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Welcome to the Early Years Foundation Stage
The Early Years Foundation Stage (E.Y.F.S.) is the stage of education for children from birth to the end of F2 (Reception Year). At Lift St Helen’s we offer education from the age of 3 years. Within our EYFS unit provision we learn through play and hands-on experiences. We know children learn best through play and active learning. We also have a great emphasis on communication and language development.
Throughout the year we cover a range of themes and topics. These include seasonal themes like Autumn linking stories and provision so children can learn in an holistic way. We look at key celebrations and events which are relevant to our children like Christmas and Easter but also Anti bullying week, Black History Month, Children in Need to name a few. Each half term we provide a hook into learning based on a theme, this year these are: ourselves, colour and light, once upon a time, minibeast, journeys and adventures.
Keeping Literacy (language and communication) at the heart of the curriculum, each theme is explored with a range of carefully chosen stories/texts. Children are offered a range of experiences both indoors and outdoors linked to our theme to inspire them and develop the love of learning in a carefully planned environment with skilful practitioners.
Our parent communication app called dojo allows parents to see what is happening with our EYFS and also allows families to send learning from home to be shared with the practitioners.
Wow moments
We love watching your child grow and develop in our EYFS. We
Would love to celebrate their achievements from home and school, We love to hear about things your child has done outside school. These ‘WOW moments’. Can tell us anything of interest or an achievement you would like to share. For example counting to 20, riding a bike or a swimming award.
Please either send these into school or send via message on DoJo.
Nursery
Within our Nursery provision children can attend 15 hours or for the 30 hours entitlement. The Nursery education at Lift St Helens ensures all prime areas of curriculum are at the centre of the teaching and provision.
Nursery children participate in a physical education session each Friday focusing on core physical skills like balance, coordination, body strength and crucial gross motor skills.
Each week Nursery children have the opportunity to take home a story book from our loaning library to share at home.
Reception
From the first week of Reception, children take part in Read Write Inc (RWI) daily phonic session which follows a programme to ensure all children succeed.
Reception children will bring home weekly learning at home activities to support what we have covered in class and their phonics journey.
Each week they have a PE session. The children come to school in their PE kits, wearing their house colour t-shirt. The day for this can change, so please check on DoJo.
Each week your child will bring home a library book to share at home and, once they are ready, an online phonics linked book.
At Lift St Helen’s we use an app called Boom Reader. This app replaces paper reading records and allows parents, children and staff to log reading entries for reading in school and reading at home.
For more information about Boom Reader check out the parent video guide attached below:
https://www.boomreader.co.uk/parents
At the end of Reception we will complete the Early years profile. The E.Y.F.S. Profile is a summative assessment of each child’s progress towards the Early Learning Goals. The profile is completed at the end of the year. It shows your child’s development and areas for further support. Throughout the year there are opportunities to discuss your child’s development and also take part in sessions linked to how your child learns at school so you can support at home.
Early Years Foundation Stage Guide
Welcome to Year 1!
In Year 1, children complete lots of engaging curriculum topics, such as ‘Amazing Animals’ in Science, transport and toys through the years in History and learning all about our amazing United Kingdom in Geography. Through our English curriculum, pupils will engage in texts, such as ‘Lost and Found’ by Oliver Jeffers and ‘The Bear and Piano’ by David Litchfield, which will support and build on their ability to structure and write sentences independently, whilst also developing their creativity too. In Maths, children will focus on developing their foundational knowledge and skills they gained in EYFS, to deepen their understanding further in different maths topics. Children will complete units around numbers to 100, shape, time and multiplication and division. Throughout Year 1, pupils will experience many exciting enrichment opportunities, including educational visits, all carefully chosen to build on and enhance their exciting curriculum learning, making Year 1 a truly memorable experience!
Homework
Every Friday, your child will be sent home with their homework sheet and will have a phonics, spelling and arithmetic task to complete. Homework sheets must be returned by Friday of the following week. As well as this children will receive a new phonics e-book every Friday, based on the child’s reading ability.
PE Days
P.E days may change; we will inform parents which day it will be via Class Dojo.
Reading
Our aim is for every child to read at home at least four times per week; your child will receive a new phonics ebook every Friday, accessed by an Oxford Owl login.
At Lift St Helen’s we use an app called Boom Reader. This app replaces paper reading records and allows parents, children and staff to log reading entries for reading in school and reading at home.
