Welcome to our Class Page!

In our class, we aim to live out our school values every day:

🌟 Care for ourselves, each other, and our world
🌱 Grow by embracing challenges and new learning
💪 Persevere even when things feel tricky
✨ Shine by being proud of who we are and what we achieve

Meet the Year 1 Team

Your child’s class teachers are Mrs Abbott Monday – Thursday & Mrs Macdonald on Fridays. They are supported by Mrs Ayling & Ms Hurley who help make our classroom a warm and supportive place to learn.

Staying in Touch
Most of our communication is shared via email, so please make sure your contact details—especially your email address are up to date on Arbor.

We're always happy to speak with you in person, but do bear with us at the end of the school day as our priority is making sure every child gets home safely.

Need to get in touch?
You can email us at: office.3200@crowmarsh-gifford.oxon.sch.uk
The office team will make sure your message reaches us.

Times

KS1 School gates open: 8:30am – 8:40am

It is important children arrive on time as learning starts right away!

Collection: 3:10pm from outside the Year 1 Classroom.

Entry & exit via Newham Green path gate. Dogs & phones are not permitted in the playground & please refrain from using the climbing frames during this time.

PE Days

PE takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Please send your child to school in their PE Kit on those days, including suitable shoes for outdoor sports. Long hair should be tied back, and earrings removed or taped. If your child would like to wear socks for indoor PE, they can wear socks with grips on.

Curriculum: What are we learning?

To ensure children gain the skills they need to effectively progress through school and the knowledge they need to be successful learners in the future, we have a bespoke Crowmarsh curriculum.

• Curriculum Overviews outlining the learning that will take place each term can be found here at the bottom of our class page. These can be useful to instigate discussions at home.
• Learning in class will be posted here on our class page & sometimes on Instagram

You can find more information about the subjects we teach on Our Curriculum page of the school website.

We also share some of our wider curriculum events on our website Link

Homework

Children spend only 20% of their waking hours in school. So, your support with learning at home is integral to your child’s success.

• Homework should build positive habits, not create stress.
• Little and often is more effective than long tasks.
• Reading remains the foundation at every stage.
• Independence gradually increases as children move through the school.
• Homework consolidates learning rather than introducing new content.

Year 1 - Developing consistency and fluency

Daily time guide: 30 minutes

Reading (10 minutes daily)

• Read phonics and sharing book.
• Practise Common Exception Words.
• Reread books to build fluency.
• Discuss characters and predict what might happen.
• Please make sure your child has their reading book and reading record in school every day.

Phonics (5–10 minutes daily)

• Practise graphemes and blending.
• Apply phonics in reading and writing.
• We use the All Aboard scheme for Phonics. It is a crucial KS1 building block. You can read more about Phonics to enable your support at home on our Phonics page.

Writing (2–3 times weekly)

• Practise correct letter formation.
• Write simple sentences with finger spaces.

Maths (5–10 minutes daily)

• Count forwards and backwards to 100.
• Number bonds within 20.
• Read and write numbers to 20.
• Tell the time (o’clock and half past).

Focus: Accuracy, fluency and developing independence.

Whole School Expectations

• Reading Records in school daily (EYFS–Y4).
• Homework celebrated and acknowledged.
• Support available where needed.
• Consistency of routine valued more than perfection.

Homework Grids  (Years R–4) – Found below on this page

Each week, please choose a different activity to enjoy together as a family. These activities are designed to encourage curiosity, creativity and conversation.

Completing homework with your child should feel positive and relaxed. The discussions you have, the questions you explore and the enjoyment you share are just as valuable as the finished outcome.

There is no right or wrong way to approach these tasks. Take as much time as you need — some projects may take a week, others may grow over several weeks.

You are welcome to present Topic Tasks in any way you choose, for example:

• A photo or short video
• A drawing, poster or model
• A scrapbook page
• A short written piece
• An email
• Artwork
• Even something edible!

We love seeing children’s creativity shine in different ways.

Parental Choice and Flexibility

We recognise that family life is busy and that every child’s circumstances are different. Homework at CGPS is designed to support learning and build positive habits; however, we understand that families may not always be able to complete every task.

Reading remains our strongest recommendation, as it underpins all areas of learning. Beyond this, we encourage families to use their professional judgement about what is manageable and beneficial for their child.

If homework is not completed, there will be no sanctions. Our aim is to foster a love of learning, independence and responsibility over time, not to create pressure at home.

If families ever need support, adjustments or guidance, we welcome open communication.

 

We have been learning about printing in Art. This week we learnt how to make incisive prints. The children designed their own printing plates and printed them in their books.