Our Curriculum
What are we learning at Underhill?
There is always lots of exciting learning happening each day at Underhill. In the morning, the children focus on English and Maths and in the afternoon, the children learn the other foundation subjects. There are also lots of trips and experiences to enrich the children's learning along with special days, where we celebrate or mark religious festivals and other important days and events. Below you can see our curriculum maps, which will give you an overview of what your child will be learning this year.
Our Curriculum AIMS
●Broaden the children’s understanding of the world. (Be Caring)
●Spark their curiosity and imagination (Be Curious)
●Teach the children how to work collaboratively (Be Cooperative)
●Prepare them for life after Underhill (Be Confident)
●Make them lifelong readers
●Increase and improve their oracy skills
●Build on their physical and mental fitness
OUR Eyfs CURRICULUM in Action!
4.4.25 Tummy time Reading in Nursery
4.4.25 Tummy time Reading in Nursery
4.4.25 Tummy time Reading in Nursery
The children in Nursery love reading stories and looking at picture books. We read as a class every day and have a new story every week. Once a week we put on relaxing music and lay on our tummies for 'tummy time' reading. This enables the children develop their core strength which will help the children when they start to write.
28.3.25 Reception visit the library
4.4.25 Tummy time Reading in Nursery
4.4.25 Tummy time Reading in Nursery
This half term Reception have begun to explore the school library. Maple class really enjoying visiting the library. Here are some quotes from Maple class:
Zak said 'I like reading books I've never read before'.
Caitlin said she likes when an adult reads them a book when we are in the library.
'I like when I get new books' said Carey
Maple class would also like to say a big thank you to our head librarian Hannah and all the librarians in Years 3, 5 and 6 for making the library such a lovely place to visit and explore.
19.3.25 Fruit kebabs in Reception
4.4.25 Tummy time Reading in Nursery
14.3.25 Jack and the Beanstalk in Nursery
In the Reception classes this week, the children have made their own fruit kebabs as we have been enjoying the story 'Handa’s Surprise' as well as learning about healthy foods. The children loved designing and carefully making their kebabs. Some children even made some repeating patterns! The best bit of all was eating them altogether!
14.3.25 Jack and the Beanstalk in Nursery
14.3.25 Jack and the Beanstalk in Nursery
14.3.25 Jack and the Beanstalk in Nursery
This week, Nursery have been reading 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' The children have really enjoyed the part where the beanstalk grew and Jack saw the giant. Each child was given a 'magic bean' and they planted them in small pots. The children are going to carefully water their beans over the next few weeks to see if they turn into beanstalks!
6.3.25 - World Book Day in Nursery
14.3.25 Jack and the Beanstalk in Nursery
6.3.25 - World Book Day in Nursery
Nursery had a wonderful 'World Book Day.' The children came to school dressed as their favourite characters from their favourite stories. We played a game where the children had to guess who each other had dressed up as. When the children were guessing, they were all talking about their favourite books and saying 'I love that book' and 'I love it when my mummy reads me that book at home.' The children then made a character from a book they really enjoy. Can you guess what the different characters are?
4.3.25 - Pancake Day in EYFS
14.3.25 Jack and the Beanstalk in Nursery
6.3.25 - World Book Day in Nursery
This week, we celebrated Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Parents have been so generous and donated different types of pancakes, which the children taste tested. Maple class voted for the pancake they thought was best and decided it was a scotch pancake though were split on if it was better plain or with honey. This was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate events from different religions, practice our democracy skills and begin to explore food technology within design and technology.
Thank you so much to our wonderful parents for helping us provide these fun opportunities.
28.2.25 - Farm Shop Cafe in Reception
28.2.25 - Farm Shop Cafe in Reception
28.2.25 - Farm Shop Cafe in Reception
In Reception, our new topic is all about food and our big question is ‘Where does our food come from?’ To promote and support the children’s imagination and communication skills, we are developing our very own Beech Class Farm Shop cafe for the children to role play in! In anticipation of sunny spring weather, we have also set up our own picnic area. What would you order from our cafe?
Blossom Room in Action!