For more information about Boom Reader check out the parent video guide attached below:
https://www.boomreader.co.uk/parents
Welcome to Year 2!
In Year 2, we love to make learning hands-on and exciting so that children can really immerse themselves in their subjects. We begin the year with the dramatic events of the Great Fire of London, bringing history to life through stories, role play and creative activities. Later, we turn our attention to Kings and Queens, exploring how they shaped our country and the legacy they left behind. Our geography lessons take children on a journey around the world as they discover the continents and oceans, before comparing life in the UK with Africa. In science, we investigate animals and their habitats, encouraging curiosity and a love of the natural world. Computing lessons are full of problem-solving fun, as children learn to create simple algorithms and debug code. Reading and writing are inspired by wonderful picture books such as There’s Not a Dragon in This Story, The Velveteen Rabbit and Hodgeheg. These stories spark imagination and help children develop their own voices as writers. In maths, we build on the number facts learned in Year 1, moving into more challenging addition and subtraction, learning to cross ten within addition and subtraction, tackling the 3 times tables, and solving word problems with growing confidence. By the end of the year, children will have enjoyed a broad and balanced curriculum that nurtures their curiosity, creativity and independence, while preparing them for the exciting challenges of Key Stage 2.
Homework
Every Friday, your child will be sent home with their homework books and will have a maths task and english task to complete as well as their weekly spelling list. Homework must be returned by Friday of the following week.
PE Days
P.E days may change. We will inform parents which day it will be via Class Dojo weekly.
Reading
Our aim is for every child to read at home at least four times per week; your child will always have a reading book to take home.
At Lift St Helen’s we use an app called Boom Reader. This app replaces paper reading records and allows parents, children and staff to log reading entries for reading in school and reading at home.
For more information about Boom Reader check out the parent video guide.
Children’s reading books will be accessed online via Oxford Owl unless a paper copy is requested.
Welcome to Year 3!
Year 3 is a thrilling step in your child's learning journey, filled with exciting discoveries, creative writing, and hands-on experiences. We focus on building deep knowledge and ensuring every lesson is a memorable adventure! We become geologists! We investigate Rocks and Fossils, learning how the Earth changes and how things become petrified. We also explore Forces and Magnets, conducting experiments to understand push, pull, and attraction. In History we travel back in time to the Stone Age, exploring how early humans lived, hunted, and created tools and art. In Geography we investigate our local area, studying Settlements and Land Use to understand how places develop. We also embark on a continental journey to learn about Europe, exploring its countries and diverse landscapes. We engage with truly captivating texts that inspire reading and writing. We'll be exploring the magical world of The BFG by Roald Dahl, delving into poetry with Cloudbusting by Malorie Blackman, and enjoying the adventure of The Queen's Nose by Dick King-Smith. Our core focus is on building deep mathematical understanding. We ensure children don't just know how to solve a problem, but why the method works, setting a strong foundation for all future mathematics. Throughout Year 3, our pupils experience exciting enrichment opportunities and educational visits. These are carefully chosen to build on and enhance their classroom learning, connecting topics like the Stone Age or local settlements to real-world experiences, making it a truly unforgettable year!
Homework
Every Friday, your child will be sent home with their homework books and will have a maths task and english task to complete as well as their weekly spelling list. Homework must be returned by Friday of the following week.
PE Days
P.E days may change. We will inform parents which day it will be via Class Dojo weekly.
Reading
Our aim is for every child to read at home at least four times per week; your child will always have a reading book to take home.
At Lift St Helen’s we use an app called Boom Reader. This app replaces paper reading records and allows parents, children and staff to log reading entries for reading in school and reading at home.
For more information about Boom Reader check out the parent video guide.
Welcome to Year 4!
In Y4, children dive into some thrilling curriculum topics, like exploring electricity and building working circuits in Science, stepping back into the past to uncover the secrets of Roman Britain in History, and journeying to the magnificent Amazon Rainforest in Geography. Through our English curriculum pupils engage with truly captivating texts, including Varjak Paw by S.F. Said and The Explorer by Katherine Rundell, which will inspire their own reading and writing. In Maths, we focus on building deep mathematical understanding, with a crucial emphasis on mastering multiplication tables as we prepare for the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC). Throughout year 4, our pupils experience many exciting enrichment opportunities, including educational visits, all carefully chosen to build on and enhance their exciting curriculum learning, making Year 4 a truly memorable experience!
