Going into Key Stage 1
What to expect in Key Stage 1
Before Year 1
Most children will have been to a nursery and so will be familiar with a daily routine of being left within a setting. They will be used to having a daily routine, such as carpet or circle time.
All nurseries have to follow the Early Years Foundation (EYFS) curriculum to qualify for claiming the free hours entitlement. It is based on getting children to become socially adaptive and to develop their general social skills among other things. By the time they leave their nursery setting, most children should know their numbers to 20. They should also be able to recognise their name and put together a coherent sentence.
Year 1
What to expect in Year 1
The main differences between nursery and year 1 generally revolve around the changes in routine in terms of how and what the children are taught.
It is important to note that whilst it is not compulsory for children to attend nursery, it is the law that they must attend school from their 5th birthday.
In Year 1 children are introduced to a more formal learning environment. How quickly the teacher introduces this will depend on your child’s school policy. Some schools will only take 2 weeks to transition, whilst others may take the first half of the first term.
The school’s focus will be to get each child up to at least the government set and expected levels as smoothly and as quickly as possible. So the school’s policy about the introduction of formal learning will depend on how they see themselves achieving that result quickly and painlessly.
English in Year 1
The focus will be on the 3 R’s and science.
In English, the focus will be on phonics and getting children to consolidate their learning and build on being able to read more fluently. Children will also be taught poems to recite and be able to write sentences using capital letters and full stops.
Mathematics in Year 1
In maths, the focus will be on getting children to count to and from 100, learn basic multiplication and division, learn 2D and 3D shapes and telling the time.
Science in Year 1
With science, the focus will be on 4 major topics:
- Plants
- Animals
- Seasons
- Everyday materials
At Redbridge Tuition our experienced tutors work with young children of all abilities and help them transition into the more formal learning methods through guided as well as heuristic teaching techniques, with great results over the years.
Children will have a phonics screening test at the end of year 1.
In Year 1, most children are still learning their phonics and learning to decode. So it is vital that they are exposed to as many different kinds of texts as possible. To help you, we have put together a list of books that we feel your child will benefit from. Please feel free to download and use.
Year 2
What to expect in Year 2
Your child will be expected to work a lot more independently in Year 2. There will be greater emphasis on grammar and on formalising the teaching of maths. With the new 2014 National Curriculum, there is a much greater emphasis on mathematical reasoning skills, even from this young age. For example, children will need to be able to understand that 2 times 3 is the same as 3 times 2 but that 5 subtract 1 is not the same as 1 subtract 5. All of this involves an understanding of how numbers work.
In English, there is a greater emphasis on writing, especially on the consistency of letter formation as well as joined-up writing. The main focus areas are:
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking and listening
- Children will learn to write for a range of purposes including stories, poetry and real events.
Children’s achievement (based on teacher assessments) will be submitted by the school to DofE at the end of their time in Key Stage 1. These are based on English reading, English writing, mathematics and science.
The screening check is for all Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. For the Year 2 children, the test will only be for those who previously did not meet the standard of the check in Year 1.
In Year 2, most children are still learning to blend phonemes (sounds) and learning to decode words. So it is vital that they are exposed to as many different kinds of texts as possible. To help you, we have put together a list of books that we feel your child will benefit from. Please feel free to download and use.
For further information, please contact us. We will be happy to discuss your particular requirements and answer any questions you may have or book you in with one of Redbridge Tuition’s highly experienced KS1 tutors.
Key Stage 1 SATs
Children are expected to sit their KS1 SATS tests in May of when they are in Year 2. Their final SATs scores are based on teacher assessments along with the test results.
Below is the summary of changes for the KS1 SATS exams in 2021:
- The Year 1 phonics check is cancelled.
- All KS1 SATs (for Year 2 pupils) are cancelled.
- Teacher assessment in English reading, writing and maths at KS1 will remain.
- Primary performance data will not be published for the second year in a row.
- KS1 teacher assessments in science are cancelled.
For full information about SATs, please click here
