Yeadon Westfield Infant SchoolKeystage 1: Blog items
Date: 13th Feb 2026 @ 2:30pm
Where has the time gone? The children settled back into the rhythm of school brilliantly after their Christmas break, and it has been a joy to see how quickly they re-engaged with learning.
Our topic this term has been Castles, and the children have been thoroughly captivated from the very start. Our areas of provision have allowed the children to explore what castles look like, what life was like inside them, and even how castles were attacked and defended!
Literacy
In English, we explored The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, where the children reimagined the traditional tale of The Three Little Pigs. This time, the story focused on the three little wolves and the Big Bad Pig. The children created their own alternative endings, deciding what happened to the Big Bad Pig, and their ideas were imaginative, humorous, and a real joy to read.
The children also spent time exploring The Tunnel. They rewrote the story in the first person, imagining themselves as the hero. Their writing showed excellent use of descriptive language, particularly through expanded noun phrases, and they carefully sequenced events using time adverbials. Miss Dales and Mrs Sharp have been blown away by the quality of the children’s writing. We are continuing to work on punctuation, neat handwriting, and spelling, particularly Common Exception Words.
Topic (Science, History, Geography & Art)
Our learning across the wider curriculum has been closely linked to our castles theme. In geography, the children have been using maps and locating Skipton Castle. In history, we learned how castles were attacked and defended, as well as how toilets have changed over time. The children were very relieved to discover that we no longer use moss and a stick after going to the toilet!
In science, lessons have been very practical as we explored the properties of materials and discussed which materials would be best for building a castle. We concluded our work on martials by conducting an experiment to see which material would work best to keep a teddy bear’s feet dry!
In art, the children have been designing and creating a personal Coat of Arms that represents them. Over five weeks, they developed their drawing and painting skills, explored texture, and produced some fantastic final pieces that they were very proud of.
Maths
We have been extremely busy in maths this half term. The children have covered place value, addition, subtraction, fractions (½ and ¼), and measuring. Learning has been very hands-on, with lots of practical resources used to support understanding. We will continue to consolidate these skills next half term. Addition and subtraction can be particularly tricky concepts to master, so any extra practice at home would be greatly appreciated.
PE
In PE, our focus has been on skipping, and the progress the children have made has been outstanding. All adults in school have commented on how skilled and confident the children have become this year.
The children were also visited by the Super Skipper Festival for an additional skipping workshop. Jodie worked with the children on a range of skills, including the side straddle, single bounce, and side swing, among others. She commented on how fabulous the children were, praising their politeness, engagement, and how capable they were throughout the session. During our outdoor PE sessions, the children have been working in pairs and larger groups to attack and defend targets.
Reading
The children in Year 2 take part in whole-class reading sessions almost daily. These sessions help to develop confidence, pace, fluency, comprehension, and reading with expression. Please continue to read at home with your child at least three times a week.
Reading books should be returned on Monday mornings and will be changed and sent home again on Monday afternoons. Our library day is Tuesday.
Thank you again for your continued support this half term. It has been a busy and exciting one. If you have any questions, please speak to a member of the Year 2 team and we will be happy to help.
Many thanks,
Mrs Sharp
Date: 13th Feb 2026 @ 2:25pm
Well we’ve done it, another half term completed. The children have once again worked hard and have been so engaged with their learning. They are loving the topic on Castles especially making their own Coat of Arms in our art lessons. They know all about why and where castles were built, who lived in them and how they were attacked and defended. Hopefully, they can also tell you the names of all the different parts of a castle. Try asking them what arrow loops are! The children are now well prepared for when we visit Skipton Castle in the Summer Term. I’m sure you will enjoy looking at all their work during the shared learning visits.
The children have learnt about keeping safe around medicines, when to take them and who can give them. In Science they have learnt about different materials and have investigated material properties. They really enjoyed the investigation to find a suitable material to make some waterproof boots for a teddy! They love being scientists. In RE they have learnt about making good choices and they have had some interesting discussions! The weather hasn’t allowed for as much time in our outside provision but the children have still been physically active with extra time in the hall accessing different games areas. We have also had time to bake Medieval bread and learn about Chinese New Year. The children have also been thinking about how to keep them selves safe on the internet. This is so important so please take some time to talk to your child about this.
We are so proud of the progress the children are making in maths, reading and writing. Please find time at home to read with your child as it really makes a difference and remember to send the reading books back in every Wednesday! Library books are changed on a Tuesday.
It has been another busy half term and we are now half way through the year! Thank you for your continued support. See you next term and hopefully we will see some sunshine!
Mrs Whitehead and the Year 1 Team
Date: 28th Jan 2026 @ 8:31am
This week, the Year 2 children took part in a skipping workshop, developing new skills and having great fun along the way.
Date: 15th Jan 2026 @ 1:46pm
In computing, KS1 have been learning about algorithms and debugging. They played on Google Quick Draw which uses AI based on a machine-learning algorithm trained on millions of past drawings! We had lots of fun.
Date: 19th Dec 2025 @ 12:20pm
Date: 19th Dec 2025 @ 9:42am
Hello! Christmas already?!
What an amazing half term we’ve had in Year 2! The children have now fully settled into their new year group and we are having such a brilliant time together.
