did a variety of tests which tested our senses and what it would be like if we didn’t have some senses such as sight.

Week Ending 17th October 2025

This week, we have had a focus on our ‘Speak out and Stay safe’ sessions by the NSPCC. The children were able to talk about the different types of abuse and who they could speak to if they needed to share something. We had a look on the Childline website and the children enjoyed designing their own ‘safe space.’

In English we have started a new sequence called ‘No-Bot the Robot.’ We are practicing features that we can use when it is our turn to write a story about a robot who loses a body part.

We have completed our phonics assessments for this half term. This is a reminder to please read at home with your child. This really does help them to retain the sounds and to practice sounding out words which is where a lot of children fell short.

Week Ending 10th October 2025

During this past week, Birch tor have been doing really well with their transitions between the carpet and their tables. This is important to keep a calm classroom and ensure they are ready to learn. Well done! I had reports from the supply teacher that they had a brilliant time using instruments to make a sea soundscape. They had the opportunity to use lots of different instruments and choose the ones they preferred. They have also used chalk to draw around their bodies and name their body parts during science. They found out why specific body parts are important and what their purpose is.

Week Ending 3rd October 2025

This week, Birch Tor children have been questioning how we should care for the world and why it matters in RE. We looked at why it is important to care for our world and other people. The children came up with responses such as 'because otherwise the world would die' and 'if we don't care about anyone-everyone would be so sad.' We thought about a world with no kindness and we decided as a collective that the world would be a nicer place if we support one another. We looked at the work of  Mother Teresa and how she kept trying to help others even when people weren't nice to her. We also spoke about the 'Golden rule:' Treat others how you would want to be treated. Thank you for sending in teddy bears, particularly the very old ones! The children learned that the name ‘teddy’ bear was named after Theodore Roosevelt. We learned about how Teddies have changed over the past 120 years including the materials used (goat hair- synthetic fabrics) and how they are made (hand made factories). The children really enjoyed talking about their bears.

Week ending 26th September

Birch Tor have had a great few weeks settling in and learning expectations. The children are doing well with a more structured day and I am seeing progress in their writing already which is great- they are working super hard!

We have been looking at number up to 20 in maths and looking at these numbers on tens frames, part whole models and with base 10.

In PSHE we have been looking at healthy and unhealthy foods. So far, the children have designed their own plate with a healthy, balanced meal and have organised pictures of food into ‘healthy’ or ‘non-healthy.’ We will also be discussing those food which could be both, depending on how it’s cooked or how often we eat it.

In science, we have been looking at animals including humans. So far we have found out the 5 animal groups. We have also looked at the features of animals in these groups and what makes them the same/ different.

Week ending 19th September

In science, we have been looking at animals. We explored our school area and decided which types of animals we could see in our school. The children thought of animals such as chickens, hedgehogs, foxes, newts and a variety of birds. We have also discussed the different groups of animals. We looked at mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish and decided what the similarities and differences were of animals in these groups. We found out that even though all birds have wings, not all birds can fly.

Week ending 12th September

This week, the children have been focusing on their basic math and English skills. We have been learning about sentences and what we need in a sentence. Some children are able to write a full sentence with capital letters and full stops and most children are able to orally say a sentence and give their best go at writing one down. We will continue to practice our sentence writing skills moving forward. If you wanted to support your child at home, this is something I would practice. We also had our first session of Premier sports this week. The children are really independent with getting dressed for PE and their behaviour in their lesson was very good.

Week ending 5th September

We have had a wonderful couple of days welcoming the children into Birch Tor class. The children have settled really well and are adjusting to their new surroundings. The expectations of work are a bit higher this year, and the children are keen to show me what they are able to do. We have had lots of fun activities these past couple of days and you may notice some art work coming home in their bags!