Year 2
Autumn 2, 2025
Welcome back! We hope you have had a lovely half term break making memories and are ready for lots of learning and fun this half term in Year 2. I am really looking forward to teaching your children.
Start time – 8:40am Pick-up time- 3:15pm
If you have any questions, concerns or worries, please contact us at year2@cpa.dsat.education and we will do our best to respond as soon as we can.
Please ensure that your child brings a labelled water bottle to school each day as well as ensuring that all items of your child's uniform is clearly labelled too. A healthy fruit snack is provided for all our Year 2 children.
Year 2 Long Term Plan Year 2 Autumn 2 Timetable
Please follow the link below to view information from the Year 2 Beginning of Year Meeting.
International Democracy day 15th September 2025
Well done to all the children in year 2 for their courage to deliver a fantastic speech. It was difficult to choose between you all! We are proud to announce that our Year 2 class School Council Representatives are: Luna and Luca S :)
We are continuing to deliver the program to all year groups at school called myHappymind. myHappymind is all based around helping children to understand how their brain works and to support them in developing positive skills and habits to be their very best selves!
This half term we are focusing on Meet your brain. Please click on the link below to access an overview of what the program entails.
myHappymind Parent information
At the end of every myHappy mind session, we finish with our Let Your Light Shine prayer which you can find below.
Reading
As a school we follow the Read, Write, Inc programme to deliver our phonics teaching. During this half term, we will continue to work hard embedding our knowledge of phoneme / grapheme correspondence, as well as continuing to segment and blend. We have lots of information on our schools phonics page.
For those children who have progressed from the RWInc phonics lessons, we will continue with our whole class reading lessons which are taught in the same style as KS2. We will focus on different skills throughout the week (vocabulary, retrieval, inference and sequencing) and how to answer different styles of questions.
Click on the link below to see the list of Year 1 and Year 2 Common Exception words that our children have to read and write confidently by the end of Year 2. Please support your child in learning these.
Year 1 and Year 2 Common Exception Words
Writing
Our writing this half term will be based on the book 'The Owl who was afraid of the dark' by Jill Tomlinson.
Plop is a baby Barn Owl. He is the same as every baby Barn Owl that has every been - except for one thing . . . He is afraid of the dark.
In response to the book, we will engage in a variety of writing opportunities, including writing letters, writing character and setting descriptions and writing facts.
Spelling
Children will begin following the Head-Start spelling programme this year, with a dedicated spelling lesson each day. Each week will follow the same format with an introduction to the weeks spelling pattern on a Monday, a writing words exercise on Tuesday, an activity applying the spelling pattern on Wednesday, Another writing words exercise on Thursday and a final activity to apply new knowledge on Friday.
Please click on the links below to see the spellings we will focus on over the year and also the spelling pattern rules which explains how we apply each spelling pattern (please note these are not in the same order as the spelling patterns taught through the Headstart scheme). Please help your child to practice a few of the spellings each week.
In addition to spellings, children in year 2 need to be able to read and write the year 2 common exception words which can be found in the link below. These words do not follow spelling patterns we just need to keep practicing to learn them.
Autumn term Spellings We are now working on the Term 1 and will begin with week 9, Set 3 list a and Set 1 list b on Tuesday 4th November 2025. Each week after will then follow on from this in weekly order with a set a and set b list.
Spelling pattern rules Year 2 Common Exception Words
Term 1 Spelling Overview Term 2 Spelling Overview Term 3 Spelling overview
Maths
This half term we will focussing on 'Multiplication and division 2, 5 and 10'. In this unit we will introduce the multiplication division symbol, explore the two, five and ten times tables and spot patterns in 2, 5 and 10 times tables
whilst solving multiplication and division word problems. We will also be learning about 'Measures – focussing on length'. In this unit we will compare, estimate and measure in centimetres, explore and measure length in different contexts, draw specified lengths and apply our knowledge of length when problem solving. Finally we will be learning about 'Statistics - graphs'. In this unit we will be representing data using a table, tally chart, pictogram and block diagram, we will also be interpreting data from scaled pictograms and block diagrams.
Key Instant Recall Facts
This half term we will also be focusing on knowing and remembering our Key Instant Recall Facts (KIRFs). Please click on the links below for Year 2 Autumn KIRFs that will support your child with their multiplication and division facts for the 2 times table. The online game link below, HIT THE BUTTON, will also support your child with key recall in many mathematical areas.
Year 2 Autumn term KIRFs We are currently learning Autumn 2 KIRFs
Hit the Button Odd and even song
Times Table Challenge
We will also be learning our times tables, particularly focussing on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables this year. Times table fluency is important and children now take a multiplication check in year 4 based on all the times tables from 1 to 12. Each week children will complete a times table challenge answering multiplication and division questions. The aim is to complete the award within 3 minutes and once achieved three times they will progress to the next level. Please see the links below for examples of our times table challenges. We will all start on the Bronze award and you will be notified each time your child has achieved an award and moved onto the new level. Please note that children are exposed to this from the start and regularly revisit how to answer the different styles of questions, but children may chose which questions they would like to answer and in which order they would like to develop their confidence in success.
Bronze Award Silver Award Gold Award
If you have any questions about these areas of Maths please don’t hesitate to come and speak to us.
R.E.
Our RE theme this half term is 'Christmas'. In this unit, we will study Christianity, exploring the question 'Why does Christmas matter to Christians?' We will be thinking about the Christian concept of Incarnation and building upon our knowledge from year 1. We will be thinking about the story of the birth of Jesus and ways in which Christians use the nativity story in churches and at home; for example, using nativity scenes and carols to celebrate Jesus’ birth. From our learning, we will recognise the link between the Christmas story and Incarnation — Jesus is ‘God on Earth’ and be able to talk about the lessons that might be learnt from the story: for example, about being kind and generous.
