Badgers

What a brilliant spring half-term it has been for our Year 2 children! They have shown outstanding enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication across all areas of their learning, and we couldn't be prouder of everything they've achieved.

In English, the children have been completely captivated by the atmospheric story 'The Dark'. They've worked collaboratively in teams to edit and annotate a readers' theatre script, adding notes to show extra emotion and drama before bringing it to life through performance. The children created detailed story maps, sequencing the story from memory and adding sentences to explain their illustrations of key events. They then took on the challenging and imaginative task of writing from the Dark's viewpoint – producing some wonderfully creative writing! The children have also been mastering expanded noun phrases, using adjectives to describe settings and characters with increasing sophistication. As part of their English learning, each child made a beautiful Glow Jar, bringing their writing to life in a practical and creative way.

Earlier in the half-term, the children wrote imaginative sequels to 'Traction Man', inventing new villains, gadgets and daring rescues. They worked hard to include exciting vocabulary and clear story structure, showing excellent progress in their narrative writing skills.

Maths has been full of exciting developments! The children completed their work on multiplication and division, learning the 5 and 10 times tables and how to divide by 5 and 10. They explored sharing using real-life objects, making these concepts feel concrete and meaningful, and have been using their 2, 5 and 10 times tables to solve calculations quickly, building both speed and fluency. The children have now started their measurement topic, where they've been learning to use a ruler to measure accurately in centimetres – an important practical skill they're developing beautifully. Earlier in the term, they took their first steps into multiplication by adding equal groups and using practical resources and drawings to understand how multiplication links to repeated addition.

Science Week was a definite highlight of the term! Our focus was on growth – exploring what it means and looking at the variety of things that grow in our world. The children studied the life cycle of a frog, following the fascinating journey from tadpole to frog, and used play dough to model each stage with impressive accuracy. We also went on an offspring hunt, matching photos of baby animals to their fully grown counterparts – and discovered just how adorable a baby sloth is! To finish, we matched baby photos to members of staff, with some sharp eyes spotting shared features – it made for lots of laughter and memorable moments. The children also planned their own party, carefully considering which sustainable materials they could use to help protect our environment, showing thoughtful ideas about reducing waste and making eco-friendly choices. Later in the term, they researched animals using books and computers and created detailed, well-presented fact files.

In Geography, the children explored the fascinating comparison between the Arctic and the Antarctic. They investigated the differences and similarities across four areas – landscape, climate, wildlife and plants. The children discovered how the two regions differ in terrain, with Antarctica being a vast frozen continent and the Arctic a frozen ocean. They looked at how the climate in both places is extreme, yet varies in temperature and conditions. The children also explored the unique wildlife found in each region – from polar bears in the Arctic to penguins in the Antarctic – and discussed why different species are found where they are. They finished by examining how plant life manages to survive in such harsh conditions, sparking wonderful discussions about adaptation.

History brought some incredible learning moments! The children explored the first moon landing with great enthusiasm. They particularly enjoyed hot seating Neil Armstrong, asking thoughtful and interesting questions that showed real engagement with this historic event. Earlier in the term, they learned about the inspiring life of Amelia Earhart, discovering her pioneering achievements and determination.

In RE, the children revisited the concept of Jesus as a rescuer through Bible stories. They looked at paintings and discussed how they tell stories, thinking carefully about how the characters in the feeding of the 5,000 might have felt. As Easter approached, we learned about the Easter story together and the children designed beautiful Easter gardens, which they were very excited to create.

PE has been brilliant! The children continued with invasion games, using goals as targets and working as teams to attack and defend. They've been applying tactical thinking and communicating well, showing real development in their teamwork and strategic skills.

Art lessons have been wonderfully creative! The children created abstract relief maps using a variety of materials to explore texture, experimenting with different techniques and showing great artistic flair.

In Design Technology, the children proudly finished their moving monsters – a project that taught them valuable lessons about mechanisms, testing, and the design process. Their finished products looked fantastic and really worked!

Mental Health Week was a special time for our whole school community. The children loved coming together to create a human rainbow, celebrating diversity and talking about ways to look after our wellbeing. We also designed a beautiful class mosaic to celebrate how unique and special we all are, and how we each belong to the Fetcham Village community – a touching reminder of our school values.

The children have been absolute stars preparing for our Easter assemblies, learning their songs with enthusiasm and performing with confidence and joy. Their hard work and dedication have been wonderful to see.

Year 2 have had an absolutely fantastic spring half-term, and we are so proud of their achievements, their enthusiasm, and the kind, caring way they approach their learning every single day. Well done, Year 2 – you've been amazing!