Year 2

Class Teachers - Miss Williams

Class Teacher - Mrs Turner

Teaching Assistant - Mrs Spencer 

Welcome to our class page! Come on in and take a look at our year 2 learners at work. Here you will find information about our learning.

We are always busy so check regularly!

What will my child learn in Class 2?

This year in Class 2, we will nurture and encourage the feelings of independent thinking, learning and decision making in readiness for children's next stage in learning. This is a calm and studious year; a year to embed all of the knowledge learnt in lower Key Stage 1. 

Class 2 learners are increasingly encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning: to do their homework, to organise their own belongings and to remember their equipment daily. As a result, they will develop and grow in independence in preparation for bigger things to come.

As with other years in primary school, we follow the schemes of learning set by the government. Please click the links below to find out more.

How can I help my child in Class 2?

1. Carry on reading together

For English, the single most important thing that you can do is to hear your child read. Good readers make good writers because they are exposed to a greater variety of vocabulary, syntax, grammar and style.

When you listen to your child read, there are a number of things to remember:

• Make it fun! Use silly voices and read to each other as well as just listening.
• Ask questions about the text, the characters, the plot, the setting, the style of writing, and the words. Anything to get them to think about what they are reading and to consider the deeper messages hidden in the subtext.
• Read a wide range of writing – from comics to newspapers, novels to Pokemon cards, and even your child’s own writing!
• Look up individual words in a dictionary or thesaurus together to find out what they mean.
• Stop if they or you are tired.
• Be a good role model for reading. This is the perfect excuse to curl up on the sofa, forget the chores, and read a good book yourself!

Of course, children in 2 are perfectly capable of reading to themselves as well, and independent reading (and writing) must also be encouraged. However, it is important that those comprehension skills are regularly checked and reading aloud is perfect for that.

There are lots of free eBooks on the eBook library — a quick and easy way to expose children to different books without spending a lot of money.

2. Learn times tables

In maths, there is an expectation that by the end of Year 2 the 2, 5 and 10 times tables are known and learnt fluently. Anything you can do to continue securing that knowledge and quickly recall linked division facts is fantastic.

• Practise regularly, making sure to go back and repeat tables you have practised before.
• Sing tables in the car; at mealtimes; before bed; walking the dog; at any spare moment!
• Put a poster at the end of their bed or give your child tapes to listen to in the car.
• Download the TimesTables Rockstar app to practise on a laptop or tablet.

3. Encourage them to take responsibility

Just like in school, give them some independence and responsibility for their learning at home. Here are a few ways you can start giving them some responsibility at home:

• Make them pack their own bag for school so that they get into the habit of thinking for themselves about what they need and what they will be doing that day.
• Allow them to make mistakes. If they forget their homework, make them tell the teacher themselves (they learn more quickly from their mistake and they are taking responsibility for it too).
• Get into the routine of doing homework at a set time aside each day if possible to complete Times Tables Rock Stars, Spelling Frame and read. By all means help them, but make sure they make their own decisions about presentation, for example.

If your child is not very organised, then taping a list by the door or to a lunch box works well, as does getting equipment ready the night before.

4. Be encouraging

Another simple thing that you can do as a parent is to be a good example. Never say: ‘I was no good at spelling at school!’ Never tell your child: ‘Go to Dad and let him help you with your maths because he is better than me.’

Children need adults to show them that learning is fun, relevant, and enjoyable – and difficult sometimes. Does it matter if you don’t know the answer? Of course it doesn’t. Instead, look it up together and show that you want to find things out too.

5. Take it easy

Finally, remember that even in Class 2 your child will still need some down-time playing outside or reading a much-loved book. Let them be silly. Let them dress up. Play board games together.

So that’s it – Class 2 at a glance.

Have a lovely, happy, and most of all fun year.