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Year 2

Welcome to Dragonfly Class

A special place to learn and grow

Year 2

In Dragonfly Class, children continue their exciting journey through school in a stimulating and nurturing environment. We believe that learning happens best when children are active, engaged, and working together. That’s why continuous provision continues into Year 2, both indoors and outdoors, giving children plenty of opportunities to collaborate, explore, and develop independence alongside their more structured curriculum learning.

Our outdoor area, with covered spaces for all-weather use, provides daily opportunities for children to work together using large learning blocks for construction, developing teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Indoors and outdoors, curriculum-linked tuff trays are set up regularly to inspire hands-on learning and collaboration. For example, children might match continents and their capital cities in geography, carry out practical science experiments, or explore vocabulary and number challenges that build fluency and understanding across the curriculum.

Continuous provision in Dragonfly Class is carefully designed so that children are challenged and supported at the right level, encouraging independence, curiosity, and resilience. This active and collaborative approach not only strengthens their knowledge and skills but also helps to prepare them for the transition into Key Stage 2, where they will continue to build on these solid foundations.

Our Year 2 Curriculum (National Curriculum)

Learning is organised through engaging themes and clear subject objectives:

  • English– Reading comprehension, fluent decoding, spelling patterns, grammar and punctuation. Children write for real purposes (stories, reports, letters, instructions) with a growing focus on planning, editing and neat handwriting.
  • Mathematics – Number fluency to 100+, addition & subtraction, early multiplication and division, fractions (½, ¼, ¾), measures (length, mass, capacity, temperature), money and telling the time to five minutes; shape and simple data.
  • Science – Working scientifically through observation and enquiry. Typical topics include plants, animals (including humans), everyday materials and their uses, and seasonal change.
  • History & Geography – Local and significant people/events from the past; map skills, continents & oceans, and contrasting localities in the UK/world.
  • Art & Design / Design & Technology – Exploring colour, line and texture; designing, making and evaluating with a growing toolkit of skills.
  • Computing – Digital literacy and staying safe online; logical thinking and simple programming.
  • Music – Singing, rhythm, pulse and composing with tuned/untuned instruments.
  • PE – Fundamental movement skills, games, dance and gymnastics; teamwork and healthy habits.
  • RE & PSHE – Respect, relationships, belonging, values and personal wellbeing.

We sequence knowledge carefully so key ideas build over time and children revisit and apply what they’ve learned in new contexts.

Reading at Dragonfly Class

Reading is at the heart of everything we do in Year 2—helping children become confident, thoughtful readers.

  • Home Reading (4x per week)
    Each child reads at home at least four times a week, fostering fluency and a love of reading. Short, regular sessions work best!
  • Guided Reading & “Reading Dogs”
    In school, we run regular guided reading sessions where the teacher models reading with expressive tone, intonation and correct grammar. We also use the engaging Twinkl “Totally Pawsome Reading Gang” characters to help children master different comprehension skills:

    • Victor Vocabulary – understanding new words
    • Iggy Inference – reading between the lines
    • Predicting Pip – guessing what comes next
    • Rex Retriever – finding information
    • Sequencing Suki – putting events in order
  • Reading Challenge: Rewarding Love of Reading
    Children take part in our Reading Challenge at home. Every read helps them climb the challenge ladder—when they reach the top, they receive a certificate and choose a book of their own.
  • Decodable Books & Comprehension Integration
    Children who are still mastering phonics continue reading books that secure the alphabetic code. Once confident, they move on to banded books, where technical reading and comprehension are woven together. Until then, comprehension is modelled and supported through whole-class sessions, ensuring every child develops both decoding and understanding.

How We Use Cognitive Science (Learning that Sticks)

We explicitly teach with memory in mind so knowledge is learned, revisited and used:

  • Sticky Knowledge & Vocabulary
    Each subject has a short, child-friendly Key Facts & Vocabulary presentation (our subject-specific PPTs). These highlight the must-know ideas and key vocabulary for the unit.
  • Retrieval Practice
    We use quick-fire check-ins, mini quizzes and talk prompts to strengthen recall. You’ll hear children respond to:

    • “Can I still…?” – to revisit learning from previous terms or year groups.
    • “Show me what you know…” – to retrieve and explain current unit learning.
  • Spaced Learning
    Retrieval doesn’t just happen in the unit itself. We bring back prior content outside the original term so knowledge is refreshed over time (spaced retrieval), not crammed and forgotten.
  • Thinking Tools
    We model simple graphic organisers (parts-whole, compare/contrast, sequence) so children can organise ideas and make connections.

This approach builds long-term memory, boosts confidence and helps children apply knowledge flexibly in new situations.

Communication

We value open communication. Please catch us at the door, phone the office, or email if you have any questions. We also share updates through class newsletters and parent meetings across the year.

Interactive Learning Websites for Year 2

✨ Below are some helpful, trusted websites that you can use at home with your child. They provide fun, interactive games and activities to support Year 2 learning in a safe and engaging way.

🌟 Twinkl

Our school subscribes to Twinkl, so every child has their own login. Twinkl offers a huge range of interactive games, eBooks, quizzes, and printable activities that link directly to the National Curriculum.

🎮 ICT Games

Created by a UK teacher, ICT Games is packed with free Maths and English games designed for KS1. From number bonds and place value to phonics and sentence building, these games are a fun way to practise core skills.

🔢 Topmarks

A well-loved UK resource with hundreds of interactive activities. Favourites for Year 2 include Hit the Button (times tables and number bonds), Caterpillar Ordering, and many phonics and literacy games.

📺 BBC Bitesize KS1

The BBC’s curriculum website offers interactive lessons, short videos, and quizzes across English, Maths, Science, and more — perfect for reinforcing what children learn in class.

🔤 PhonicsPlay

A UK site dedicated to phonics games and activities, widely used in schools. Great for Year 2 children consolidating their phonics knowledge and practising early reading skills.

Oak National Academy

Oak provides free, high-quality video lessons, quizzes and activities created by teachers and aligned to the National Curriculum. Children can revisit topics taught in class or explore new ar

💡 Tip for parents: Short, regular sessions (10–15 minutes) on these sites are most effective. Learning at home should be fun and low-pressure — games are a great way to build confidence and fluency.