Merton Bank Primary School

Welcome to Year 2

Attendance is key to academic success and social development. 

Please aim for your child to be in school EVERY day! 

Year 2 is a warm, welcoming and happy classroom where lots of exciting learning takes place. We aim for all our lessons to be engaging and interactive, with a focus on making learning accessible for all our children. Throughout Year 2, children continue to develop their independence. They are given roles and responsibilities in the classroom, with a focus on working together and helping each other. In Year 2 we have a huge focus on supporting children to grow a love of reading, becoming readers who read for pleasure and purpose. The year is jam packed with high quality, hand-picked texts which we hope will help create life-long readers. Our children challenge themselves to achieve their full potential and we work hard to ensure our classroom is a safe space for everyone to try new skills and learn from mistakes. Mental health and well-being are high priority in Year 2. We work hard to support our children to be happy and free from worry and anxieties. We promote positive self-talk and resilience and guide children through any difficulties they face, ensuring they know how special and capable they are.

Things to remember

• Please continue to support your child’s learning at home. It is expected your child reads 3x per week at home. Please record this in your child’s reading record. Thank you for supporting your children at home. It truly is appreciated.

• Your child needs to bring their reading book, book bag and water bottle into school daily.

• All children in Key Stage One qualify for a free school meal. Please enquire at the office for more information.

• Milk and fruit are provided daily. Please pay for your child’s milk (costing £2 per term) termly in a sealed envelope.

• This term (Autumn) we have PE every Wednesday.

Autumn Term 1 Overview:

Take a look at this booklet to find ways to help early reading at home.

Take a look at some of the exciting learning taking place In Year 2 during Autumn Term 2025!

Writing

Little Red Riding Hood

This term, the children are exploring warning stories through the classic tale Little Red Riding Hood by Pie Corbett. Using this well-loved model text, they are learning how authors create suspense and build journeys that both excite and warn the reader.

Our writing focus is on developing a toolkit for description and characterisation. The children are practising how to paint vivid pictures with words, bringing settings to life and showing readers what characters are like through their actions, dialogue, and appearance.

By the end of the unit, children will use these skills to plan and write their own warning/journey stories, filled with rich description and memorable characters.

Basic Skills

In our Basic Skills lessons, children focus on the key foundations of writing — handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation. These essential skills help children to communicate clearly, confidently and creatively in all areas of their learning.

Through regular practice, children develop neat, fluent handwriting, learn to spell accurately and understand how grammar and punctuation shape meaning in their writing. Lessons are designed to be engaging and supportive, helping every child to build confidence and take pride in their written work.

By mastering these core skills, children become more independent, capable and expressive writers — ready to share their ideas with accuracy and flair.

Reading

This term, the children are enjoying a wonderful range of books that help them explore different styles, characters, and themes:

The Comet by Joe Todd-Stanton – A beautifully illustrated story that sparks imagination and encourages children to think about change, belonging, and hope.

There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher – A lively, interactive read that invites children to join in, laugh out loud, and discover the fun of reading together.

Fairy Tales: The Villains’ Versions by Kaye Umansky – Traditional tales with a twist, showing stories from the villains’ point of view and encouraging children to question perspective and voice.

The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz – A playful retelling of The Three Little Pigs, filled with rhythm, rhyme, and humour, which supports children’s fluency and love of language.

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o – A moving story that celebrates inner beauty and uniqueness, helping children reflect on identity, kindness, and self-belief.

The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll – A classic poem full of rhythm and rich language, offering opportunities to enjoy wordplay and explore imagery.

Through these texts, the children are building their comprehension skills, developing vocabulary, and discovering the joy of stories old and new.

Maths

In Year 2, the children are building confidence in their mathematical understanding through three key areas:

Place Value – Children are learning to recognise the value of each digit in a two-digit number, compare and order numbers up to 100, and use number lines and practical resources to deepen their understanding. This helps them build strong foundations for all areas of maths.

Addition and Subtraction – Pupils are developing strategies to add and subtract two-digit numbers, both mentally and using written methods. They are also exploring number bonds, fact families, and solving problems using real-life contexts to make their learning meaningful.