Science
Our science theme this half term is 'Choosing materials' In this unit, we will identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses.
We will develop our scientific skills by:
- Asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways.
- Performing simple tests.
- Identifying and classifying.
- Using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
- Gathering and recording data to help in answering questions.
Greography
Our Geography theme this half term is 'What is the Earth made up of?' In this unit, we will
- Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a small area of the United Kingdom, and of a small area in a non-European country
- Identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Pole
- Name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans
- Locate hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles
We will also learn to use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to:
- key physical features, including: beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather
- key human features, including: city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop
Design and Technology
Our D&T theme this half term is Mechanisms: Levers, linkages and pivots. In this unit, we will follow a 4 step sequence of research, design, create and evaluate to:
- Identify the correct terms for levers, linkages and pivots.
- Analyse popular toys with the correct terminology.
- Create functional linkages that produce the desired input and output motions.
- Design monsters suitable for children, which satisfy most of the design criteria.
- Evaluate their two designs against the design criteria, using this information and the feedback of their peers to choose their best design.
- Select and assemble materials to create their planned monster features.
- Assemble the monster to their linkages without affecting their functionality.
P.E.
In PE, our theme is 'fitness'. In this unit, we will take part in a range of activities to develop components of fitness. We will begin to explore and develop agility, balance, co-ordination, speed and stamina, work independently and with others, develop perseverance and show determination to work for longer periods of time.
Our key skills are:
- Physical - run, stamina, skip, co-ordination, agility, strength, balance and jump
- Social - encourage others, communication
- Emotional - determination, perseverance
- Thinking - comprehension, identify strengths and areas for improvement
Our PE day is Tuesday afternoon. Please ensure that your child comes to school in their uniform and with the correct P.E kit in their bag to change into before their lesson. If your child wears earrings, these must be removed or provide tape to cover them. Please ensure long hair is tied back away from the face.
For the Autumn term only we will have an additional session on a Thursday afternoon where we will be doing Tri-golf, delivered by Premier Education. Therefore, children will need to bring their PE kits on Thursdays as well up until Christmas.
P.S.H.E.
In our PSHE this half term we will be focussing on the theme Community: Online Safety. In this unit we will be learning about screen time, personal information, online strangers and fake news. We will learn:
- that people need to get the correct balance of time spent online and offline
- why we shouldn’t share personal information
- how to keep our personal information private and safe when we are online
- that people online are strangers if we don’t know them in real life
- that we shouldn’t share private and personal information with strangers
- that anybody can put things online
- to recognise the difference between truth and fiction
- that things online are often not true
- to become more familiar with the term ‘Fake News’
Computing 
In our computing lessons this half term, we will focus on Information Technology: the internet. This unit introduces children to the fundamentals of the internet, including its purpose, how we access it, and how to use it safely and effectively. Children will explore the roles of browsers and search engines, websites and webpages and develop the skills needed to search for and evaluate information online. In this unit, we will be able to:
- understand how the internet, the World Wide Web and a browser work together.
- understand the different types of hardware used to access the internet and their functions.
- understand the difference between a website and a webpage and use a school website to find information.
- understand the difference between a browser and a search engine, and to practise searching for information safely.
We will also learn about Creating Pictures where children explore digital art creation through the use of a digital art tool - 2Paint A Picture. Children learn about famous art styles and how a digital art tool can be used to reproduce art in that style. Additionally, children learn about the flexibility of digital art and how it can be shared with an audience electronically. In this unit, we will be able to:
- create a digital art piece in an Impressionist style.
- create a digital art piece in a Pointillism style.
- create a digital art piece that is in the style of Piet Mondrian's work.
- create digital art patterns in the style of the Arts and Crafts movement.
- create a portfolio of digital art.
Music
In music this half term we will be focusing on playing in an orchestra. In this unit, we will be thinking about the question 'How Does Music Teach Us About the Past?' when we listen to and appraise pieces of music. Playing together is a very important part of learning music. There are many ensembles, bands and groups you can play in. One of these groups is an orchestra. Singing and listening are at the heart of each lesson. We will play, improvise and compose using a selection of these notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B♭, B
NUMBOTs – Every day 10 minutes
NUMBOTs is an on-line programme to boost addition and subtraction skills. It is available on a range of devices, including mobile phones. You can play online at NUMBOTs Game or download the NUMBOTs app. Playing little and often will significantly improve your child’s recall and understanding of number bonds and addition and subtraction facts. These are critical foundations in maths so we are excited by the impact NUMBOTs will have. In order to get the best out of NUMBOTs children should regularly play for short bursts of time over the week, there are 18 stages to complete!
If you have misplaced your log in details or are having trouble accessing the website, please email me to let us know.
READING – Every day 10 minutes
Please continue to enjoy your reading each day. Reading is fun and a great way to spend time together with your family, as well as developing our imaginations. Encourage your child to talk about what they have read and ask them a question or two about the book. This will help consolidate their comprehension work in school. Adults please remember to record what your child reads at home in their reading record. We will count all entries in the reading diaries weekly and award golden tickets to those who have read 15 times or more in a month.
Our book change day is Friday.
OXFORD OWL – One book a week
Oxford Owl is an e-book library to boost reading skills. Once your book has been read there is a short fun quiz to complete afterwards. Children will receive a golden ticket for every book they complete. Click on the link below to access Oxford Owl;
Oxford Owl for School and Home.
If you have misplaced your log in details or are having trouble accessing the website, please email me to let me know.
As always, thank you for your continued support with your child’s learning.
Mrs Rowe and Mrs Barnes