Class Teacher: Mrs Byrne (Mon-Thurs) Miss Corry (Fri)

Teaching Assistants: Mrs Boswell

Spring 2026

Class Teacher: Mrs Byrne (Mon-Thurs) Miss Corry (Fri) 

Teaching Assistants: Mrs Boswell 

Welcome to Squirrels class page! 

Summer Term Overview  

Welcome to the Summer term! We can’t wait to get stuck into all the exciting learning with have planned over the summer months. As always, please check Seesaw for updates, memos and photos as we like to regularly share all the amazing learning that takes place on a day to day basis!  

Please have no hesitation in approaching either of us at drop-off or pick-up with any queries.  You can always message me via Seesaw and I will endeavour to respond within 48 hours.  Alternatively, for more pressing matters, you can contact the school office via the admin email. 

Please see below, the overview of our learning for the Summer Term: 

English  

Phonics sessions will continue to take place daily. We stream for phonics to ensure your child is getting targeted phonics input to ensure their progression. Our 30 minute daily sessions focus on learning phonemes, graphemes, HFW and common exception words (tricky words) in a systematic way. If you would like to know the upcoming sounds we will be focusing on, please let me know via seesaw and I can send you a sound grid for each phase. 

In English, we will be exploring a range of exciting books that will inspire a range of writing this term. First we will be exploring the book Toys In Space by Mini Grey. We will be using this book to inspire diary writing in role of one of the toys, as well as creating and describing our own space creatures. We will be exploring the amazing book Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts and Hannah peck where we will be creating our own sea creature fact files. After half term we will be exploring a traditional story with a twist Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgekinson and kid friendly adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream adapted by Brooke Jorden.  

Maths 

During the Summer term, we will continue to follow White Rose Maths scheme. Learning will focus on developing strong number sense through practical, visual and pictorial approaches, ensuring all children build confidence and understanding. 

Our key areas of learning this term, will include:   

Money- Children will begin this learning by ‘unitising’-understanding that one item does not need to represent a value of one. We will explore this through pre-money counters before moving onto the introduction and consolidation of coin and note recognition. The children will become familiar with recognising the value of coins and notes once confident with this, will begin to solve calculations and problems involving money.  

Fractions- We will begin by learning about parts and wholes using everyday objects as well as in bar and part- part whole models. This will be built throughout the unit as we begin to identify equal parts and begin to formally recognise and find fractions such as thirds and quarters. We will also explore simple equivalent fractions and counting in fractions up to a whole.  

Time- We will start our learning by exploring vocabulary linked to ordering events such as ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘finally’ and explore vocabulary in context, relating it to their everyday routines. We will be looking at days of the week and months of the year and be exposed to reading and understanding timetables and calendars. We will then move onto telling the time using a analogue clock, able to identify parts of a clock face, recognising seconds, minutes and hours and then learning to tell the time. Year two will work towards telling the time to the nearest 5 minute.  

Measurement- In this unit we will focus on Mass, Capacity and Temperature. We will explore and encourage the use of vocabulary linked to measurements and relate our learning to real life contexts such as using scales when following a recipe. We will end the unit by exploring calculations using the four operations linked to measurement  

Geometry- We will be exploring position and direction in the unit where we will describe movement, turns and direction.  

Science 

Our Summer Term Science topics are Plant Parts and Animal Parts.  

Plant Parts: In our Plant Parts project,  will learn that plants are living things that grow from seeds or bulbs. They will revisit the concept of seasonal change, observing how trees and other plants change with the seasons, particularly from winter to spring.

Your child will observe, photograph and identify various plants growing in and around the school grounds and will choose one plant they would like to study for the project's duration. They will ask and answer scientific questions about the importance of plants to animals, including humans. They will observe how their chosen plant has changed over time and record their findings.  

Animal Parts: We will be learning how animals can be sorted into six groups: amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles. We will learn that different animal groups have similar and different body parts and the purposes of these body parts and how we can sort animals based on their characteristics.  They will sort animals into the six animal groups based on characteristics. Will we link lots of our Science learning with Statistics, creating Carroll, Venn and Block diagrams and learn to interpret their results. We will learn about the terms 'carnivore', 'herbivore' and 'omnivore', and observe the characteristic features of different animals that belong to these groups by examining their teeth and eye positions. We will also complete their learning by observing earthworms to learn about their body parts, diets, and senses and compare earthworms to other animals learned about during the project.  

RE 

In RE this Summer term, we will be exploring the big question What is the Good News Jesus Bring? We will be exploring and telling stories from the Bible and begin to recognise the link with a concept of ‘Gospel’ or good news. We will also be exploring Why and how the Coventry Blitz has shaped Christians worldviews locally and globally.  

PSHE 

In our Jigsaw sessions this term, the children will learn through the units Relationships and Changing me. 

Relationships: We will start by exploring our relationship with our family, thinking about how everyone’s family is different and understanding the concept of cooperation. We will explore friendships and ways to resolve conflict as well as ways of celebrating special friendships in our lives and understand what makes a good friend.   

Changing me:  We will be looking at human life cycles and the names used for different stages in our lives such as baby, toddler, teenager etc as well as exploring the natural process of growing from young to old. We will begin to discuss and recognise the physical differences between boys and girls using correct scientific vocabulary.  

Cornerstones Topics  

History 

In History this term we will be exploring Titanic Tragedy! This exciting project will help the children to answer the question: Why is the sinking of the Titanic still remembered today? During this project, children will learn the story of the Titanic, from its ambitious construction to its tragic sinking on 15th April 1912. Through historical accounts and other sources of evidence, children will uncover the human stories and lessons learned from one of history’s most infamous maritime disasters. We will be exploring this unit through lots of drama and role play! 

Art 

In Art this Summer term we will be getting creative through the unit Funny Faces and Fabulous Features. This project will teach the children about the concept of portrait and how the collage technique can be used.  

We will also explore work through the project Street View where we will be exploring the work of the American pop artist James Rizzi to create a 3-D mural based on his work.  

DT 

Our DT project for the Summer term is Chop, Slice and Mash. This project teaches children about sources of food and the preparatory skills of peeling, tearing, slicing, chopping, mashing and grating. They use this knowledge and techniques to design and make a supermarket sandwich according to specific design criteria. How delicious!  

Music: 

Computing 

In Computing this term, we will be building on our digital skills through a range of creative and practical activities. We will continue with our Online Safety units-this term focusing on how to manage online information. We will also begin our Coding unit where we will look at block coding, actions and events as well as planning and designing simple programs using algorithms, sequencing and interactions between objects. We will also look at debugging.  

PE 

Athletics:  

To control my body and equipment when running, jumping and throwing.  

To run and jump on the balls of my feet 

To show a correct pull throw technique  

To land safely when jumping  

To compete against myself and others 

Striking and fielding:  

To throw a ball at a target  

To catch a ball 

To hit a ball 

To work with others  

To compete against others 

Information to remember 

Reading- Please ensure reading records and books are in school everyday so that we can listen to readers and change books on your child’s book change day. Please ensure that you listen to your child read for 10 to 15 minutes a day!  

Spellings-Spellings are set weekly on SpellingFrame and are linked to what your child is learning in their phonics sessions. SpellingFrame should be used to support spelling practise at home.  

Mathletics-Maths challenges and games will be uploaded linked to your child’s learning at school. Please find some time each week to explore these challenges and games!  

PE/Forest School- PE and Forest School are on a Friday afternoon with Mr Stopps. Please ensure your child comes to school in their PE skit and has waterproof suit and wellies for their Forest School Sessions.