Year 2 2026-2027

Welcome to the Year 2 Page! This page will help explain some of the awesome learning taking place in our year group!

What's in the box?

On Monday, a mysterious box arrived at school, sparking excitement and curiosity across the classroom. As the children carefully explored its contents, they discovered a fascinating collection of objects, including binoculars, a captain’s hat and jacket, old dolls, a mysterious item that smelled of coal, and a red flag with a white star, alongside many other intriguing artefacts.

The children quickly began making connections and suggested that the items may have belonged to passengers and crew aboard the Titanic. Their suspicions were soon confirmed when they uncovered newspaper reports detailing the Titanic disaster.

Inspired by their discovery, the children used a range of secondary sources to research the events surrounding the Titanic, learning about life on board and exploring the stories of significant individuals connected to the voyage. They then generated thoughtful questions that they would like to ask some of these historical figures. Through the wonders of modern technology, the children were given the unique opportunity to put their questions directly to one of these significant people, bringing history to life in an engaging and memorable way.

Healthy Bodies, Thoughtful Minds

The children began by exploring a fascinating question: Where does our food come from? They followed the journey of a humble chip, tracing its path all the way from the ground to their plate. This sparked lots of thoughtful discussions about the origins of their favourite foods and helped them develop a greater understanding of food production and healthy eating. Next, the children put their design skills to the test. Using the iterative design process, they carefully evaluated and critiqued a kebab made by their class teacher. After identifying ways it could be improved, they planned and designed their own fruit and vegetable kebabs, making sure they met a clear set of design criteria. The results were colourful, healthy, and far more appetising than the original! The highlight of the project was sharing their work at our Fighting Fit outcome event. The children proudly presented their delicious healthy snacks and eagerly invited parents to take part in a range of fitness circuits that they had thoughtfully planned. Families enjoyed getting active together while learning about the importance of making healthy choices. To complete the experience, the children also showcased their informative healthy living leaflets, confidently sharing the knowledge they had gained throughout the project. It was wonderful to see them acting as ambassadors for healthy lifestyles and celebrating all they had achieved.

To round off the week, the children enjoyed two RE re-immersion days exploring the theme of Creation. They learned about both the Christian and Hindu creation stories before sharing their own ideas about how the world began. We were impressed by their deep thinking, thoughtful questions, and the respectful way they listened to and discussed different beliefs and opinions.

The Great Heartbeat Investigation

This week, Year 2 became body experts as they explored the parts of the human body we cannot see, including the heart, lungs and skeleton. They investigated body facts, tested their ideas and discovered how our bodies work to keep us healthy. The children then got active, taking part in a range of physical challenges and observing the effects of exercise on their bodies. This sparked an exciting investigation into the question: Does exercise make your heart beat faster? Using their scientific enquiry skills, they planned and carried out their own investigation to find the answer. They also learned how to give clear instructions by directing friends through different exercises before creating fitness circuits complete with their own command sentences. It was a week full of curiosity, movement and discovery, with lots of opportunities to learn about keeping our bodies healthy and strong!

We also enjoyed our third Hampshire Cricket session this week. The children have loved developing their cricket skills through exciting games and interactive challenges, growing in confidence with every lesson.

Active bodies and active minds!

This week, Year 2 enjoyed a visit from a fitness expert. The children asked lots of thoughtful questions about the benefits of exercise, what she does to stay fit and healthy, what foods help us to keep our bodies healthy, and how much exercise we should be doing each day.

After learning all about healthy lifestyles, the children were challenged to create exercise circuits for the Crump family to help them improve their fitness. They carefully considered different activities and how these could support the family in becoming more active.

The children were introduced to a new type of word: adverbs. They brought their learning to life by acting out movements for their circuits, jumping carefully, stretching slowly, stamping loudly and receiving their medals proudly! It was a fantastic way to combine physical activity with learning new vocabulary.

Fighting Fit in Year 2

The Year 2 children were shocked when they discovered how the Crump family lived. They could not believe that Mrs Crump thought any food that was red was healthy! This surprising discovery inspired them to begin their Fighting Fit project, where they set out to learn as much as they could about healthy living so they could share their knowledge with the Crumps. Along the way, they have learned all about the five food groups and what makes a balanced diet. The children want to create a workshop to teach, not only the Crumps but also their families how to live a heathy life.

Welcome back to school Year 2!

What a fantastic first few days we have had in Year 2!

The children have settled brilliantly into their new classes and have been busy getting to know their new routines, reconnecting with friends and enjoying lots of learning together. We have been so impressed with how confidently they have embraced being the oldest children at Orchard!

We have already enjoyed our first visit to the school pond, where the children had the opportunity to explore, observe and begin thinking about how the pond might change throughout the year.

There have already been lots of smiles, laughter and enthusiasm in our classrooms, and it has been wonderful to see the children beginning their Year 2 adventure so positively.

We are really looking forward to an exciting year ahead and can’t wait to share all of our learning and adventures with you!

Well done, Year 2 – what a brilliant start!