7.3.25 Lots of learning in Blossom!
7.3.25 Lots of learning in Blossom!
7.3.25 Lots of learning in Blossom!
The children have been having fun and doing lots of different activities to develop their emotional regulation and their attention along with their gross and fine motor skills. They have been learning about colour and made a colour monster painting together. It has been lovely weather all week so we have been enjoying our lunch outside this week. On Tuesday, it was Pancake Day and everyone tried some pancake!
5.3.25 Learning with light
7.3.25 Lots of learning in Blossom!
7.3.25 Lots of learning in Blossom!
Blossom room have really been enjoying the new light box. Today they have been exploring different shapes!
OUR KS1 CURRICULUM in Action!
4.4.25 Music Week in Year 1
28.3.25 Year 2 Out and About
28.3.25 Year 2 Out and About
It was music week this week and Year 1 did absolutely brilliantly. 'Dance Monkey' is now a top hit in our classroom and it instantly brings a smile to both the children's faces, and the staff. We were very proud how well the children performed to all the parents and carers on Wednesday!
We have been busy completing a sequence of science and art lessons which the children have loved. In Science we have been learning about animal groups, looking at their features and their diet. In art, we have been mixing primary colours and using several techniques to create abstract art!
28.3.25 Year 2 Out and About
28.3.25 Year 2 Out and About
28.3.25 Year 2 Out and About
We’ve had a fabulous week in Year 2, starting off with our local Geography trip to the Old Courthouse Park to record data on what plants and animals we saw. The children then enjoyed playing on the equipment. Thank you to the parents who came to support!
In Science, we were looking at patterns of growth and had some special guests from Nursery, Reception and Year 1 to help us.
In DT, the children got to make their own healthy wraps as well as use a grater to grate some cucumber. Most of the children thought their wraps were delicious. We may have some future chefs in the making!
21.3.25 Blast off in Year 1
28.3.25 Year 2 Out and About
14.3.25 Science and RE in Year 2
This week in Year 1, we’ve had a blast with some exciting lessons! We revisited one of our favourite science experiments from last week’s Science Week. The first attempt with mentos and Diet Coca Cola wasn’t a big success, but this time, it worked perfectly, and the children were amazed by the fizzy eruption!
In Art, we got creative with number paintings, using primary colours that blended beautifully into secondary colours. The children loved experimenting with colour mixing and seeing their artwork come to life!
In Literacy, we focused on analysing our example text. The children did an outstanding job of highlighting and making notes about important elements like capital letters, punctuation, headings, suffixes, and prefixes. Their attention to detail was fantastic, and they’ve really mastered the skill of text analysis!
In Computing, we’ve been having fun with Bee Bots! The children have been learning how to program the little robots to move in different directions.
14.3.25 Science and RE in Year 2
14.3.25 Science and RE in Year 2
14.3.25 Science and RE in Year 2
Year 2 have been immersing themselves in Science Week exploring the theme of 'Change and Adapt'. They thought about inventions that would change the world to help reduce climate change, and have also conducted an experiment to show how soap helps fight bacteria.
In RE we looked at forgiveness and made hands to remind us how important it is. We thought about the importance of showing forgiveness and helping each other to learn from our mistakes. We also thought about the importance of showing that we are sorry.
7.3.25 A busy week in Year 1
14.3.25 Science and RE in Year 2
28.2.25 - One Tree Day in Year 2
This week, in 1 Willow, we have been very busy in maths, learning how to accurately measure objects using a metre stick. It was quite tricky to start but we did it!
On Thursday, we really enjoyed World Book Day! The children looked fabulous in their World Book Day costumes and they all made some amazing book characters using a range of repurposed materials.
28.2.25 - One Tree Day in Year 2
14.3.25 Science and RE in Year 2
28.2.25 - One Tree Day in Year 2
Year 2 had a fantastic time celebrating One Tree Day on Friday. The children created some wonderful pieces of art using a mixture of leaves, twigs and sugar paper.
The Year 2 Bake Sale was a huge success and we want to thank all the parents and children who baked and provided some delicious treats which helped to raise funds for the school.