Shape – Children are identifying and naming 2-D and 3-D shapes, describing their properties, and beginning to explore patterns, symmetry, and simple rotations.

Through practical activities, games, and problem-solving challenges, the children are not only learning how to calculate, but also how to explain their reasoning and apply their skills with confidence.

Geography

Would you prefer to live in a hot or cold place?

In Year 2, the children are developing their knowledge of the world around them by exploring maps, places, and climates:

World Knowledge – Children are learning to name and locate the seven continents, as well as identify the Equator, the North Pole, and the South Pole on a world map.

Comparing Places – They are discovering similarities and differences between the UK and Kenya, helping them to understand how people live in different parts of the world.

Weather and Climate – Pupils are investigating different types of weather, using key geographical vocabulary to describe conditions, and deciding whether a place is hot or cold. They are also learning to recognise the features of hot and cold places and to locate countries with these climates on a world map.

Through discussion, map work, and simple investigations, the children are beginning to think like geographers — asking questions, making comparisons, and using maps and vocabulary to share their ideas about the world.

Computing

What is a computer?

In Year 2, children develop a strong understanding of how technology shapes the world around them. They learn to recognise different forms of technology and understand that computers and devices follow instructions to achieve specific outcomes.

From the beginning of Year 2, children explore how buttons and inputs cause effects, helping them grasp the link between action and response. They can name a range of computer peripherals and explain their functions, building confidence in using everyday technology safely and purposefully.

As their skills grow, children use creativity and problem-solving to design their own inventions, incorporating inputs and outputs to bring their ideas to life. Through these experiences, they come to see the important role computers play in our modern world and how technology can be used to support learning, communication, and innovation.

PE

Fundamentals

In PE, our children develop the skills, confidence and enjoyment to lead active and healthy lives. Through a range of fun and engaging lessons, children learn how their bodies move and how to use them with control, balance and coordination.

Children explore how to run at different speeds, change direction and dodge with accuracy. As their confidence grows, children build their balance and stability, learning how to land safely and move with increasing agility.

Through a variety of jumping, hopping and skipping activities, children develop rhythm, timing and co-ordination. They also enjoy combining these skills in exciting challenges, such as rope skipping and sequence jumping, helping them build stamina, teamwork and perseverance.

Our PE curriculum encourages every child to be active, to challenge themselves, and to discover the joy of movement.

Art

Sketching local landmarks and L.S Lowry

This half term, Year 2 have embarked on an exciting journey in Art, focusing on the landmarks of St Helens. We began by conducting research into various local landmarks, noting the purposes of each and articulating our likes and dislikes. Building on this knowledge, we planned our sketches, exploring how to use line and tone to reflect what we have seen and remembered. We have also started to investigate different grades of pencils, applying techniques such as hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling to convey patterns and textures in our work. Finally, we have created a sketch inspired by images and another drawn directly from the landmarks, labelling our choices of tools and materials. We are immensely proud of our creativity and collaboration! 

Music

Forest School 

Science

Animals including humans - Growth

In Science, children develop a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world around them. In our unit ‘Animals, including Humans – Growth’, children explore how all living things change and grow over time.

They learn that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults, and they begin to understand the basic needs for survival – water, food and air. Through practical investigations and discussion, children discover how to care for themselves and other living things.

As the unit develops, children also learn about the importance of exercise, healthy eating, and hygiene in keeping our bodies strong and well. By observing, questioning and drawing conclusions, they begin to think like young scientists – curious, careful, and eager to understand the world in greater depth.

RE

Does how we treat the world matter?

In RE, children explore big questions about life, faith and the world around them. In this unit, they learn from the Genesis story of creation, retelling it simply and thinking about what it teaches Christians about the world and their relationship with God

Children consider why Christians believe it is important to look after the world and explore how they might show their thankfulness for creation, for example through Harvest festivals and acts of care for the environment.

Children also identify ways humans use and sometimes misuse the world’s resources, thinking carefully about how our choices affect others and the planet. They are encouraged to ask questions about what they can do to show they care for the world, reflecting on their own responsibilities and how faith can inspire people to make a difference.

Through these lessons, pupils develop respect, empathy and a growing sense of moral responsibility — key foundations for living well together in God’s world.