Half-termly topics
This half term, the children were introduced to our new topic: exploring the wider world through colours. Through a rich range of stories, discussions and hands-on experiences, students developed an understanding of the wider world and celebrated both diversity and similarity across different cultures.
In literacy, we read All the Colours of the Earth by Moira Butterfield and One World, One Day by Barbara Kerley. These texts encouraged the children to explore the lives, homes and daily routines of children from around the world. They sequenced events from the stories, compared routines with their own and discussed how, although our lives may look different, we share many common experiences. The children also explored maps and globes, learning how to interpret symbols, pictures and colours to locate different countries and continents.
In maths, learning was linked closely to real-life global contexts. The children matched famous landmarks to their countries and explored whole–part–whole problems through sharing food from around the world. They measured and compared the heights of landmarks, identified the tallest structures and compared the weights of animals from different habitats. They also counted distances between places they would like to visit and, in geometry, explored 2D shapes and repeating patterns found in flags from across the world.
In science, the children explored food and planting products from different parts of the world, learning where everyday items come from. They investigated a range of habitats and how animals obtain their food, as well as exploring global building materials and why certain materials are used in different climates, such as wool in colder regions. The children also discussed clothing choices around the world and how these are influenced by weather and environment.
In PSHE, the students developed an understanding of communities both locally and globally. They created community maps, celebrated world cultures through cooking activities and explored the idea of universal rights. They learned about community roles, people who help us and the importance of caring for our environment, encouraging responsibility and respect for the world around them.
In art, students expressed their learning creatively by making collages of global buildings, designing flags and meaningful symbols, and painting landscapes inspired by different parts of the world. They also created artwork linked to our planet and the solar system and took inspiration from festivals celebrated across different cultures.
In geography, the children learned about continents and oceans and explored both human and natural landmarks. They enjoyed a scavenger hunt activity placing flags on a globe, which helped strengthen their map skills and deepen their understanding of where countries are located in relation to one another.
In music, the children went on an instrumental journey around the world, exploring music and dance from different cultures. They created musical stories inspired by the world around them, composed pieces to represent different types of weather and learned songs in a variety of languages, developing both musical skills and cultural awareness.
This half term, the children took part in a wide range of cultural, social and religious celebrations, as well as special awareness days, which supported their understanding of the world and helped develop important social, emotional and creative skills.
To celebrate the New Year, the children explored fireworks through art and discussion. They created their own firework pictures by tracing and repeating patterns, experimenting with bright colours and identifying primary and secondary ones. They also talked about new beginnings and set simple personal targets, sharing what they would like to learn or improve as the year progresses, helping to develop confidence and self-reflection.
For Walker Books Day, the children enjoyed reading a selection of stories published by Walker Books, including favourites such as We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, alongside other well-loved picture books. They explored the role of an author and an illustrator, discussing how stories are created and how pictures help to tell a story. The children then created their own illustrations, using their imagination to bring stories to life.
During Religions Week, the students learned about different religions represented in our community. They went on local walks to observe places of worship and explored a range of religious symbols, learning about their meanings. Through stories and myths linked to different faiths, the children developed respect and understanding for different beliefs and traditions.
As part of Energy Saving Week, the children learned about ways they can help care for the planet. They discussed everyday actions such as switching off lights, unplugging devices and wearing warm clothing to reduce energy use. They also took part in a simple experiment to explore how wearing layers helps keep us warm, encouraging curiosity and early scientific thinking.
For National Storytelling Week, the students explored myths and traditional stories from around the world. They engaged enthusiastically in role play, retelling familiar stories and creating their own imaginative narratives. This supported their language development, creativity and confidence in expressing ideas.
On Safer Internet Day, the children learned about how to stay safe online. They discussed what information is safe to share and what should be kept private, and talked about the importance of not communicating with strangers online. To reinforce the message, the children enjoyed an internet-free day, spending time playing board games together and developing turn-taking, cooperation and social skills.
The half term ended with a cosy Pyjama Day, where the children came to school dressed comfortably. They enjoyed listening to bedtime stories while relaxing on yoga mats and took part in wellbeing activities, including yoga, mindfulness and simple breathing exercises. These activities encouraged calmness, emotional awareness and the importance of looking after both body and mind.
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This half term, the children enjoyed a range of both familiar and new experiences beyond the classroom, which enriched their learning and supported their personal, social and physical development.
Every Tuesday, we continued our regular visits to Lady Allen Playground. These trips provided valuable opportunities for the children to develop their social and communication skills as they play together, negotiat turn-taking and engaged in imaginative role play. They also strengthened their gross motor skills by climbing, balancing, running and experimenting with large pieces of equipment, exploring the playground’s wider spaces, including gardening areas, reading corners and role-play zones.
Our weekly walks to Earlsfield Library remain a much-loved part of the week. These visits help foster a love of reading as the children explored a wide range of books and stories. They work on respecting shared spaces, handling books carefully and taking turns, while enjoying a calm and social experience alongside their friends. These visits also support early literacy skills and encouraged children to see reading as an enjoyable part of everyday life.
This half term, Crimson class also took part in swimming lessons, working towards their physical education goals. The children developed confidence in the water by learning how to float, move safely and follow pool rules. Through playful activities and guided practice, they improved their coordination, strength and water awareness, while building resilience and self-belief.
We also enjoyed a special visit to the Paddington Bear Experience. The children immersed themselves in Paddington’s world, taking part in problem-solving activities as they followed clues and completed challenges. The experience ended with the children making orange marmalade, linking learning to real-life experiences. We then celebrated Marmalade Day with a joyful festival of colour, music, dancing and shared fun, creating lasting memories for everyone involved!
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This half term, the children took part in a range of creative competitions that encouraged imagination, writing and a deeper connection with the world around them.
We entered the ISA Comic Strip Competition, supported by the Cartoon Museum, inspired by the chosen theme: Animal Picnic. The children used provided templates and speech bubbles to plan and write dialogue for their comics, before illustrating their own characters and scenes. This activity supported storytelling skills, creativity and an understanding of how pictures and text work together to tell a story.
We also participated in the SENSE Poetry Competition run by Young Writers. The children wrote poems inspired by a chosen scene, such as winter, and explored descriptive language using their senses. With the help of sentence starters like I see, I hear and I smell, they created thoughtful and imaginative poems that captured mood, detail and personal response.
Finally, the whole school took part in a competition organised by Wandsworth borough titled Our Beautiful Neighbourhood. The children visited local parks and natural spaces within our borough, where they explored the environment and collected natural treasures such as conkers, leaves and sticks. They also took photographs of the nature around them and used these to create a collaborative collage celebrating the beauty of our local area. We are delighted that this artwork will be displayed in Tooting Market and Southside Shopping Centre, and we cannot wait to see it showcased for the wider community to enjoy!
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This half term has focused on exploring the world, celebrating both differences and similarities, and learning about the human aspect of our planet. The children explored how people live, the amazing things they have built and created, and how humans adapt their lives to different environments around the world.
Next half term, our learning will move towards Exploring Nature Through Colours. The students will explore natural phenomena such as seasons, weather, plants, animals and landscapes, observing colours in the natural world and how these change over time. They will also learn how to respect and care for nature, developing an understanding of how to look after living things and the environment.
In the lead-up to Easter, we will be welcoming eggs into the school and observing them hatch into ducklings. This exciting experience will give the children a hands-on opportunity to learn about life cycles, growth and caring for living animals. We cannot wait!
