Year 2
Spring 1, 2026
Welcome back and a Happy New Year to you all! 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. We are 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 Spring 1 Timetable
Please follow the links below to view information from Year 2 meetings.
Reading Information Meeting 2025
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 :)
Picture news
"Picture News" is a UK-based educational resource that provides schools with weekly current affairs packs, featuring a relevant photo, a "big question," and teaching materials to help children discuss real-world events, develop critical thinking, and learn about British Values, respect, and empathy in an age-appropriate way, often linking home and school learning.
Purpose of our PICTURE NEWS assembly at Canon Popham:
To make the world more accessible and understandable for children.
To develop speaking, listening, and vocabulary skills.
To foster independence, drive, and a passion for learning.
To build empathy and teach children to find their own voice.
PICTURE NEWS is delivered in a whole school assembly once a week with a thought-provoking question by class teacher throughout the school year. Each week in assembly, the children learn about an exciting or important story that has been in the news. They consider their responses to the story and are invited to feedback their thoughts. They reflect on each story and learn how they relate to British Values and Protected Characteristics - Equality.
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 deliver whole class reading lessons which are taught in a similar style to KS2. We will focus on different skills each week (vocabulary, inference, predict, explain, retrieval and sequencing) and how to answer different styles of questions based on these. Children will focus on a class text each week and on a Friday will revisit a vipers skill and apply their learning to some questions with an unknown text.
Alongside reading, there are some words which children are expected to be able to read and write confidently by the end of year 2, which we call Common Exception Words. These are part of the statutory requirement for the year 2 spelling curriculum and are also known as sight words or tricky words because they are not spelt the way we would expect them to be spelt. Click on the link below to see the list of Year 1 and Year 2 Common Exception words. 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 Dragon Machine' by Helen Ward.
Unseen, ignored and overlooked the dragons went unnoticed . . .
. . . just like George.
But imagination can take you to places far away and back home again too.
In response to the book, we will engage in a variety of writing opportunities, including writing diaries, persuasive letters, character descriptions and inventing a machine which we will describe. Our writing outcome is to write an explanation text.
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 Term 2 and will begin with week 1, Set 1 list a and Set 1 list b on Monday 5th January 2026. Each week after will then follow on from this in weekly order with a set a and set b list each week.
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 be learning about:
'Measures' - In this unit we will focus on length to 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.
'Statistics' - 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.
'Time' - In this unit we will be reading the time on analogue clocks, telling the times quarter to and quarter past before progressing onto reading the time to five minute intervals. We will also draw the hands on empty clock faces to show these times. Finally we will calculate durations of time in minutes and hours, sequence daily events and solve time-related word problems.
'Money.' - In this unit we will focus on recognising the value of money, giving change and problem solving. We will explore how to create total amounts of money in different ways and count sets of money. We will explore the concept of change buying items and giving change in a customer/shopkeeper context.
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 Spring KIRFs that will support your child with their double and half facts to 20 The online game link below, HIT THE BUTTON, will also support your child with key recall in many mathematical areas.
We are currently learning Spring 1 KIRFs
Year 2 Autumn term KIRFs Year 2 Spring term 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 'Prayer'. In this unit, we will be exploring the question 'How and why do people pray?' We will be thinking about what prayer is, why people pray and How Christians and Muslims pray and how Buddhists meditate. We will finish our unit by exploring what prayer / reflection means to us.
Science
Our science theme this half term is 'Growing seeds and bulbs' In this unit, we will observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants.
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 our observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
- Gathering and recording data to help in answering questions.
History
Our History theme this half term is 'Why should we remember the explorer Sir Captain James Cook and the inventor Thomas Fishburn?' In this unit, we will research these individuals to fin out about their lives and achievements. We will use information books and websites as sources of information and present our learning to our peers to showcase our historical understanding.
Art
Our art theme this half term is 'collage'. In this unit, we will explore the work of artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. We will explore and develop our ideas of Cubism based on the artists work to create our own collage using our skills of tearing, cutting and manipulating materials. Finally we will evaluate our work.
P.E.
In PE, our theme is 'dance'. In this unit, we will explore space and how our bodies can move to express and idea, mood, character or feeling. We will develop our knowledge of travelling actions and use them in relation to a stimulus. We will develop our understanding of dynamics and expression, use counts of 8 consistently to keep in time with the music and a partner, explore pathways, levels, shapes and directions, speeds and timing.
Our key skills are:
- Physical - actions, dynamics, space, relationships, balance, jump
- Social - respect, collaboration, work safely, communication
- Emotional - independence, confidence, perseverance, determination,
- Thinking - provide feedback, reflection, observation, creativity
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.
P.S.H.E.
In our PSHE this half term we will be focussing on the theme 'Relationships: Friends - Keeping friendships healthy'. In this unit we will be learning about the difference between close friends, friends, acquaintances and strangers, that friends do not always agree with each other, but we can resolve our differences kindly, and with mutual respect. We will explore how difference can be a positive thing in our relationships, how friends should treat each other well and be fair, that there is not an ideal number of friends [You can have as many as you like]. We will also learn that being controlling of other people is bad and that excluding other children is hurtful and how friends should not tell us what to do, although we should listen politely. We will also learn to empathise with other people and understand why bullying is so hurtful and order types of bullying to understand which ones are the worst.
Computing 
In our computing lessons this half term, we will focus on 'Computer Science'. We will be exploring digital art creation through the use of a digital art tool - 2Paint A Picture. We will learn about famous art styles and how a digital art tool can be used to reproduce art in that style. Additionally, we will learn about the flexibility of digital art and how it can be shared with an audience electronically.
We will also learn about 'spreadsheets' where we will learn the basics of using spreadsheets with 2Calculate, focusing on how to enter, organise, and manage data in rows and columns. We will build confidence in formatting, carrying out simple calculations, using tools and creating block diagrams to present information clearly.
Music
In music this half term we will be focusing on 'inventing a musical story.' In this unit, we will be thinking about the question 'How Does Music Make the World a Better Place?' Music is used for many reasons and can help us to tell a story and express our feelings. Music can be loud or soft, fast or slow, smooth and connected, or short and detached. We can also use instruments with different sounds to help communicate a story and different emotions. Singing and listening are at the heart of each lesson. We will play, improvise and compose on a glockenspiel 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 Thursday.
As always, thank you for your continued support with your child’s learning.
Mrs Rowe and Mrs Barnes