This year the Year 1 class has been relocated to the ground floor of our school, we have recently received some enquires from parents and carers about the reason for this. The school is very excited about this change in practice as it is something we have been hoping to be able to do for a long time but have been unable to do so due to lack of space. This year, we are very fortunate that we have space on our ground floor for our Year 1 class, this means that Year 1 pupils will have access to an EYFS style classroom to support them with their transition onto a more formal Year 1 curriculum. Moving to Year 1 from EYFS is a big step for all children, in addition to this big step in your child’s learning journey, our current Year 1 pupils have also had a very unsettled start in Reception due to National Lockdowns and school closures which has made the transition to year 1 even more challenging. Children settle best into Year 1 when the transition is gradual and they are allowed to continue with a play based learning style curriculum with a mixture of indoor and outdoor learning experiences.  With this change our Year 1 children have access to their own outdoor area which means that they can access their learning outdoors throughout the day. We plan that the children will move upstairs into the main building after the Christmas break. Additionally, as we ease our COVID restrictions further, after half term Year 1 will be able to join Year 2 on the Key Stage 1 playground for playtimes and lunchtimes. We are very pleased that we are able to provide your child with the best possible start to Year 1 and look forward to seeing them grow and develop as the year progresses.