"I think the school, staff and facilities are outstanding. I like the way the children are expected to respect and think of each other."
Highfield Parent
As our pupils enter Year Two, they take their place at the top of the Infant School and they begin the process of transition to our Junior School. We encourage our Year Twos to be more independent and to focus on their organisational skills. We also look to ensure that they are confident in the skills that will be the foundation of their learning when they move up to Junior School.
In preparation for Year Three, we introduce some of the Junior routines into Year Two. At the beginning of the day, they play out with the Junior School and, at the end of the day, they are invited to complete their homework with the Juniors in our homework room. They will now receive homework every night which they will write in their new Homework Diaries. Parents will be able to check the work set in the Homework Diaries and sign it to show that they have seen it and to comment, if necessary, on how their child managed their homework.
Homework will be set in the following way:
Your child's Homework Diary, letters and library books will be in their reading folder. Children will now be in the habit of presenting their homework with a title and a date (underlined) and putting their completed work in the Homework tray. Children in the homework room will have their work checked by the member of staff who is on duty.
In Year 2, we have a traditional approach to the teaching of English with weekly lessons in grammar, spelling, creative writing, comprehension and handwriting. The children are introduced to writing in different styles: story writing, poetry, reports, recounts, persuasive writing, letters and instructions, and they begin to understand the importance of presenting their work neatly and legibly as we focus on their ability to form their letters correctly and uniformly; with some children being able to join their letters before the end of this year. Grammar lessons cover skills in line with the National Curriculum as the children in Year 2 sit the National Curriculum Tests, in school, in the Summer Term. The children are also set 12 weekly spellings to learn and be tested on.
In their Comprehension lessons, children are progressing from decoding words with a basic understanding of a text to really starting to think about characters, setting, purpose, plot and audience. They listen to, discuss and express their views on a wide variety of stories, poems and non-fiction texts which are at a level beyond that which they can read independently. The focus is on encouraging the children to read for pleasure and instilling in them a life-long love of literature. A lesson each week is dedicated to a formal written comprehension and a homework is set. Comprehension skills are developed in all subjects that involve reading and understanding a text across the curriculum. Reading continues to play an important role in Year 2. The children read to their class teacher or to a classroom assistant regularly each week and are set reading to do each evening with a parent/guardian. Year 2 also sees the introduction of our Highfield Reading Stars challenge which encourages the children to become more independent readers and help develop a love of reading which will benefit them in future years. The children are awarded badges during assembly time as they reach each milestone of 10, 20 and 40 books.
There are 7 strands to the maths curriculum in Year Two:
Using and Applying (problem solving)
Pupils solve problems involving counting, adding, subtracting, doubling or halving in the context of numbers, measures or money.
Pupils answer a question by selecting and using suitable equipment.
They describe simple patterns and relationships and they.
Describe ways of solving puzzles and problems.
Counting and Understanding Number
Pupils count reliably at least 20 objects.
They compare and order numbers, using the related vocabulary; they use the equals (=) sign.
Pupils read and write numerals from 0 to 20, then beyond; they use their knowledge of place value to position these numbers on a number track and number line.
They can say the number that is 1 more or less than any given number, and 10 more or less for multiples of 10.
Pupils use the vocabulary of halves and quarters in context.
Knowing and Using Number Facts (This is the mental part of our maths teaching)
Pupils derive and recall all addition and subtraction facts for each number to at least 10, all pairs with totals to 20 and all pairs of multiples of 10 with totals up to 100.
They count on or back in ones, twos, fives and tens.
Pupils derive and recall multiplication facts for the 2, 3, 5 and 10 times tables.
They recall the doubles of all numbers to at least 10.
Calculating
Pupils relate addition to counting on, recognising that addition can be done in any order.
They understand subtraction as 'take away' and ‘find a difference' by counting up.
Pupils solve practical problems that involve combining groups of 2, 5 or 10, or sharing into equal groups.
They use the vocabulary related to addition and subtraction and symbols to describe and record addition and subtraction.
Understanding Shape
Pupils visualise common 2D shapes and 3D solids; they sort, make and describe shapes, referring to their properties.
They visualise and use everyday language to describe the position of objects and their direction.
Measuring
Pupils estimate, measure, weigh and compare objects.
