Welcome to Autumn Term 2026

We are looking forward to seeing you all after the summer break and hearing about all your exciting news

The classes in Key Stage 1 are named after woodland animals:

Mrs Rookes ( KS1 Phase Leader) is in Year 2 and is teaching Fox Class.

Miss Wade is in Year 2 and is teaching Badger Class.

Mrs Fitzhugh will be teaching in Foxes class 1 day a week.

Useful links: 

Google Classroom - http://classroom.google.com/a/elworthce.cheshire.sch.uk 

Oxford Owl - https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/ 

Edshed - https://play.edshed.com/ 

The topic this term is " Let's Go Travelling"

Welcome back to Year 2! To kick off our exciting new term, we want to know all about your summer adventures: where did you go, and what was the best thing you did over the holiday? Whether you travelled far, went to the coast, or enjoyed fun days out near home, we cannot wait to hear your stories!

This term, our learning is taking off with our new topic, Let's Go Travelling! We will become geographers and historians as we pack our virtual bags to explore different types of trips across the UK and travel back in time to see how holidays have changed over the generations.

What We Are Learning

• Holidays Past & Present: Comparing modern vacations with holidays from the past (such as Victorian seaside trips), looking at how transport, clothing, and activities have changed over time.

• Our Local Area & Local Seasides: Using map skills to explore our immediate surroundings and contrasting our local town with nearby coastal spots.

• The Lake District: Discovering national parks, physical geography (mountains, lakes, and rivers), and countryside getaways.

• City Holidays: Investigating bustling UK cities and identifying human features like landmarks, architecture, and public transport systems.

Our English & Reading Journey

In English, our writing will be inspired by two brilliant picture books that connect directly to our travel and community themes. First, we will dive into A River by Marc Martin, which takes the children on a sweeping journey down a river, traveling all the way from a bustling city to the vast open sea. Inspired by its rich imagery and descriptive language, the children will write their own river-inspired circular narratives. After half-term, we will explore The Night Gardener by Terry Fan, a enchanting story about a mysterious figure who transforms a neighborhood and brings a whole community together. Through this tale, the children will study the key features of formal and informal letters before putting pen to paper to write persuasive and heart-warming letters of their own.

General Information for Year 2

Reading

Your child will read daily in school, as part of a small group. Some colours follow a 3 day reading system in school (Red, Green, Purple, Pink) and others follow a 5 day plan (Yellow, Blue, Grey).  Alongside this, they will be given a high quality story book to share with you.  This needs to be returned and will be changed on the same day as their RWI book.

We would love you to be reading with your child everyday at home, and ensuring you are signing their Reading Record once you have read with them. This is essential for their successful reading journey and to develop a love of reading.

You will also continue to have access to Oxford Owl and their library of resources and ebooks which match with the story they are reading in school. 

Please ensure your child has both their reading book and reading diary in school everyday.

The use of phonics is one of the many skills needed to be a reader and writer. At Elworth, our intention is to teach high quality phonics to ensure that the children have the best possible start in reading and writing, equipping them with the skills required to access the wider curriculum. Our children learn to read and write effectively and quickly using the Read, Write Inc. speed sounds phonics and reading programme. We teach fast paced and lively phonics sessions. We place early reading and writing at the heart of our curriculum so that children have multiple opportunities to help them practise and apply their phonics knowledge so that every child feels successful and has their success celebrated. 

Ruth Miskin - Understanding Phonics

In Read, Write, Inc Phonics, children: 

• Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills.
• Read common exception words on sight
• Understand what they read
• Read aloud with fluency and expression
• Write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar
• Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words
• Acquire good handwriting 
• Read books that are closely matched to their developing phonics ability.

Children are taught phonics and reading for 40 minutes per day. Children are in small groups led by a trained Teacher or Teaching Assistant. All staff are trained and empowered to deliver high quality phonics and reading sessions and receive regular professional development opportunities from the Phonics Lead. All staff follow a planned, systematic programme building on previous learning to secure progress. Children read daily as part of this small group, on a 3-day structure. The first day focuses on using phonics to decode. The second day is based around building fluency and expression and on the third day the focus is comprehension. Children take home a Read Write Inc Book Bag Book that uses the same phonics sounds as the book in the reading session, so that children are able to make good progress by practising reading books that are familiar to them.  In addition to the daily phonics session, we operate additional target groups for children who need additional support. 

Useful videos

Listening to your child read

Reading the stretchy sounds

PE

We will continue to have one P.E session a week on a Tuesday afternoon. This PE lesson will be taken by the PE team.

Children are required to come to school wearing their full PE Kit. With the guidance in place advising against changing clothes in school, children will be required to come to school wearing their full PE Kit on their allocated day (and also on Fitness Friday).

We are suggesting that the Elworth PE t -shirt and shorts/skort be worn underneath the Elworth jogging bottoms and zip up top on colder days.  A waterproof jacket is a necessity, in case of poor weather. Children will also need to come in wearing a sensible pair of sports trainers.

Homework

Homework will be set weekly. It will be set on a Monday to be completed by the following Monday.  This homework can be found by logging onto Spelling Shed and Maths Shed. Please let your class teacher know if you are having problems accessing either site.

Snacks

Children will be able to order snacks on a daily basis. If your child is having a snack from home, please can you ensure it’s a healthy snack and avoid sending in chocolate or sweets.

Please ensure your child has a water bottle every day. In the current climate we are unable to provide cups for children who have forgotten their bottle.