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Year 2
What happens in Year 2?
Year 2 is a year in which children become increasingly independent, confident and ready for the next stage of their learning. They continue to develop strong learning habits and take increasing responsibility for themselves, their work and their relationships with others. Towards the end of the year, we place great importance on preparing children for their transition to Key Stage 2 and Year 3 through carefully planned visits, shared experiences and opportunities to meet key adults.
In Year 2, children are more familiar with the routines of Key Stage 1 and are ready for a timetable that builds on their growing confidence, independence and concentration. Each week includes regular lessons in English and mathematics, alongside reading, phonics, spelling, handwriting and opportunities to develop fluency. Children also take part in a broad range of wider curriculum lessons, including science, learning themes, computing, music and physical education.
While Year 2 includes longer periods of focused teaching, we continue to value active, practical and exploratory learning. Free-flow provision still features within the timetable and gives children opportunities to apply their learning, make choices, work collaboratively and develop independence. This balance helps children grow in confidence and prepares them well for the next stage of their learning journey.
In Year 2, our learning environment supports children as they grow in confidence, independence and readiness for the next stage of their education. Classrooms are calm, purposeful and well resourced, with reading corners in every room and access to a shared library to encourage regular reading and book talk. The shared area provides an additional space for small-group learning, enabling children to work collaboratively, receive focused teaching and develop confidence in a different setting. Our outdoor areas offer a balance of active and quieter play, with one playground space supporting games and running, and another providing a calmer environment with a reading area for children who prefer a gentler break time. This helps every child find a space where they can learn, play and feel comfortable.
In Year 2, children continue to strengthen their knowledge, skills and independence across a broad and ambitious curriculum. In English and mathematics, they build fluency, accuracy and confidence, developing their understanding of number, calculation, fractions, shape, measure, statistics and problem solving. In science, children explore electricity, materials, animals including humans, plants, forces and living things and their habitats, with opportunities to investigate, observe, compare and explain.
The wider curriculum helps children make meaningful connections across subjects and deepen their understanding of the world around them. In history and geography, children study areas such as the Great Fire of London, significant nurses including Edith Cavell, Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, Japan, Barnes and the local area. In art and design, design and technology, music, computing, religious education and personal development, children develop creativity, practical skills, digital confidence, respectful understanding of others and a growing sense of themselves as learners. The curriculum is further enriched with trips to the Florence Nightingale Museum and Kew Gardens, walks to familiarise children with their local area and a debate between Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell. More detail about the knowledge, skills and vocabulary taught in each subject can be found in the Year 2 curriculum maps.
In Year 2, children may complete non-statutory Key Stage 1 assessments. These can include reading, mathematics, grammar, punctuation and spelling activities, and are used alongside teacher assessment to build a full picture of each child’s progress. Any outcomes are shared with families through children’s end-of-year reports.
Previous Key Stage 1 assessment materials are available for reference on the GOV.UK website.
In Year 2, regular practice at home helps children to strengthen key skills and grow in independence. The most important support families can provide is regular reading. We aim for every child to have at least five reading entries logged each week, as this helps to develop fluency, comprehension and a lasting enjoyment of reading. Alongside this, practising mathematical fluency is especially useful, particularly quick recall of addition and subtraction facts within 20.
Children will also receive one weekly home learning task, which should take around 30 minutes to complete. This task may be linked to maths, English or the current learning theme. In addition, children will have 10 spellings to practise each week. We encourage children to use this as an opportunity to practise accurate letter formation and neat handwriting, as well as spelling patterns.
The links and resources below provide useful ways to support these important routines at home in a calm and manageable way.
We want every child in Key Stage 1 to develop their own reading identity: knowing the types of books, authors and stories they enjoy, while also being encouraged to try something new. Recommending books to children is an important part of this, and the links below provide helpful suggestions for families looking for high-quality books to enjoy at home.
Books from the Spark! Book Awards feature heavily in our reading corners, displays and library. Spark! is a children’s book award where children read, respond and vote for the winners, with categories ranging from Early Years through to secondary ages. Families may also find the CLPE booklists useful, as these have been curated by literacy experts and include high-quality texts to support children throughout their reading journey. The Reader Teacher is another excellent source of recommendations, including year-group lists, reviews and book-match suggestions for children who already enjoy particular authors or series.
