Puller Beech Class

Welcome to Beech Class

Class Teacher: 

Mrs Grainge (Monday and Tuesday)

Mrs Hussein (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday)..

Class Teaching Assistants: Miss O'Sullivan and Mrs Grage .

Autumn Term Curriculum

 

 

 

 

 

• English
  English

  English learning in Key Stage 1 is crucial for building the foundation of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. It helps children develop communication abilities, understand stories and information, and express their thoughts clearly. Strong English skills support learning across all subjects and boost confidence in everyday life. We follow the Essential Writing English scheme at Puller. To start with in beech class, we will be working on forming full sentences, recognising key events from stories and writing our own short stories. We encourage reading every day which helps children learn new vocabulary consistently.

• Maths
  Maths

  We use the programme White Rose to teach maths to the children. White Rose has a structured approach to the maths curriculum and an emphasis on mastering concepts through ‘small steps’. The programme provides a variety of engaging and interactive materials.

  In Autumn 1 we are starting by learning about place value within 20. We will learn how to count and represent numbers, count on and back within 20 and how to calculate 1 more and 1 less. We will compare and order numbers, explore number lines and how to estimate on them. We will also learn about less than, greater than and equal to.

  The next unit we are looking at is addition and subtraction within 20. We are learning about number bonds to 10 and then building to 20. We will learn how to add, takeaway and find the difference. We will explore doubles and how to add 3 1-digit numbers. We will start looking at fact families and missing number problems.

  We will then move on to place value within 100. We will learn to count beyond 20 and in groups of tens and ones. We will partition between tens and ones, look at number lines and place value charts. We will compare and order objects and numbers and look at 1 more or 1 less.

  Our last unit for Autumn is shape where we will be looking at different 2-D and 3-D shapes. We will count sides and vertices on 2-D shapes and draw the shapes. We will start looking at vertical lines of symmetry and begin to sort 2-D and 3-D shapes. We will also count faces, edges and vertices on 3-D shapes.

• Science
  Science

  For the first term, we are going to study animals including humans through a topic called ‘Animal Safari'. The children will learn about a variety of common animals. They will learn to categorise animals by their features such as insects, mammals and reptiles. They will learn about carnivores, herbivores and omnivores and explore life cycles. They will also focus on food chains. The children will learn about the categories: alive, dead, never alive. They will explore different plants’ habitats.

• History
  History

  During the second half of this term, the children will be studying Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot. They will learn about who Guy Fawkes and King James 1 were. They will find out why we have bonfire night.

• Geography
  Geography

  In the first part of this term, the class will be studying the unit called ‘Around the world'. They will be learning about the globe and looking at maps. They will learn to locate the continents and learn about each one.

• RE
  RE

  Learning RE in Key Stage 1 helps children understand different beliefs, cultures, and traditions. It encourages respect, kindness, and curiosity about the world around them. RE supports children in thinking about big questions, developing their own values, and learning to appreciate diversity. However, being a Christian school we also spend a lot of time teaching our children about Christian values and beliefs. To start with we will be learning about the story of creation and who Christians believe created the world.

• PSHE
  PSHE

  We are using Jigsaw to deliver our PSHE lessons and in Autumn 1 we are looking at the unit ‘Being me in my world’. We will learn the rights and responsibilities as a member of our class and how our views are valued. The children will contribute to our school Learning Charter to ensure we can all make our class a safe place for everybody to learn.

  In Autumn 2 we are exploring the unit ‘Celebrating difference’. The children will learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others in their class. They will learn about bullying and how it might feel, who to talk too if they need help and strategies to make friends.

• Music
  Music

  We are very lucky to have music specialists start to teach the children outstanding music lessons this year. Dragon of the North is a leading company for music in education in Hertfordshire and the surrounding area. Uniquely, they employ professional musicians who specialise in the whole class teaching of music and whole school music making. Dragon of the North showcase music in our school and provide clear testimony to the school’s commitment to a broad curriculum, to the arts and to creativity. Along with a dedicated music lesson each week, there will be a weekly music worship.

• Computing
  Computing

  In Autumn 1 we are learning the importance of online safety. At the end of the unit, we will be able to log in safely and understand why that is important using our own logins with Purple Mash. We will save and access our work at a later date and check any teacher comments on our work. We will become familiar with types of resources available in the Topics section of Purple Mash and be able to start to add pictures and text to our work. We will also explore the Tools and Games area of Purple Mash and understand the importance of logging out of Purple Mash when we are finished.

  In Autumn 2 we are exploring the unit Maze explorers. By the end of the unit we will understand the functionality of the direction keys and learn how to create and debug a set

  of instructions (algorithm). We will use the additional direction keys as part of an algorithm and understand how to change and extend the algorithm list. We will create a longer algorithm for an activity and set challenges for peers. We will also access peer challenges set by the teacher as 2Dos.

• Art & Design
  Art & Design

  Art in Key Stage 1 is essential for developing children's creativity, fine motor skills, and self-expression. It helps young learners explore different materials and techniques, build confidence, and improve their ability to observe and describe the world around them. Additionally, art encourages imagination and supports emotional development, laying a strong foundation for future learning. At Puller we follow an art scheme provided by Kapow. During the autumn term, the children of Beech class will learn about different styles of line, different colours and shades, shapes created with line and portraits.

• PE
  PE

  PE is taught twice and week. One of the sessions are taught by PE specialists and the other lesson is delivered following a structured plan from Get Set For PE.

• Phonics
  Phonics

  Phonics is vital in Key Stage 1 because it teaches children the relationship between letters and sounds, helping them to decode words and build strong reading skills. Mastering phonics boosts confidence in reading and writing, supports spelling, and lays the foundation for lifelong literacy. We have a new phonics scheme which we follow, where children do two phonics sessions every day along with reading to an adult. We encourage children to read at home as well and the spellings homework send home weekly relate to our sounds learnt throughout the week. We use Little Wandle for our phonics programme. Please follow this link for more parent information: For parents | Letters and Sounds

 

 

 

 

 

Timetable

timetable for beech 2025 2026.pdf

 

Home learning expectations

Reading

Each week, every pupil is expected to read at least 10 minutes every day and this should be recorded in their reading record. 

They will also be given weekly spellings to learn at home.