In Block 3, Year 1 students will explore the story The Lion Inside, focusing on themes of confidence, courage, and kindness. Through reading and discussion, children will learn to describe characters, sequence events, and express their ideas using simple sentences. They will take part in role-play activities to build speaking and listening skills, and use the story to talk about feelings and how to find their “lion inside.”  Students will create characters and settings inspired by the book, while they will learn about being brave, trying new things, and supporting others. This unit helps children develop empathy, resilience, and a love for storytelling.

Key Vocabulary:

character, setting, sequencing, adjectives, brave, confident, roar, squeak, feelings, speech bubble, story events, retell.

Students will begin this block by exploring numbers to 50, with a strong focus on place value, addition, and subtraction. Students will learn to recognise tens and ones, compare and order numbers, and use practical strategies to add and subtract with confidence.

Key Vocabulary: 

place value, tens, ones, adding, subtracting.

Let’s Go to the Jungle

In this unit, students will explore different jungle environments around the world and discover what makes them special. They will learn to locate jungles on a world map, identify the countries and continents where they are found, and discuss the climate, plants, and animals that live there. Children will compare jungle habitats with their own local environment, noticing similarities and differences in weather, land features, and living things. Through stories, videos, and hands-on activities, they will explore how people live in and care for jungle areas, and why jungles are important for our planet.

Key Vocabulary:

jungle, habitat, environment, climate, continent, country, equator, map, world map, rainforest, animals, plants, weather, compare, different, similar.

Animals

In this unit, students will learn about a variety of animals and explore how they are similar and different. They will learn to identify and name common animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Children will investigate what animals need to survive—such as food, water, shelter, and air—and explore simple life cycles. They will also learn about animal body parts and how different animals use their senses. Through observations, sorting activities, and hands-on investigations, students will build their understanding of how animals live, grow, and adapt to their environments. This unit helps develop scientific vocabulary, curiosity, and early classification skills.

Key Vocabulary: 

animal, mammal, reptile, bird, amphibian, fish, insect, body parts, senses, survive, food, water, shelter, life cycle, habitat, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore.

Dreams and Goals

In this unit, students will explore the concept of dreams and goals and learn how to set simple, achievable targets for themselves. Children will discuss things they would like to achieve both at school and in their personal lives, and reflect on the steps needed to reach these goals. Children will develop resilience by learning to face challenges, overcome obstacles, and celebrate their successes. They will also explore the importance of teamwork, supporting others, and sharing ideas to achieve shared goals. This unit encourages children to build confidence, perseverance, and a positive attitude towards learning and personal growth.

Key Vocabulary: 

goal, dream, challenge, success, effort, perseverance, proud, teamwork, support, and achieve.

In Year 1, children expand their vocabulary through stories, discussions, phonics, and a variety of cross-curricular subjects. Developing vocabulary supports reading comprehension, writing skills, and speaking and listening. The curriculum emphasises both everyday vocabulary, connected to their immediate experiences, and subject-specific vocabulary related to areas such as English, Maths, Science, and Geography.

Start of Unit 2

Spelling /ou/ (The /ou/ can be spelt –ow as in how, ou as in out

how, now, cow, town, brown, drown, out, loud, count, south

Spelling /air/ sound-air, are, ear

fair, hair, chair, stair, spare, care, prepare, pear, bear, wear

Spelling /ear/  (ear as in near, here and cheer)

clear, near, fear, where, were, here, bear, year, dear, cheer

Spelling –ff –ll –ss -zz 

shell, fuss, off, press, ill, troll, glass, cliff, smell, mess

Spelling –ck after a short vowel

shock, tick, lick, rock, luck, truck, stack, block, back, pack

Spelling –nk

drink, pink, plank, ink, sunk, clunk, think, blank, wink, trunk

In Year 1, home learning provides children with the opportunity to practise reading, writing, and maths. Pupils are encouraged to continue using their writing journals to record experiences and express creative ideas.

Reading at home is particularly important. Children should read daily with an adult, who can support them by helping to sound out words, read with expression, and discuss the story to complete the reading log.

MyMaths tasks are set every Tuesday to reinforce number skills and problem-solving. Parents can support their children by asking questions, celebrating achievements, and using everyday activities to practise maths skills. This consistent routine helps children build confidence and stay connected to their learning at school.

In computing, our topic for this block is We Are Digital Artists. In this unit, pupils explore creative expression through digital painting using apps. They study the styles of famous artists and recreate artwork inspired by their techniques. As they work, pupils learn how to choose appropriate brushes, colours, and tools to create different artistic effects. By the end of the unit, pupils will be able to create digital art in a variety of styles while developing key creative and technical skills.

Key Vocabulary: 

Analogue, Bitmap, Digital, Effect, Layer, Pixel, Transform, Undo, Zoom

Children explore materials and construction through playful, hands-on making. Using card, tape, and found objects, they build imaginative 3D structures, experimenting freely to develop fine-motor skills, spatial awareness, and creativity. The focus is on curiosity, problem-solving, and joy in discovery, nurturing confidence and artistic independence through making.

Key Vocabulary: form, shape, line, texture, space, structure, build, construct, create, join, fold, cut, balance, explore, design

In this block, children explore different musical styles through the song In the Groove. They listen and respond to genres such as funk, Latin, and reggae, learning to move, clap, and play along to the pulse. Singing and simple instrumental parts help develop pitch, rhythm, and coordination. Children improvise short patterns and begin to compose ideas, building confidence, creativity, and musical understanding in a lively, style-based context.

Key vocabulary: groove, pulse, rhythm, pitch, tempo, dynamics, riff, hook, improvise, compose, melody, bass, chord, structure, performance

In this block, children explore life in the jungle through role play, movement, and storytelling. They develop animal characterisation using body and voice, create soundscapes, and work as an ensemble to build simple jungle journeys and scenes. The focus is on imagination, confidence, and collaborative storytelling, leading to a short group performance of their jungle adventure.

Key vocabulary: jungle, character, role play, soundscape, movement, expression, voice, ensemble, journey, pretend, imagination, performance

In this block, children journey through an imaginary rainforest using expressive movement and storytelling. They travel along “night crossing” pathways, explore low-to-high levels, and react to waterfalls or jaguar chases. Later, they contrast strong “machines” with fragile “trees” to show deforestation, before animals curl, roll, and leap to find safety. The block develops spatial awareness, dynamics, expression, and simple narrative structure through dance.

Key vocabulary: jungle, pathway, level, travelling, stillness, shape, machine, tree, deforestation, dynamic, slow-motion, gesture, leap, roll, expression

Gymnastics 

In the gymnastics unit, pupils will explore basic gymnastic movements such as balancing, rolling, and simple jumps. They will learn to move safely and with control.

Key Vocabulary: Balance, roll, jump, movement, control, posture, stretch.

This block, Years 1B and 1D, will enjoy swimming sessions throughout the block; these activities will be swapped in the next block, ensuring all pupils have the opportunity to experience swimming lessons designed to build both confidence and enjoyment in the water. Our programme follows a structured level system that ensures steady progression, tailored to each child’s ability. Alongside stroke development, children also learn important water safety and personal survival skills. We aim for every child to leave Junior School as a competent, confident swimmer with the skills to participate safely in a range of aquatic environments.