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Believe
Achieve
Succeed
Our teacher this year is Miss O’Neill. As a class, we love to learn new things, be creative, use our imaginations and most of all… have fun!
Please click on the tabs below for more information:
| Name | Role |
| Miss O'Neill | Class Teacher |
| Miss Millner | LSA |
In Year 2, we are passionate about developing a love of reading in every child.
Phonics Readers
Children who are still accessing phonics will take home a reading diary and a colour-banded book matched to their decoding level. They should read at home regularly and have their diary signed by an adult. When a child finishes their book, a teacher will ask them comprehension questions before issuing a new one. These children will also have access to a home eBook linked to the book they are reading in their phonics group.
Big Read and Accelerated Reader
Children who have passed their phonics screening take part in our Big Read sessions daily. Across four lessons each week, they develop key reading skills such as prediction, retrieval, inference, and vocabulary. All our books are carefully chosen to connect with other Year 2 topics, helping children make cross-curricular links.
On the fifth day, pupils complete a Reading Wise session, focusing on building reading fluency. These children no longer need a reading diary but will join our Accelerated Reader programme, choosing books from the library. After finishing each book, they complete an online quiz to check understanding before selecting a new one.
Independent and Shared Reading
Every day, the children enjoy Solo Read — ten minutes of independent reading time, so it’s important that books are brought to school daily. At the end of each day, Miss O’Neill reads aloud to the class, sharing a variety of stories throughout the year to inspire and engage our young readers.
Home Reading and Rewards
Year 2 children are expected to read at home at least three times per week. Regular reading helps build speed, confidence, and fluency. Each Friday, we celebrate our enthusiastic readers with prizes and treats! Children on the Accelerated Reader programme can also earn certificates as they achieve new word count milestones.
In Year 2, children are expected to complete independent learning tasks at home in addition to their reading.
Weekly Homework
Homework will be set each Friday on Seesaw and should be completed by the following Friday. Each week, the task will focus on a different subject area to help reinforce learning from the classroom.
Spellings
Children will also have weekly spellings to learn for a test every Friday. These will be sent home each week, and children should practise them in their purple homework book. A copy of the spellings will also be uploaded to Seesaw in case the paper version is misplaced.
Online Learning
To further support their literacy and maths skills, children are encouraged to use the following websites at home:
Reading Wise
Times Tables Rock Stars
NumBots
These websites are fun, interactive, and a great way for children to develop their confidence and fluency in key skills.
If you need any help accessing Seesaw or require new login details for any of the websites, please see Miss O’Neill.
Year 2 take part in a 20 minute ‘Ready Steady Spell’ session every day in which they learn a range of spelling strategies needed for accurate recall. Within these sessions, the children learn to use a range of different strategies to spell new words.
Spelling assessments will take place every half-term in which the children will be tested on the words and spelling rules that have been practised.
Year 2 will take part in PE every Monday and Friday.
On these days, children should come to school dressed in their PE kit.
At Moss Valley, we expect all children to wear the full PE kit for every session.
PE Kit includes:
A plain white top
Black shorts or plain black joggers/leggings (for colder weather)
Black pumps or trainers
Children are welcome to bring a healthy snack each day to enjoy at break time. Snacks can be kept in their school bag, packed lunch, or placed in our class snack box. Additionally, fruit is provided for all children at break times.
Children should also bring a water bottle to school each day. Bottles can be refilled throughout the day at the classroom sink. They may stay in school but should be taken home at least every half term to be washed.
Throughout the year, Year 2 will write a range of fiction and non-fiction pieces following our school’s writing scheme, ‘Ready Steady Write’. Each half term, our writing will be inspired by a different high-quality book, carefully chosen to link with our Geography, Science, and History topics.
Each unit of work follows the same structure:
Immersion – Children are introduced to and explore the text in depth.
Analysis – They identify key features of the writing style or genre.
Planning – They plan their own piece of writing using model texts for support.
Writing – Finally, they create their own independent piece, applying the skills they’ve learned.
In addition to their main writing lessons, children also take part in daily handwriting and sentence accuracy sessions. These short, focused sessions allow pupils to practise correct letter formation, improve the presentation of their work, and develop their understanding of sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar.
Over the year, we will study the following books and writing styles:
A River by Marc Martin – Circular Narrative and Letter
The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers – Setting Narrative and Diary
The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis – Finding Narrative and Instructions
Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies – Return Narrative and Information Text
The King Who Banned the Dark by Emily Haworth Booth – Persuasive Letter and Banning Narrative
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty – Invention Narrative and Explanation Text
Year 2 will take part in the Read Write Inc (RWI) phonics programme daily which will help the children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. We will be recapping the set 2 sounds and learning the set 3 sounds.
In Year 2, children will continue to build on their understanding of key mathematical concepts through practical activities, problem-solving, and reasoning. Throughout the year, we focus on developing confidence, fluency, and a strong understanding of number and calculation.
Children take part in daily fluency sessions to help them practise and recall key number facts quickly and accurately. In addition, one lesson each week is dedicated to arithmetic practice, allowing pupils to apply their knowledge to a range of question types and build confidence in written and mental methods.
We will cover the following areas across the three terms:
Autumn Term
Numbers to 100
Addition and Subtraction
Properties of Shapes
Spring Term
Money
Multiplication and Division
Statistics
Length and Height
Mass, Capacity, and Temperature
Summer Term
Fractions
Time
Problem Solving and Efficient Methods
Position and Direction
In Year 2, children will explore a variety of exciting science topics throughout the year, developing their investigative skills, curiosity, and understanding of the world around them.
Working Scientifically
Throughout the year, children will work like scientists, engaging in a range of enquiry types including:
Research
Identifying and classifying
Comparative and fair testing
Pattern seeking
Observation over time
They will develop key scientific skills such as predicting, setting up tests, measuring using equipment, and recording data.
Children will also learn about influential scientists and figures, including Florence Nightingale, Charles Macintosh, Carl Linnaeus, and David Attenborough, and understand why their contributions are important.
Animals including Humans
Children will compare different animal groups and explore similarities and differences between them.
They will learn about human and animal life cycles and understand what living things need to survive.
Practical investigations will include testing the effects of exercise on the body and exploring the importance of healthy eating and hygiene.
Living Things and Their Habitats
Pupils will identify objects that are living, dead, or have never been alive by learning the characteristics of living things.
They will explore a range of habitats across the world and investigate how animals have adapted to survive.
Children will understand how animals depend on each other for food and create food chains for a variety of habitats.
Plants
Children will understand and observe how a plant grows from seed to fully grown plant.
They will explore what plants need to survive and compare the growth of different-sized seeds.
Pupils will identify a range of plants that we can eat.
Everyday Materials
Children will investigate a variety of everyday materials, exploring their properties and uses.
They will learn how materials are useful in different situations and which materials can change shape.
Using their knowledge of materials, children will plan a comparative test to find out which material is best suited for an umbrella.
