Hedgehogs - Year 2

Welcome to Hedgehog class! On Monday and Tuesday, we are taught by Mr Lester, who has been teaching at Bedwell for 8 years and is brilliant at drama and computing. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays our teacher is Mrs Rose, who has been teaching at Bedwell for 11 years. She really likes science and storytelling, and is determined to make our lessons as much fun as possible!

Home learning ideas:

  • Constant practice of reading and phonics is just about the most valuable thing you can do at home. Try to read with your child as often as possible and talk to them about what they’ve read. We've put together some advice and guidance on using the books your child will bring home, here.
  • It’s Safer Internet Day on February 10th, so this is a good opportunity for us all to talk about the way that we stay safe online. This year’s focus is on learning to use AI safely - you can find out more at saferinternet.org.uk/ 
  • Explore some of our local habitats and see what different living things you can find there - what differences can you see between the park, woodland, back gardens and farmers fields? What things do the animals that live in these places eat? How do they keep themselves safe? Which of them would be happy living in your garden?
  • Try to learn where things are in the world on maps or globes. Can your child find and name all of the world’s continents and oceans? Can they find the UK and any other countries that are important to your family on a map?

Our latest news:

  • Our history topic has seen us learning about the Great Fire of London. As part of this unit, we compared firefighting in the past with firefighting in the present day, and were invited to Stevenage Firestation to meet a team of firefighters. The best part of the day was when we climbed up into the fire engine and got to use the hose!
    •  
     
  • We have enjoyed practising and getting ready for our performance of Knock Knock. We loved learning the songs, actions and words, and loved performing the finished show. Thank you to everyone who came to watch us. 
    •  
     
  • We had a fantastic visit to see Goldilocks in Milton Keynes on the 10th December. It was a great day out and we all loved getting to join in with the show by laughing, singing and booing. We were especially excited when two children from our school were invited on stage to sing the final song with the star, Brian Conley! 
    •  
     
  • Year 2 were lucky enough to visit St Hugh and St John’s Church to learn more about the Christmas story. We listened carefully to the team of volunteers who told us all about Jesus’ journey and how his birth is celebrated by Christians around the world at Christmas. 
    •  
     

"Pupils are confident and have well-developed social skills… The school is a calm and orderly place in which to learn."

Ofsted report, 2022
We have been learning about... 

Maths - We have invested a lot of time into understanding the value of digits and representing numbers in different ways. We have explored new ways to solve mental calculation problems, and have used our ‘part-part-whole’ model to understand addition and subtraction.

 

English - As part of our learning in English, we studied the text Milo Imagines with World, which is all about a little boy with a big imagination. We used the story as a starting point for our own creative writing ideas and produced some wonderful setting descriptions, diary entries and short stories, all told from the viewpoint of Milo. We were encouraged to add interest to our work by using well-chosen verbs and adjectives to describe the setting. You can see some great examples of our work below: 

Milo sat on the train. Milo saw a lady with black hair. Milo imagined that the lady was a ballerina with yellow hair and a bright pink skirt and shirt. Milo saw a cool lady. Milo imagined that the lady was a skater with long brown hair and cool pink skates. Milo saw a smart baby with black hair. Milo imagined that smart baby was teaching letters to the naughty children in school. 

By Ella Nour 

Dear Diary, Today I went with my sister to the park. I saw the birds sitting in the tall tree. I heard the people coming in to the train. I saw my mum and she had made a new friend. I showed my mum my pictures it was so lovely. I felt happy because I saw my mum so I ran to her and hugged her. I went home on the train and I saw a smart boy. 

By Stefan 

The train clattered in the track. The car horn beeped loudly. The sun shined on the river. The dog slept in the warm dog bed. The birds slept in the tall, brown tree. 

By Ryan

This term's topics

English - Our first unit of the term is built around the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, using Little Red by Bethan Woolvin as our core text. We will collect descriptive language and will then use this to write a short setting description. We will explore the difference between statements, questions and commands, and will use co-ordinating conjunctions to link ideas. We will finish the unit by writing our own versions of the story opening. After that, we will move on to look at non-chronological reports. We will continue to develop our understanding of conjunctions, questions and statements, and will then combine these skills to write a report about an animal of our choice.

Maths - First up, we will be developing our understanding of money, exploring different ways to make a given total by combining different coins, and then becoming shopkeepers and working out how much change to give our customers. After that, we will be focussing on measures, measuring and comparing lengths, masses and capacities and then using these skills to solve problems. Later in the term, we will be moving on to look at statistics, starting by using tally charts and tables to collect information, and then presenting this data using pictograms and block charts. Throughout the term we will also be working hard to secure our knowledge of number facts, doubles and halves.

Science - We will be exploring the different places where animals live and thinking about the ways in which they are adapted to suit that habitat. We will investigate the things that they eat, the way that they protect themselves and the types of homes that they make. We will focus in particular on seaside habitats and the creatures that we find there.

Humanities - We will be learning all about life in India this term. It’s a huge, diverse country, so we will explore the different landscapes and habitats, from the Himalayan mountains of the north to the rainforests and deserts of the west to the bustling cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. We will investigate food, clothes, music, schools and homes, and begin to compare life in the UK with life in India. Throughout the topic we will also be developing our map skills, locating India (as well as the UK and the seven continents) on a variety of maps and globes. In RE we will be exploring the question, ‘Why should we care for the world?’ We will build on our understanding of creation stories from different religions and think about the relationship between humans and nature.

Take a look at our curriculum map for more information on our topics.

Early Years Admissions  

If you're looking for a place in Nursery or Reception, you can find out lots more about our school in our Early Years Prospectus.

We're always keen to show potential new applicants around - just get in touch with the school office to arrange a tour. 

Once you're ready to apply, head to the admissions page to find out more about the process - we run Nursery admissions ourselves, but from Reception upwards, these need to be made via Herts County Council.