Homework
Every Friday, your child will be sent home with their homework books and will have a maths task and english task to complete as well as their weekly spelling list. Homework must be returned by Friday of the following week.
PE Days
P.E days may change. We will inform parents which day it will be via Class Dojo weekly.
Reading
Our aim is for every child to read at home at least four times per week; your child will always have a reading book to take home.
At Lift St Helen’s we use an app called Boom Reader. This app replaces paper reading records and allows parents, children and staff to log reading entries for reading in school and reading at home.
For more information about Boom Reader check out the parent video guide.
Welcome to Year 5!
In Year 5, children will explore engaging curriculum topics, such as Earth and Space in Science, Anglo-Saxon and Viking Britain in History, and discovering the different biomes of the world in Geography. In our English curriculum, pupils engage with inspiring texts including Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo and Cogheart by Peter Bunzl, which will provide the stimulus for exciting reading and writing lessons. In Maths, we focus on building deep mathematical understanding and preparing the children for Year 6 and beyond through our focus on mastering the four operations and becoming fluent with fractions, decimals and percentages. Throughout Year 5, our pupils experience many exciting enrichment opportunities, such as visiting Jorvik Viking Centre in York to support our learning on the Vikings and taking part in the Bikeability programme through Barnsley Council. Year 5 pupils also take their first steps into pupil leadership by being encouraged to be playground leaders.
Homework
Every Friday, your child will be sent home with their homework books and will have a maths task and english task to complete as well as their weekly spelling list. Homework must be returned by Friday of the following week.
PE Days
P.E days may change; we will inform parents which day it will be via Class Dojo.
Reading
Our aim is for every child to read at home at least four times per week; your child will always have a reading book to take home.
At Lift St Helen’s we use an app called Boom Reader. This app replaces paper reading records and allows parents, children and staff to log reading entries for reading in school and reading at home.
For more information about Boom Reader check out the parent video guide.
Welcome to Year 6!
In Y6, children embark on an exciting academic journey as they prepare for the next stage of their education. Through our English curriculum, pupils engage with a vast array of high-quality texts, including Wonder, Holes, Letters from the Lighthouse and works by Shakespeare, which will inspire their own reading and writing. In Maths, the focus is on consolidating years of arithmetic skills and successfully applying these core understandings to a range of challenging reasoning and problem-solving tasks. The History curriculum delves into the fascinating world of the Ancient Greeks and explores the complex themes of conflict and resolution during both World Wars. In Science, pupils investigate topics like Classification, the properties of light and adaptations in living things. Geography focuses on global challenges such as climate change and world trade, alongside developing skills to locate places accurately on maps. Our pupils work hard to achieve greatness in their SATs exams, developing crucial test-taking skills, which will prepare them for their next academic journey. Furthermore, pupils take part in a residential trip, which is designed to develop resilience, team-work and confidence, alongside many other educational visits to enhance their understanding of the world. The year ends in a special graduation ceremony to celebrate their incredible hard work and achievements! I can’t wait to see what else we can discover!
Homework
Every Friday, your child will be sent home with their homework books and will have a maths task and english task to complete as well as their weekly spelling list. Homework must be returned by Friday of the following week.
As we approach SATs, your child will be sent home with three CGP revision booklets for Maths, Reading and SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar). There will be one mini activity per book, per week to complete. These are 10 minute activities and will replace the arithmetic task within their homework book. Your child will still be given weekly spellings to practise for their weekly spelling test.
PE Days
P.E days may change. We will inform parents which day it will be via Class Dojo weekly.
Reading
Our aim is for every child to read at home at least four times per week; your child will always have a reading book to take home.
At Lift St Helen’s we use an app called Boom Reader. This app replaces paper reading records and allows parents, children and staff to log reading entries for reading in school and reading at home.
For more information about Boom Reader check out the parent video guide.
SATs
The Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Assessments (often called SATs) are taken by all Year 6 children at the end of primary school. They provide a measure of your child's attainment and progress in core subjects compared to other children nationally. Our main goal is for every child to approach these tests feeling calm, confident, and prepared to simply show what they know. The tests are held over four days in May. The 2026 dates are Monday 11th May to Thursday 14th May. We are working hard in school to prepare your child, focusing on consolidating knowledge and developing test techniques. Please feel free to reach out to the Year 6 team if you have any questions or would like to know more about how you can support your child's preparation.
Lift St Helen's
St Helen's Way
Monk Bretton
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S71 2PS
