Year 2

Welcome to our Year 2 class page! This is where you can find out all about the exciting learning and adventures happening in our classroom.

In Year 2, we love to explore, ask questions, and challenge ourselves to be the best we can be. Each day is filled with opportunities to read, write, create, and discover new things.

Our class teachers are Miss Burrows and Mrs Hodson, and together we work hard to make sure everyone feels happy, safe, and ready to learn.

This page will keep you updated with key information, upcoming events, and celebrations of all the wonderful things we achieve together. 

Salt and Pepper

We are very lucky to have two class guinea pigs, Salt and Pepper, who live in our quiet area just outside the main classroom. They love munching on their favourite vegetables and squeaking when it’s snack time! The children help to look after them by making sure they have fresh food and water.

Having guinea pigs in school helps us learn about responsibility, kindness and how to care for living things. They are already a special part of our Year 2 family! 🐹

General Information

 Our timetable:

🏃 PE Days: PE takes place on Wednesday and Friday. Please make sure children come to school in their PE kit and that earrings are removed.

PE Kit:

• Plain black shorts, leggings or joggers
• Plain white t-shirt 
• Plain black hoodie or school jumper
• Trainers or pumps

🧢 Water Bottles and Coats: Please send your child with a named water bottle each day and a suitable coat for the weather.

🏫 Uniform: All clothing, including jumpers, should be clearly named to help us return lost items quickly.

Homework

📖 Reading

Each child will be given their own book bag. This book bag needs to in school EVERYDAY. The book bag will contain their books, reading record and any school letters. At St James we aim for each child to have a love of books and reading. We will be encouraging children to read each day in school. To support your child's reading at home, we ask that they read to an adult at home, 3 or more times a week.  We ask that you record each time they read in their reading record to enable them to work towards and achieve their rainbow reading badges. Signatures will be counted every Thursday.  

Red badge - 25 reads

Orange - 50 reads

Yellow - 75 reads

Green - 100 reads

Blue - 125 reads

Purple - 150 reads

Following this the children become champion readers and are given a book mark with a sticker for every 25 reads after this. 

✍️ Homework: Reading forms part of the weekly homework. Times tables can also be practised at home. Your children will have a login for TT Rockstars which will really help them to secure their times tables’ knowledge. Spellings will be given out every Wednesday and tested the following Monday. Additionally, there will be three projects set over the year for the children to complete at home with the support of an adult. We will send out further information about this nearer the time. 

Useful websites to enhance our classroom learning

ToGo NoGo Website for Road Safety:

http://www.togoandnogo.co.uk/

National Geographic kids website: 

http://ngkids.co.uk/

BBC Newsround: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround

Weekly Overviews

Autumn 1 Week 8

 What a busy week Year 2 have had!

On Monday, we practised adding two numbers using counters in Maths, helping us to visualise our calculations.

On Tuesday, we played a fun animal guessing game to practise using expanded noun phrases. We also had a special visit from an Olympic athlete who led us through an energetic fitness circuit – it was amazing to take part!

On Thursday, we explored rhythm and pitch in Music by copying patterns and working out the notes of a song on the glockenspiels. In the afternoon, we enjoyed our Good to be Green treat – meeting lots of fascinating creatures during a visit from the Animal Man! To end the day, everyone had a fantastic time dancing at the Halloween disco.

Autumn 1 Week 7

This week, we have had lots of fun completing different activities!

On Monday, we finished our end-of-unit Science experiment, exploring how the digestive system works. We used tights and other materials to recreate the journey of food through the body and even made our own “poo”!

On Tuesday, we took part in Den Building, where we worked in teams to create our own dens using tarpaulins and a range of outdoor equipment.

Autumn 1 Week 6

On Tuesday, some of our children baked cakes to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. During assembly, staff took part in a technical bread-making challenge, which gave everyone lots of laughs. Our very own TA, Mrs Hodson, joined in and came 4th overall — at least it wasn’t last!

On Wednesday, we took part in an exciting orienteering activity to consolidate our Place Value knowledge in Maths. This was a fun way to celebrate finishing our topic and completing our test.

On Friday, In Maths, we have been practising our number bonds to 10. The children worked hard to recall these quickly and use them to solve problems confidently. In Science, this half term we have been learning about offspring including the life cycle of a butterfly. Over the past four weeks, we’ve carefully watched our caterpillars grow, form their pupa, and then they emerged as butterflies earlier this week. Finally, on Friday, we gently released them down on the field — a lovely end to our learning journey.

Autumn 1 Week 5

On Thursday, we stepped back in time for our history lesson and took part in interviews for different jobs in our castle. The children thought carefully about the roles people would have had in the past and gave some brilliant answers during their interviews. It was a fun and imaginative way to bring our history learning to life!

Autumn 1 Week 4

We started the week with lots of fun in English. On Monday, the children became the teachers and showed me (Miss Burrows) how to make a jam sandwich — because I had completely forgotten! They gave clear instructions, which I followed exactly… resulting in butter and jam being spread absolutely everywhere. It was very messy, but together we managed to create a delicious jam sandwich. Later in the week, the children used everything they’d learned to write their own set of instructions to help Rapunzel escape from her tower.

On Thursday, we invited our grown-ups into school for our exciting DT castle project. Everyone worked together to design and build a castle with a moving drawbridge. The classroom was filled with fun, laughter, and plenty of biscuits as children and adults got creative side by side. It was a wonderful afternoon, and the children were so proud to share their learning with their families.

Autumn 1 Week 3

On Friday, we celebrated Jeans for Genes Day. Everyone came to school wearing their jeans and learned about the charity and how it helps to support children and families. We also enjoyed getting creative by designing our own unique pair of jeans. It was a fun and meaningful way to end the week.

Autumn 1 Week 2

On Thursday, we took a practical and hands-on approach to maths to strengthen our understanding of partitioning numbers. We worked in groups and teams, turning our learning into a fun and active challenge. Everyone collaborated brilliantly and showed great problem-solving skills.

Autumn 1 Week 1

Throughout this week, the children have settled in brilliantly. I’ve been so impressed with their positive attitude to learning, their kindness towards one another, and their enthusiasm in the classroom. We’ve loved getting to know all of Mrs Hodson’s animals, and the children have warmly welcomed our class pets, Salt and Pepper. It’s already clear that we have a wonderful class, and it looks like it’s going to be an exciting year ahead!