In English, we have been busy writing our own non-fiction reports all about reindeer. They really are fascinating creatures! The children were amazed to learn that reindeer eyes change colour depending on the season, and even their hooves change shape to help them walk on different surfaces. The children loved using these facts in their writing.
In Topic, we’ve covered a whole range of exciting subjects.
History & Geography: We focused on Guy Fawkes and Remembrance Day and became quite the historians, asking thoughtful questions and making fantastic connections.
Art: We explored shading using pencils, coloured pencils and paint—experimenting with how to lighten colours by adding white.
DT: The children designed, made and evaluated their very own salt dough Christmas decorations. We were so impressed with their creativity!
Science: We carried out two brilliant experiments. First, we made balloon “space rockets” to investigate whether the length of the straw affected how far the rocket travelled. Then we tested different materials as “astronaut gloves” to find out which were suitable or unsuitable for keeping hands dry.
In Maths, we have looked at multiplication, division, 3D shape and time, continuing to use practical games and hands-on methods to help us understand new concepts. We have also been learning about fractions, including finding a half and a quarter of shapes and amounts.
In PE, we’ve continued to build on our gymnastic skills indoors. Outdoors, the children have taken part in OAA (Outdoor Adventurous Activities), working as a team to solve problems and achieve shared goals. It has been chilly, but the children have loved every moment!
We’ve also enjoyed lots of special events this half term, including our theatre trip, the Santa Dash, the Christmas Fair and—of course—our wonderful nativity. Thank you to all the parents who came along to support the children. They performed so well, and we are incredibly proud of every single one of them. They absolutely loved it!
Thank you so much for your continued support this half term. If you have any questions, please speak to a member of the Year 2 team—we are always happy to help.
Many thanks,
Mrs Sharp and the Year 2 Team
x
Date: 19th Dec 2025 @ 9:37am
We’ve made it!
What a great half term we have had. We’ve been to Bethlehem and to the theatre to see Stickman. We all walked to Church and we were so proud that some of our year 1s were narrators. Thank you to everyone who came to help we really appreciate it.
We have now finished our topic on Space and will be starting Castles when we return in January. We have sent some reading books and spellings home for the children to do if they need to keep busy!
The children have enjoyed all the provision activities and learning this term. They are now experts at moving around the class, completing activities and ticking their name off! They have also learnt how to take a photo of their models or work and upload it to their own folder. These children are amazing!
We said cheerio to Miss Worton and are looking forward to Mrs Gilligan teaching the class all day Wednesday next term.
The children continue to make great strides with their confidence and learning. Every day we are just so proud of them
We hope you all have a lovely 2 week break and look forward to seeing you all again in 2026 x
Thank you for your continued support.
Love all of us in KS1
Date: 17th Dec 2025 @ 3:14pm
Date: 2nd Dec 2025 @ 12:38pm
In Key Stage 1, the children investigated whether their balloon rockets would travel a greater distance when using straws of different sizes.
Year 1 Artists and Mathematicians
Date: 14th Nov 2025 @ 1:55pm
This week in Year 1 the children have been doing practical multipication in maths. In art they have been experimenting with different techniques to blend colours.
Eggnaut Experiment in Keystage 1
Date: 10th Nov 2025 @ 9:48am
Our KS1 scientists have been on a mission! They created capsules to protect our brave 'eggnaut' during atmospheric re-entry!
Keystage 1 Blog - Autumn Term 1
Date: 24th Oct 2025 @ 12:51pm
Well, that was a long half term! Everyone has worked really hard and we are all ready for a rest! All the children are starting to make progress and have settled into their new classes which is great to see.
Our Topic on Space is a real hit and the children are loving all the facts they are learning. Make sure you ask them who was the first astronaut on the moon and which animal went up into space first? We had the Space Dome come into school which really brought the topic to life. In Geography they have discovered we have 7 continents and 5 oceans – ask them which continent we live on and which is the largest ocean! We are so proud of all the knowledge they are retaining.
Both classes are working hard with their phonics and reading so please keep supporting them at home. Our weekly library sessions are now up and running. ( Thank you to our volunteers for doing this)
The children did so well in our Harvest Assembly which is the first time we come together as a school. The Halloween disco was a huge success and we had a lot of very interesting guests!
The children are loving having access to the provision especially being able to go outside. Pease make sure your child has a coat so they can go outside even when it’s very cold.
Thank you for all your support this first half term and enjoy the break.
Love all of us in KS1
Date: 24th Oct 2025 @ 9:59am
This week, the Year 1 children have been enjoying a range of outdoor activities. Inside, they have been building rockets to take Tim Peake to the International Space Station!
Date: 30th Sep 2025 @ 1:12pm
The children in Year 1 have been enjoying the outdoor provision.
Date: 24th Sep 2025 @ 3:34pm
Date: 24th Sep 2025 @ 11:54am
In Science, Key Stage 1 children have been learning how astronauts use their senses in space. Through fun experiments, they explored which senses influence taste and found out how an astronaut’s sense of taste changes before and during a mission.
Date: 10th Sep 2025 @ 11:44am
The children in Year 2 have been practising making 2D shapes.
