Classrooms

Year 2

Rebecca Jones

Year 2 Teacher

Hannah Dornan-Steer

Year 2 Teacher

Welcome to Year 2

2 weeks ago
Posted on 28th Sep 2026 by Katy Tomlinson

🏁 ATTENDANCE GRAND PRIX – WEEKLY RACE REPORT! 🏁

🏁 ATTENDANCE GRAND PRIX – WEEKLY RACE REPORT! 25.9.26🏁

The chequered flag has fallen on another week at SAF and the attendance racers have crossed the line! 🏎️💨

📊 Whole-school attendance this week: 96.9%
⚠️ Persistent Absence: 8.6%

And now to the podium…

🥇 JOINT 1ST – Mrs Yates Y3/4 & Nursery PM – 100%
A PERFECT LAP! Not a single missed turn all week. ⭐

🥈 Mr Broderick Y3 – 99%
So close to perfection! Flying around the final corner and only narrowly missing the top spot.

🥉 Mr Andrew Y4 – 98.9%
Just 0.1 behind! That really was a photo finish.

🔥 Miss R Jones Y2 – 98.8%

Right on the podium’s bumper and keeping the leaders firmly in sight!

Also putting in some serious pace this week:

🏎️ Miss Capps YR – 98.1%
🏎️ Mrs Robson Y5 – 97.9%
🏎️ Nursery Flexi – 97.7%
🏎️ Miss Thomas Y1 – 96.9% – bang on our whole-school figure!

Elsewhere on the circuit…

🍌 Miss Brown Y6 and Mrs Vickers YR – 96.3%
A small banana skin on the track, but still very much in the race.

🦑 Miss Jones Y5 – 95.8%
Hit by the ink just as the finish line came into view!

🍌 Miss Adams Y6 – 94.6% and Mrs Dornan-Steer Y2 – 94.4%
A couple of tricky corners this week, but plenty of opportunity to make up places next time.

🦑 Mrs Casswell YR – 91.8%
The ink cloud caused some visibility problems this week. Time for a clean windscreen and another charge next week!

And Nursery AM – 80% had what can only be described as a race full of bananas, ink, red shells and probably a rogue Blue Shell too! 😬🍌🦑

🏆 Race result: 96.9% overall

A strong whole-school result, but Persistent Absence at 8.6% remains the figure we need to keep working on.

Congratulations to Mrs Yates Y3/4 and Nursery PM on this week’s flawless 100% performance! 👏

Next week: new race, clean track, everything to play for… 🏁

See previous messages & posts

Welcome to Year 2

We are so pleased to welcome you to our Year 2 team! This year we will have lots of fun and learn plenty along the way! If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask any of the adults in our year group.

What are we learning this term:

Welcome to Year 2! This term, our exciting learning journey begins as we explore our topic, ‘Who’s the King of the Castle?’ Through fascinating stories, history lessons and our visit to Warwick Castle, the children will discover all about kings, queens and castles. In Maths, we will build confidence with place value, addition and subtraction, while in English we will enjoy sharing and responding to engaging texts such as Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas and The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. We will also investigate everyday materials in Science, which includes an exciting visit to our school from Veolia Recycling. In Geography, we will learn about hot and cold countries, and develop our creativity through Art, Music and Design & Technology. We are looking forward to a busy and enjoyable term filled with memorable experiences, new knowledge and lots of opportunities for the children to shine.

Please see our overview of the term here: AUTUMN TERM OVERVIEW 2026

Year 2 reading list
Knowledge organisers
Additional information

Key Information:

PE

Our PE days are Mondays and Tuesdays – please ensure children have kit for all weather eventualities!

Forest school

In Year 2, children will take part in a dedicated Forest School sessions each term. Throughout the year, we will be exploring these topics:

Autumn 1: Exploring Our Environment
Autumn 2: Materials and Structures
Spring 1: Survival & Problem Solving
Spring 2: Plants & Growth
Summer 1: Navigation & Mapping
Summer 2: Outdoor Skills & Bushcraft Basics

Parent reading

Our weekly Reading Parent Reading Morning is every Friday. This is a wonderful opportunity to spend time reading with your child, share a love of books and listen to your child read. We look forward to welcoming you into the classroom to share valuable reading experiences together.