Our Lower KS2 Curriculum in Action!
4.4.25 The British Museum with Year 4
4.4.25 The British Museum with Year 4
4.4.25 The British Museum with Year 4
This week, Year 4 has been finishing our twisted fairy tales. We needed to write a letter to persuade the witch to return the happy endings and save bedtimes across the world! We have produced some amazing letters that use persuasive language so well, Year 4 are sure to defeat the witch with kindness. Stay tuned for our published pieces.
Year 4 also spent the day at the British Museum, where we saw the Sutton Hoo helmet and shield. During our history lessons, we studied pictures of them, so it was so exciting to see them in real life! We also saw many historical artefacts and even got to hold a Stone Age axe!
4.4.25 Designing castles in Year 3
4.4.25 The British Museum with Year 4
4.4.25 The British Museum with Year 4
This week during English, Year 3 wrote a letter to Jemmy Buttons family, talking about his experience in the city adn all the things he saw and did!
In Maths, Year 3 have been working hard in maths and finding equivalent fractions as well as adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. This can be challenging and the children did really well!
Look at the brilliant castles that Year 3 have been building! They used recycled cardboard boxes and made sure to include all the features of a castles.
21.3.25 Exciting learning in Year 3
4.4.25 The British Museum with Year 4
14.3.25 - Science Week and more in Year 3
Year 3 have had a fantastic week of learning. We have been finishing and publishing our Jemmy Button's narratives ready for our writing display. The children have worked really hard on writing their fantastic stories. We have been continuing our DT work and have designed our castle ready to start making our own in a few weeks. Today, we were very lucky to have a workshop from Three Discovery and the children learnt how to make their own digital comic books. They had a brilliant time creating their own stories and using the app to add photos, captions and stickers to make them look like a comic.
14.3.25 - Science Week and more in Year 3
14.3.25 - Science Week and more in Year 3
14.3.25 - Science Week and more in Year 3
It has been a fantastic week this week in year 3, filled with lots of learning and exciting experiments.
To celebrate this year’s science week, we have been looking at change and adapt and the children designed inventions that would help the human race. Keeping with the theme of the week we carried out an amazing investigation looking at how red cabbage reacts with different chemicals.
In English we have been developing our writing skills and we are writing a return narrative based on the story of Jemmy Button. For maths we have been exploring fractions, looking at wholes and parts and then applying this knowledge to help us divide shapes into equal amounts.
7.3.25 - Story writing in Year 4
14.3.25 - Science Week and more in Year 3
7.3.25 - Story writing in Year 4
This week in Year 4, we have been reading the book, 'Lost Happy Endings' by Carol Ann Duffy and Jane Ray. Using the text as inspiration, we have been learning how to write twisted fairy tales. We have been looking at contrasting descriptions of evil and good characters. Over the next week, we will write a traditional fairytale, WITHOUT a happy ending! The children have so many wonderful ideas and we can't wait to read their twisted stories!
7.3.25 - A Busy Week in Year 3!
14.3.25 - Science Week and more in Year 3
7.3.25 - Story writing in Year 4
Year 3 have enjoyed a wonderful week of learning. In RE, we have been learning all about the Easter Story and what happened in the last supper. We have continued to base our English learning on 'Jemmy Button' and we came up with descriptive paragraphs about a town setting. In Maths, we have been persevering with learning about time. In Geography, we have looked at the physical features of Antarctica and were amazed that Antarctica almost doubles its size during winter. The highlight of our week has been World Book Day and we loved coming in and seeing the different costumes. We were very creative and made our own toilet roll characters. We were so impressed at how imaginative all the children were!
28.3.25 Lots of learning in Year 3!
28.3.25 Lots of learning in Year 3!
28.3.25 Lots of learning in Year 3!
This week, Year 3 started their new English topic, which is a return narrative called Jemmy Button! They are really looking forward to exploring this book.
In maths, the children have been learning to tell the time, half past the hour, quarter past the hour and quarter to the hour and also made clocks to help them.
