Autumn Term 2025

Communication and Language
This term, we will support children in building confidence when talking and listening to both familiar and new friends. They will be encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas during play. We will focus on our school and class rules, learning how to work together so that everyone feels safe and happy. Listening skills will be developed through whole-class and small group activities, stories, and play. Children will also begin their phonics journey, learning to speak clearly, use full sentences, and practise new vocabulary.

Writing
At the start of our writing journey, children will learn how to sit correctly at the table and hold their pencil with growing strength, supporting their mark making and letter formation. They will practise writing initial sounds (the first sound in a word) and begin to orally blend, listening carefully to identify sounds in words. Children will come to understand that writing is a way to communicate and has real purpose. We will also support them in writing their names with correct letter formation, using a capital letter at the start. Each week, learning will be inspired by a new text driver—a carefully chosen book linked to our topic. In Autumn 1 our themes are Marvellous Me and Autumn, while in Autumn 2 we will explore Terrific Tales through a range of traditional stories.

Physical Development
Our focus will be on developing gross motor control. Outdoors, children will use bikes and scooters to build spatial awareness and core strength. Through PE and outdoor play, they will practise moving safely around space and obstacles, considering both themselves and others, while using communication and listening skills to stay safe. To strengthen fine motor control, children will take part in activities such as threading, playdough, crafts, cutting, and messy play. They will also enjoy taking part in dough disco and our Write Dance programme—an energetic approach that combines music and movement to build the physical skills needed for writing.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
As children settle into Oaks Class, we will help them form new friendships and build on relationships from previous settings. They will learn the names of their teachers, other adults in school, and their classmates. We will focus on turn-taking, working together, and developing positive relationships. Independence will be encouraged as children learn to manage their belongings and access resources during child-initiated activities. They will be supported to develop resilience, keep trying, and celebrate their uniqueness.

Mathematics
Our maths learning will begin with matching, sorting, and comparing objects. Children will practise pairing, sorting to criteria, and spotting mistakes in pre-sorted groups. We will work on rote counting forwards and backwards to 10, using daily activities such as voting for our favourite book to practise one-to-one counting and comparing numbers in a fun, meaningful way. Children will also learn to recognise and continue simple two-step patterns, begin to represent and write numbers to 5, and explore shapes including circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles.

Understanding the World
In Marvellous Me, children will talk about their families, communities, and their own bodies, linking body parts to the five senses. We will discuss different jobs and how some roles involve helping others, with visits from members of the school community. During Autumn, children will go on welly walks to the green, exploring the natural world using their senses and noticing seasonal changes. We will also compare indoor and outdoor environments. In RE, we will explore how Christians give thanks at Harvest and how Jewish people celebrate Sukkot. As Christmas approaches, we will learn about the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth and share our own family Christmas traditions, recognising that traditions can vary.

Expressive Arts and Design
In music lessons, children will explore different styles of music, moving and responding with expression. They will create a wide range of artwork inspired by our weekly text drivers and overarching topics. Towards the end of term, the children will learn and perform songs in our KS1 Nativity play. Throughout the term, during child-initiated learning, they will be encouraged to work collaboratively, sharing ideas and resources to create together.