Spellings

In Key Stage 1, the focus is on developing accuracy as well as a range of strategies for spelling including phonics. Although teachers will highlight spelling errors to children, it is important children recognise for themselves when they have made an error. By this stage, children will have a range of spelling strategies that they will have been taught to draw on. Children will use the strategy which best suits their learning style and works best for them. Parents can support children by practising any spellings as part of home learning and by helping children to read and spell the Year 2 word lists. Children will practise these spellings throughout the week and will be tested on a Friday using some of the words from the lists. Remember to make practising the words enjoyable and not a chore. You can share anything you do via SEESAW.

Please click on the ways you can help your child with spellings at home: YEAR 2 SPELLING LIST – YEARLY OVERVIEW

Important Dates:

SEPTEMBER:

OCTOBER:

Tuesday 6th – Warwick Castle

NOVEMBER:

Wednesday 4th – Veolia Visitor Session

Friday 20th – Year 2 Parent Assembly

DECEMBER:

How can I help my child with their learning at home?

The most valuable thing you can do is spend a few minutes each day talking, reading and practising key skills with your child. Regular reading, spelling practice and quick maths fact recall all make a huge difference to children’s confidence and progress. Encouraging independence, celebrating effort and showing an interest in what they have been learning at school will help your child to thrive.

Recommended websites:

Reading:

Reading regularly at home is one of the most effective ways to support your child’s learning: 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Encourage your child to read aloud to develop fluency and confidence, but it is also important to continue reading to them so they can enjoy books that are more challenging than those they can read independently.

Talk about the story together by discussing characters, events and new vocabulary. Ask questions such as What has happened so far?, How is the character feeling? and What do you think might happen next? If your child comes across an unfamiliar word, encourage them to use their phonics knowledge and the meaning of the sentence to help work it out. Most importantly, make reading an enjoyable and positive experience so that your child develops a lifelong love of books.

Some simple ways to help at home:

Listen to your child read little and often.
Read stories together and discuss them.
Encourage your child to sound out unfamiliar words.
Talk about the meaning of new vocabulary.
Visit the local library and let your child choose books that interest them.
Celebrate effort and progress to build confidence.

Sir Alexander Fleming Primary School Reading at Home Expectation:
We ask that children read at home 5 times each week.

Spellings:

Developing strong spelling skills helps children to become confident readers and writers. Parents can support their child by practising any spelling patterns, word lists or spelling investigations that are sent home as part of home learning. Encourage your child to look for these spelling patterns in books, signs and everyday writing and talk about how words are similar or different. Regular, short practice sessions are often more effective than longer sessions.

Most importantly, try to make spelling practice enjoyable and positive rather than a chore. Playing word games, using magnetic letters, writing words in different ways or spotting spelling patterns during reading can all help children to develop confidence with spelling. Praise effort and perseverance, as learning to spell takes time and practice.

Some simple ways to help at home:

Practise weekly spellings little and often.
Encourage your child to explain the spelling pattern they have learned.
Spot spelling patterns in books and environmental print.
Play simple word and spelling games together.
Help your child use their spelling knowledge when reading and writing.
Celebrate effort and progress to build confidence.

Maths:

Class Spellings Open this to see the latest spellings

5 hours ago
Posted on 13th Oct 2026 by Hannah Dornan-Steer

Autumn 1 Spelling List

Here are our current spelling lists and spelling patterns. These words will be practised in school and can also be revisited at home to help children become more confident spellers. We recommend little-and-often practice, focusing on the spelling pattern rather than simply memorising the words.

Remember to keep spelling practice fun and positive. Short, regular activities are much more effective than long practice sessions and help children to develop confidence and enjoyment in learning new spellings.