Year 2

Mrs O’Connell and Miss Noonan (Class Teachers)

Mrs Gourlay, Mrs Lorek and Miss S Sweeney (Support Staff)

Year 2 Intent

Year 2 Reading Spine

• Year 2 Reading Intent (156.95KB)
• Year 2 Meet the Teacher (8.21MB)

Spring 2026

In English, the children will be writing instructions of how to care for a puppy, inspired by the book ‘15 things NOT to do with a puppy.’ We will then be looking at poetry: exploring a wide range of creative and descriptive vocabulary that we will use to write our own innovative poems.  Later in the term, we will be revisiting recounts – writing diary entries and writing non- chronological reports. In Maths, Year 2 are learning all about money.  They will apply their knowledge of addition and subtraction to solve problems including giving change.  We will then be focusing on multiplication, division, and measurements, including length, mass, and temperature. In Science, Year 2 will be exploring plants: labelling, and making observations of them before learning what they need to survive and grow.  Later in the term they will be exploring animals and their habitats. In History, we will be learning about how communication has changed throughout history.  From Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, all the way up to the invention of the World Wide Web.  The children will have a go at communicating with each other using the different writing systems and codes.  Year 2 are particularly looking forward to their trip to Bletchley Park, where they will be exploring Morse code and the important work that took place on the site during WWII. In Geography, Year 2 will be exploring weather, investigating how it changes with the seasons.  They will conduct their own investigations into the weather experienced on our school site. In Art, we will be exploring ‘Expressive Painting’.  In this unit we will be looking at the work of a range of expressionist artists such as Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky, using their techniques to represent emotions through colour.  In DT we will be focusing on cooking, testing, making and evaluating pizzas.  The children are really excited to make their own pizzas at the end of term. In RE, we will be exploring the Islamic religious world view.  We will be learning about why Allah is important to Muslims and how they show Allah respect. In PSHE, Year 2 will be exploring their dreams and goals.  They will be exploring their aspirations for the future and how they can achieve these goals.  Later in the term, they will be exploring how they can work to live a healthy and happy life. In Music, we will be exploring our personal and emotional responses to music and how we can use music to tell a story. In PE, the children will be developing their skills in gymnastics. Later this term they will be working on invasion games. We look forward to welcoming family and friends to Manland, showing all the hard work Year 2 have been doing this term, in our class assembly!

Autumn 2025

Year 2 class started the year with a fantastic attitude. Everyone joined the year with a positive outlook, excited about all the fun things we will be learning this year.

In English, we have been retelling traditional stories with a twist. The children began by looking at the traditional tale of Rapunzel before looking at a modern version, before retelling this story. Next the children wrote diary entries inspired by our work on the Great Fire of London.

In Maths, the children have been working very hard to understand place value. We have been using lots of different resources to partition, compare and order different numbers. Currently, the children are exploring addition and subtraction and different methods to solve addition and subtraction questions.

In Science, we have been learning about animals and their needs for survival. The children have been learning that all animals have the same four needs for survival but how their needs are met differs from animal to animal. For the second half term we have moved on to exploring materials. The children have started to identify the properties of different materials and determine their suitability for different purposes.

In History, we have been learning all about the Great Fire of London. The children have been able to retell the events and explore the causes of the fire. They have also been able to use a variety of sources including pictures, diaries and artefacts to identify similarities and differences between the 17th and 21st century. In Geography we will be building on this knowledge, exploring modern day London in our Geography topic. We will use maps and aerial images to identify the location of our capital city and lots of its famous landmarks.

In RE, we have been learning all about Christianity, specifically kindness. The children have been exploring whether it is possible to be kind to everyone all of the time. We’ve been reading stories from the Bible to discuss how Christians believe Jesus showed kindness. Later this term, we will be exploring the Christmas story and why this is an important time of year for Christians.

In Art, we have been exploring the work of Vincent Van Gogh. We have explored his work, completing our own studies and discussing how his work makes us feel. The children have particularly enjoyed using lots of swirly movements to capture the feel of A Starry Night. We even got to make our own paint, just like Van Gogh would have done! In our DT topic, we will be looking at puppets, designing and making a puppet for someone special.

In PE, we have been learning all about ball skills. We’ve been practising rolling, throwing, kicking and passing. Before playing small games to develop these skills further. Since October half term, we have started to explore movements and patterns in dance.

In PSHE, we have been thinking all about our new year group and all of the ways we can work together to make our classroom a supportive learning environment. For the second half of term, we have been looking at differences and how we can accept and celebrate everyone for who they are.

Finally, to end the term, Year 2 will be putting on the Manland Nativity, along with Year 1 and Reception. We’re really excited to show everyone in December!

Summer 2025

Year 2 have a very busy term ahead, with lots of engaging projects.

In English, the children have been writing their own quest stories.  They loved coming up with the challenges their characters could face on their journeys.  They have also been exploring poetry, The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.  After half term, Year 2 will be exploring the work of Anthony Browne as well as explaining the life cycle of plants.

In Maths, Year 2 have been exploring units of measure.  They have been able to identify and pour litres and millilitres which they really enjoyed in the sun.  We have been building on our knowledge of fractions.  We are looking forward to telling the time, using the clocks to tell the time to 5 minutes.  We will be interpreting and recording data as well as exploring position and direction later in the term.

In History, Year 2 have been learning all about significant British monarchs.  They have explored how the role of a monarch has changed over three different historical periods as well as how life has changed during these times.  After half term, we will be moving onto Geography and comparing the physical and human geography of Cairo to that of London.

In Science, we have continued our unit on plants.  The class have been exploring the different conditions plants need to grow.  They have conducted an experiment to find which are the most important – make sure to have a look at the plants growing in our classroom window!  After half term, the children will be building on their knowledge of animals, exploring living things and their habitats.

This term in RE, we are learning about the Islamic religious world view. We have been exploring the importance of the prophet Muhammad to Muslims and how his actions affect the way they live their lives.  After half term, we will be finding out about the importance of the Qur’an to Muslims.

In PE, Year 2 have been developing and practising their cricket and tennis skills.  We have been developing hand-eye coordination.  They have enjoyed exploring all of the different roles to play in the game.  After half term they will be practising different athletic disciplines, ready for sports day.

In Computing, the children have been working in groups to develop and make their own stop motion animations.  They have explored different materials to make figures and scenery as well as the exploring the best ways to set up their equipment.  They can’t wait to share their films with you.

In Art, we have been exploring architecture.  We have explored the work of different architects and are looking forward to out walk into Harpenden to sketch the different architectural features we see.  In DT we will be exploring mechanisms to design and build cars.

In PSHE, Year 2 have been exploring the relationships they have with people at home, school and out of school.  They have explored the positive behaviour they can show towards each other and the people they can trust if they have worries.  After half term, the children will be exploring changes, as they prepare for Year 3.