Beech Class
Miss Littleton, Mrs Leighton, Mrs Cross and Mrs Burnett welcome you to Year 1!
Welcome to Beech Class at Stanton Primary School! Beech Class is led by Miss Littleton, who works alongside Mrs Leighton. Miss Littleton particularly enjoys teaching Maths, phonics and writing, and has a strong passion for art and Design and Technology. Mrs Leighton teaches in Beech Class every Monday and especially enjoys teaching R.E., reading and maths. Our dedicated Teaching Assistants, Mrs Burnett and Mrs Cross, play a vital role in supporting the children’s learning across the curriculum, particularly in phonics, maths and developing positive friendships.
P.E. lessons take place twice throughout the week; however, these sessions are subject to change. We therefore recommend that P.E. kits are left in school for the entire half term so that they are always ready when needed. Please ensure that your child has suitable outdoor clothing, including jogging bottoms and a jumper.
We visit the library together as a class every Friday. Children are encouraged to bring their library book on this day if they would like to exchange it.
Classroom Routines and Expectations
In Beech Class, our daily routines are designed to help children feel settled, secure and ready to learn each day. We encourage the children to develop independence, supporting them to organise their belongings, follow routines and take pride in their learning. We have clear and consistent expectations around kindness, respect and behaviour, helping to create a calm, positive and welcoming classroom where everyone feels valued.
We recognise that every child is unique, and we strive to create an inclusive and nurturing environment where all pupils feel valued and supported to succeed. Children are encouraged to develop independence in their learning and classroom readiness, while staff provide appropriate scaffolding and differentiation to meet individual needs. We work closely with our SENDCo and emotional support mentor where needed, and our experienced teaching assistants deliver targeted support within lessons and through carefully planned interventions to ensure all children can thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
Below you will find an example timetable of our lessons in Beech Class.
Beech Class Learning and Curriculum
In Beech Class, we love learning and explore a wide range of exciting texts and topics across the year to inspire curiosity and creativity. We make the most of our beautiful school setting, using our extensive grounds wherever possible to bring learning to life through engaging outdoor experiences. To support children in building and retaining their knowledge, we regularly send home Knowledge Organisers linked to our topics. You can find our curriculum overview below, alongside some examples of Knowledge Organisers that support our topics.
Phonics and Reading in Beech Class
In Beech Class, we recognise the importance of regular and meaningful reading at this key stage in the children’s development. We follow Little Wandle’s phonics scheme, which provides a clear and structured approach to teaching early reading skills. Reading not only supports children’s phonics, but also underpins their writing and learning across the wider curriculum. Each week, children are assigned an online text through Collins Book Hub, which closely matches their phonetic understanding as observed in lessons and reading groups. These texts are explored three times in school with an adult, with each session focusing on a different aspect of reading: decoding, prosody and comprehension. We then encourage parents to revisit these texts regularly at home to help build fluency, confidence and a deeper understanding. If you experience any difficulties accessing the online texts, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Miss Littleton.
We also love to celebrate all types of reading and encourage children to enjoy a wide range of texts, including stories, non-fiction books, comics and even newspapers. Developing a love of reading is just as important as building key skills, and we value any reading that sparks children’s interest and curiosity. Below, you will find a selection of recommended Year 1 reads, guidance for reading at home through Little Wandle, a link to Collins Book Hub and support for practising Year 1 tricky words.
Home Learning
In Year 1, homework is entirely optional, but it can be a lovely way to consolidate learning and share what we’ve been doing in school with family at home. In Beech Class, children are set a short piece of phonics homework each week, linked to the graphemes we have been learning in school. On Fridays, pupils are also assigned their explored reading book online through Collins Book Hub, which has been read three times in school to help build confidence and fluency. Year 1 pupils have access to Numbots, which offers excellent practice in developing quick and secure addition and subtraction facts. We also assess a selection of common exception words (tricky words) in school; if you would like to practise these at home, a list can be found below, along with links to Collins Book Hub and Numbots. If you are unsure of your login details please contact Miss Littleton.
Additional Websites To Support Home Learning
Children Learning in Beech Class
Additional information for parents
If you require any additional information about trips, the curriculum, upcoming events, or your child’s learning, or have any general queries, please do not hesitate to contact Miss Littleton or Mrs Leighton by messaging on Class Dojo. A link to this can be found below—we are always happy to help!