Welcome to Larch 2!
2025 – 2026
Mrs Stockton/Miss Lowe - Class Teachers Miss Dow, Mrs Calloway, Mrs Faultless - Teaching Assistants
Summer 2
Beside the Seaside
Larch class were very excited to be wearing their favourite football kit today. They all looked wonderful and enjoyed showing off their favourite football poses.
Larch Visit Reception Class
Today, Larch visited the Reception classes to share their science knowledge about the life cycle of a butterfly. They showed photographs of the caterpillars they have been caring for at different stages of their development and shared many interesting facts they had learned.
The Reception children enjoyed learning about the butterfly life cycle and asked some thoughtful questions. It was wonderful to see Larch confidently sharing their knowledge and supporting the younger children with their learning.
Well done to both Larch and Reception for a fantastic learning experience!
Larch Class are having the wonderful opportunity this half term to take part in a STEM computer coding programme with AVFC. The children were very excited to join the session and thoroughly enjoyed taking part. The programme involved using iPads to send algorithms to robotic balls. We are hoping to continue developing our coding skills so that we can control the robotic balls independently and eventually create a computer-programmed football match.
Year 2 have been enjoying their music lessons with Mrs Fiu this term. We have been exploring the musical unit Time, which focuses on beat and beat division, structure, and textural layering.
As part of our learning, we have been developing our tuned percussion skills and learning how to use sticks and beaters correctly. We are currently working towards an ensemble performance piece and are excited to bring all of our learning together.
We can’t wait to hear the final performance!
Well done, Larch!
Larch Class have been practising for Sports Day and having lots of fun along the way! We started with some races that included a game of rock, paper, scissors, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. We then practised the sack race and had a wonderful time cheering each other on.
We are looking forward to another practice session next week and continuing to develop our skills.
Well done, Larch Class!
What an exciting start to our new theme, Beside the Seaside!
We were introduced to our new text, Flotsam by David Wiesner, a wordless picture book. First, we discussed what the word flotsam means. Then, we explored several trays of flotsam and used our inference skills to work out who the items might belong to.
One of the trays belonged to Paddington Bear. We knew this because it contained a jar of marmalade and a train ticket to London! We enjoyed sharing our ideas and explaining the clues that helped us make our decisions.
Afterwards, we looked carefully through the illustrations in Flotsam, telling the story through the pictures and discussing what we thought was happening. It was wonderful to see how much information and detail we could discover without any words at all.
What an exciting start to our half term!
We arrived to find a mysterious package waiting for us. Ralph inferred that there must be a living thing inside because the box had holes in the lid. Isabelle agreed, explaining that living things need air to survive, and Freddie suggested that it could be a plant because plants need air too. We carefully opened the box, as the tape was labelled Fragile, and discovered a book about Sir David Attenborough and some newly hatched caterpillars! We were then set a challenge: to create our own documentary, inspired by David Attenborough, about the life cycle of a butterfly.
We can't wait to watch our caterpillars grow and develop over the coming weeks!
Summer 1
Land Ahoy!
A huge congratulations to the Class Dojo winners in Larch Class for the Summer 1 term! Your hard work, positive attitudes and excellent effort have been recognised, and you should all be very proud of your achievement. We would also like to congratulate our House Competition winner for your great artwork. We are incredibly proud of all our Year 2 children and the effort they continue to show every day. Keep up the fantastic work as we move into the next half term!
Well done Year 2. You all did brilliantly in our Sponsored Walk/Run. What a fun time we had!
Our Year 2 children had a fantastic time using Purple Mash and the 2Paint A Picture tool to create their own digital masterpieces.
The children explored the styles of famous artists including Piet Mondrian and William Morris. They carefully recreated bold patterns, colourful geometric designs and detailed repeating prints using digital brushes and tools. The class also experimented with pointillism, creating wonderful pictures using tiny dots of colour inspired by this unique artistic technique. The children showed great creativity, patience and attention to detail throughout the activity.
What fun we had learning about different styles of art while developing our digital skills at the same time.
Larch Class have been developing their cutting, gluing and assembly skills by creating two different mechanisms: sliders and levers. We have been practising these techniques in preparation for later this week, when we begin making our moving pirate pictures.
Year 2 had a wonderful visit from Mr Bailey, who introduced us to Loti Bots. We learned new computing vocabulary and recalled some previous vocabulary, including algorithm (a step-by-step set of instructions), Bluetooth, tinkering, debugging, logical reasoning and calibrating. The children learned how to switch on and connect to their Loti Bots, use the green flag to start an algorithm, and create instructions by dragging, dropping and clipping commands together. We explored moving the bots forwards and backwards and discovered some of the exciting Loti Bot features.
