Year 2

“Year 2 are ready for any challenges that might come along and will take them all confidently in their stride”

Year 2 has had a very busy and productive year at the top of the Infant School. In Autumn, we had a windy walk to Liphook train station and doctor’s surgery as part of a topic on map-making. We looked at all the local landmarks we could use for a map and even got the chance to meet some of the people who work in the town, including the lovely bakers who gave us some treats for the end of our walk. Upon our return, we retraced our steps using Google Maps and then made amazing maps with labels and keys, as well as enjoying some delicious cakes and doughnuts! Our history topics included Remembrance Day, so Year 2 visited Bramshott Church to see the War memorial and churchyard. Everyone was fascinated by the monuments and memorials to the 300 Canadian soldiers who died during or shortly after the First World War. In the Spring Term, Year 2 learned about Florence Nightingale as we continued to study the past and compare and contrast it with our lives. We had great fun sharing information about Florence’s life with the school and our parents in a class assembly, particularly enjoying dressing up and performing the roles of the nurses and soldiers in the Crimean War. As part of a topic on materials, we enjoyed a wonderfully busy day at the Winchester Science Centre. We started with a visit to the Planetarium and looked at the different constellations, the planets, and explored the universe, flying around through space with help from our guide. We then learned about matter and saw some exceptions to the normal rules creating slime. The children then explored the rest of the centre, trying on space suits, competing in running races, and launching parachutes! The Summer Term brought about a unique learning experience as we spent much of it learning from home and communicating at a distance and through virtual meetings. As they continued to develop their writing and maths skills, the children impressed throughout with their growing independence and creativity. With virtual tours replacing real life school trips we learned about seaside holiday locations and all fell in love with St Ives. We then compared our holidays with those in the Victorian times, writing diaries as Victorian holidaymakers and menus for the cafés that might have been.

It was wonderful to see so many children return at the end of the term to complete the year and the Infants, albeit in our new-found bubbles. Year 3 is always a new adventure as the children move up into the Juniors. This year lockdown has shown that Year 2 are ready for any challenges that might come along and will take them all confidently in their stride.