Purple Class
Welcome to Purple Class!
We are excited to begin the year with our vibrant group of 29 Year 1 children. Together, we’ll learn, laugh, and explore the world around us. Our teaching team includes Mrs Wheeler (Mondays) and Mrs Sallis (Tuesday–Friday), with the wonderful Miss Powell supporting us throughout the week.
This term, the children will take on the roles of explorers, historians, storytellers, scientists, and creators!
Autumn 1 – Geography: We’ll be budding Geographers, discovering our place in the world. The children will use maps to locate the United Kingdom, explore its countries, and investigate the physical and human features around our school. We’ll even think of creative ways to improve and enhance our playground.
Autumn 2 – History: We’ll step back in time to explore how toys have changed through history. Children will compare old and new toys, examine different materials, and reflect on how play has evolved over the years. We’ll also invite them to share their favourite toys and think about what makes them special.
English: Enjoying Julia Donaldson’s stories, practising handwriting, and becoming confident writers with strong sentences and exciting vocabulary.
Maths: Building on Early Years number skills with place value, addition, subtraction, and shapes. Children will also have access to Doodlemaths for extra practice at home.
Science: Investigating materials, observing seasonal changes, and making discoveries outdoors in our natural spaces.
RE: Thinking about what it means to belong to a faith community.
Art: Experimenting with mark-making and drawing to spark creativity.
Music: Keeping a steady pulse, making rhythms, and exploring sound.
Computing: Developing key skills such as logging on and using a mouse and keyboard.
PSHE: Focusing on our monthly Value and British Values through Jigsaw and circle times.
In Purple Class, learning doesn’t stop when lessons finish — the children also learn through continuous provision. This means they have opportunities to explore, practise, and apply their skills in a variety of hands-on, purposeful activities.
Through continuous provision, the children are becoming independent learners who can:
Make choices about their learning.
Practise problem-solving and creativity.
Develop social and communication skills by working with others.
Apply knowledge from English, Maths, and other subjects in meaningful, practical ways.
This balance of structured teaching and independent exploration helps our children grow into confident, curious, and capable learners.
At the heart of Year 1 is reading — it unlocks every other subject and sparks a lifelong love of learning. In Purple Class, we make reading a daily adventure:
Daily Phonics: Every morning, children take part in structured phonics sessions to build their decoding, fluency, and spelling skills.
Reading in Class: We share rich, exciting texts (this term including favourites by Julia Donaldson) to inspire imagination, develop vocabulary, and model reading for pleasure.
Reading at Home: Books are changed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We encourage you to read with your child every day — even 10 minutes makes a huge difference. Please make sure books and diaries are in school daily.
Please click on the link to the phonics webpage for more information about our wonderful phonics teaching here at Ashperton.
Top Tips for Parents:
Ask questions about the story and characters.
Talk about how the story links to your child’s own experiences.
Read in short, focused bursts in a quiet place.
Remember — reading can be anything: books, comics, menus, signs, or magazines!
By working together, we can help every child in Purple Class grow into a confident, fluent reader who loves stories.
PE Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays — please ensure your child has a full, labelled PE kit including trainers.
Home Learning: Each week, you’ll receive a phonics newsletter to practise sounds and words at home. Just 5 minutes a day on Doodlemaths makes a big difference in supporting children's Maths journey.
We’re looking forward to an exciting term ahead. Thank you for your support — together, we’ll make this a wonderful year for your child!
Warm wishes,
Mrs Sallis & Mrs Wheeler
hsallis@ashperton.hereford.sch.uk
jwheeler@ashperton.hereford.sch.uk