It was a wonderful and memorable experience, and the children thoroughly enjoyed exploring, experimenting and learning together!
This half term, Year 2 have continued their geography learning by using an atlas to locate Jamaica and its capital city, Kingston. We recalled our prior knowledge about maps from Year 1 and discussed how maps are used, including how a key helps us to understand different symbols and features. We also used the compass points north, south, east and west to describe where places and features were in relation to one another.
Super learning, Year 2!
This week in DT, Larch Class explored books with moving pictures and investigated different mechanisms such as levers, sliders and pop-ups. We discussed whether the mechanisms suited the purpose of the book and thought about the audience each book was designed for. The children had lots of fun exploring the books and sharing their favourite moving parts!
What a duck-lightful treat we had when we got to meet some adorable ducklings!
The children were all of aflutter with excitement as they enjoyed gently stroking the fluffy ducklings and watching them paddle happily in their little pool. There were lots of smiles and plenty of quacks of laughter throughout the visit!
Meeting the ducklings was not only lots of fun, but it also links perfectly to our Science learning this term, where we are learning all about animals and their offspring. The children loved spotting how the ducklings are similar to — and different from — adult ducks. It was certainly a lesson that really fit the bill!
We think everyone would agree it was an egg-stra special experience and one we’ll remember for a long time.
Year 2 have been sailing the seven seas of geographical knowledge this week, and what an unforgettable adventure it’s been! Using our giant world map, we charted a course across the continents!
Our crew then dropped anchor at the UK and Jamaica, discovering how pirates of old sought shelter in Kingston Harbour — shiver me timbers, what a hideout! We navigated the oceans using clever clues, proving we’re a class that can really ‘sea’ the bigger picture.
To keep our knowledge shipshape, we sang our oceans and continents songs — what a treasure chest of learning!
We also compared the UK and Jamaica to the equator, spotting how their locations affect the weather. It’s safe to say we didn’t blow hot and cold on that challenge — we smashed it! Well done Year 2!
This half term in Year 2, we have been busy developing our skills in PE. We have been practising throwing underarm with accuracy and overarm for distance, showing great focus and determination.
In dance, we have been learning and performing our exciting pirate dance. We have been exploring lots of pirate-tastic moves, including stomping like sailors, balancing like we’re on a rocking ship, and striking strong pirate poses. We’ve also been working on moving in time to the music and showing expression in our performances.
We are very proud of the enthusiasm and energy everyone has shown — what a fantastic crew of pirates we have!
Larch Class have been busy exploring right angles today as part of their maths learning on shapes! The children did a fantastic job hunting for right angles in and around the classroom, showing great teamwork and curiosity. Well done, Larch Class — keep up the brilliant work!
This week, Larch Class have been learning all about how germs spread!
We carried out a fun experiment using glitter to represent germs. After putting glitter on our hands, we shook hands with each other and watched how quickly it spread around the classroom!
This helped us understand just how easily germs can pass from person to person, and why it’s so important to wash our hands properly to keep ourselves and others healthy.
Great work, Larch Class!
This half term, Year 2 embarked on an exciting geography adventure with a pirate treasure hunt! Using a map of the Key Stage One area, the children searched for 10 hidden pictures. They showcased their map skills beautifully, drawing each find on their sheets. Arrr, well done, Year 2! You've truly made this treasure hunt a shipshape success!
Year 2 had a shipshape Pirate Day that was packed to the gunwales with fun and adventure! Our day began with every child being given their very own pirate name —there were some fearsome and funny buccaneers ready to set sail!
We didn’t waste any time before getting stuck into some crafty business. The children made fantastic pirate accessories to help them look the part, including shiny pirate hooks, swashbuckling hats, detailed treasure maps, and their very own Jolly Roger flags. They were truly a sight to sea!
Our young pirates also showed off their clever navigation skills by using pirate language such as port, starboard, bow and stern to direct the Beebots. They certainly didn’t miss the boat when it came to learning!
In the afternoon, it was time for a thrilling treasure hunt. The children followed a series of tricky clues — there were twists and turns that would make even the saltiest sailor scratch their head! But with teamwork and determination, they finally struck gold… or should we say treasure! At the end of the hunt, they discovered a chest filled with Skeleton Island books. What a booty-ful surprise!
Just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, we had one final treat waiting for us back in class — a live Zoom meeting with the authors Jan Burchett and Sara Vogler! The children were so excited to meet the creators of Skeleton Island and ask their brilliant questions.
It was truly a fin-tastic day full of laughter, learning, and unforgettable memories. Year 2 really did seas the day!
Shiver me timbers — what an adventure!