They use vocabulary related to time; order days of the week and months; read the time to the hour and half hour
Handling Data
Pupils answer a question by recording information in lists and tables.
They use diagrams to sort objects into groups according to a given criterion.
In Year Two, children begin to take responsibility for setting out their sums in a clear and practical way. They write in squared exercise books and learn to put one digit in each square. They are then able to align their columns and realise that taking the time to set their work out properly, helps them to avoid making careless errors.
In Year Two, pupils continue their study of History and Geography by studying the following topics:
In Religious Education, Year Two start to look at different religions in greater depth in order to increase their understanding and awareness of the religions which are practised and celebrated within their community and the wider world. The following topics are covered in Year Two:
Science is taught in the classroom, Science Lab or the outdoor classroom: Highfield Haven. Children are taught investigative skills such as fair testing, taking measurement and making simple predictions through each of these topics:
French is taught by Mrs Lockwood. The children enjoy practising their oral skills with songs and rhymes and become more familiar with useful phrases and expressions. They study greetings, numbers, colours, days of the week and months as well as finding out about France and responding to instructions in French.
This is a vital component in the children’s personal and social development. The children enjoy regular circle time sessions where any issues from the week can be brought up in a safe and friendly environment in addition to a dedicated lesson each week. There are 3 core themes to the curriculum which cover a variety of topics within them. These are:
Health and Wellbeing - Healthy Lifestyles, Hygiene, Changing & Growing, Emotions and Keeping Safe
Relationships - Communication, Bullying, Fairness and Family & Friends
Living in the Wider World - Rules & Responsibilities, Communities and Money & Finance
These core themes are supplemented with work on the Fundamental British Values (FBV)
The children are guided under the expert tuition of our Art Teacher. In art history they learn all about the life and work of North West artist L. S. Lowry. Children have access to books about Lowry in our art room library, where they enjoy reading stories about his life and looking at photos of his work. They respond to his work using clay. In painting sessions children develop their knowledge of colour theory and study the wonderful work of Alma Thomas. They learn mono and polystyrene printmaking skills. In textiles classes they acquire new skills in weaving, using small cardboard looms. Children also learn new skills through our drawing and collage units.
In Year 2, the children are able to develop the basic skills of the previous year and build their confidence using different features of both Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Programming is introduced here and the children get their first look at how commands are linked together to produce an automated result. Year 2 children also have the opportunity to experiment with image creation software and see how basic design skills are used to create exciting images.
Music is taught in the Music Room by Mrs Street. They learn musical theory as well as experimenting with sound on a variety of musical instruments and percussion. They also prepare for their musical Nativity which is led by Year Two at the end of the Autumn Term.
Children require fit and healthy bodies in order to thrive physically and mentally. At Highfield, we run an exciting PE and Games programme which runs alongside extra-curricular activities to ensure that your child is able to keep fit, active and engaged with physical activity during their time at Highfield. Within the PE and games curriculum (two lessons per week), children will participate in striking and fielding games, perfecting their hand/eye coordination and their ability to receive a ball. They will also practise and develop their dance and gymnastic skills and, in the Summer term, they will prepare for Sports Day. In their double Games lesson, they will develop their ability to aim with accuracy and their ability to travel with the ball. They will also develop their ability to work as part of a team. They will continue to improve their flexibility and body control in gymnastics.
A big "thank you" to class 6HM, who entertained us last Friday with a very colourful BBC Children in Need Assembly!
Highlighting why this is such an important event nationwide, the pupils explained how the charity helps children in our area. They also took a look at some of the difficulties we can face in our daily lives and how lucky we are that we have our families, friends and teachers to help us overcome these obstacles.
It was wonderful to see everyone dressed up in their imaginative outfits and the school was filled with colour and fun all day!
Thank you to Mrs Haythornthwaite and Ms. Macklam for organising such an important assembly and well done to all our children, parents and staff for supporting Children in Need! 🙂 🙂
Highfield Priory - Children in Need Assembly 2024
Highfield Priory - Children in Need Assembly 2024
15 hours ago
We had a fun pj day in Pre-School last week as we celebrated @BBC Children in Need!
As well as dressing up, we also enjoyed painting some colourful Pudseys as we learnt about this important charity and the work it does supporting less-fortunate young people.Photos from Highfield Priory School and Nursery's post
18 hours ago