On Friday, 'One Tree Day' was celebrated, and we learned about how and why trees are important and then made our own trees using felt tip pens and paint!
Our Upper KS2 Curriculum in Action!
28.3.25 Year 6 Electricity
21.3.25 Year 5 meet Helen Sharman
21.3.25 Upper KS2 Rail Safety
This week in Science, to finish off our unit on Electricity, we were challenged to make a prototype greetings card that would either open or buzz when opened! This was really tricky as we had to think about how to get the circuit to connect with just opening a card! We used all our knowledge of circuits and switches to make this work. Several groups managed to get a working switch and demonstrated their working prototype. Other groups added a switch that you had to manually depress to get the bulb to light up. We’ve learnt lots about Electricity this half term and we’re looking forward to learning all about Animals: Circulation and Health in Science when we return from the Easter break.
21.3.25 Upper KS2 Rail Safety
21.3.25 Year 5 meet Helen Sharman
21.3.25 Upper KS2 Rail Safety
This week Years 5 and 6 were fortunate enough to attend a virtual assembly called "Switched On" all about railway safety. It was presented live from another school and was interspersed with video clips and questions to help us identify risks when using the train. We did really well in all the quizzes and were able to answer everything correctly. We know how to stay safe on the railway. Did you know that electricity from overhead cables can jump up to three metres? Make sure you're not flying a kite or carrying a balloon if you pass under these near a train line! We are able to get a certificate from this assembly, saying we know how to stay safe. It can be downloaded from Google Classroom.
21.3.25 Year 5 meet Helen Sharman
21.3.25 Year 5 meet Helen Sharman
14.3.25 Lots of Learning in Year 6
On Monday, our Year 5 children had the opportunity to attend a Zoom session with Helen Sharman, the first British woman in space. During the session, the children were able to ask Helen questions about what life is like as an astronaut, as well as the exciting future of space travel. The students loved her stories and insights, learning about the challenges and wonders of space exploration. It was an inspiring experience that sparked their imaginations, and they walked away with a deeper understanding of space and the remarkable journey of being an astronaut.
14.3.25 Lots of Learning in Year 6
7.3.25 Y6 Visit to the Wallace Collection
14.3.25 Lots of Learning in Year 6
This week in Year 6 we have begun revising different areas of maths, ready for May as well as continuing our work on The Way of the Wolf and playing with circuits in Science for Science Week (Do YOU know what happens to an electrical circuit if you add more bulbs to an existing circuit?).
Here are a couple more fantastic pieces of writing that were written up this week - look at the wide variety of punctuation we have used. Can you imagine the wolves playing and hunting as you read these texts? Now, we are moving on to create a balanced argument about whether wolves should be re-introduced to the UK in order to benefit the eco-system. Did you know wolves are a 'key stone' species - an essential part of the environment? Do you know what a 'trophic cascade' is? Ask someone in Year 6 to explain!
14.3.25 Writing in Year 5
7.3.25 Y6 Visit to the Wallace Collection
7.3.25 Y6 Visit to the Wallace Collection
This week, the children in Year 5 have been writing character narratives inspired by The Promise by Nicola Davies. They’ve thoroughly enjoyed crafting their own stories in the style of the author, using themes of hope to guide those who may feel lost or overwhelmed. Although the stories explore some other darker themes, each narrative offers a glimmer of hope, reflecting the book’s message of resilience and renewal.
7.3.25 Y6 Visit to the Wallace Collection
7.3.25 Y6 Visit to the Wallace Collection
7.3.25 Y6 Visit to the Wallace Collection
This week, Year 6 visited the Wallace Collection. This is a publicly-owned collection of art, ceramics, furniture, clocks and one of the biggest private armoury collections in the country! Joshua described the house as 'grandiose' and it indeed was.
We were welcomed by Marie-Therese who got us thinking about what kind of collection it was and then led us in some art sessions called "Landscapes and Seascapes". She made us take a walk into the picture and then explore different parts of the painting. We looked at how the artist used triangle shapes to draw us in and lead us into the picture. We used pencils and then chalks to sketch a landscape and then a seascape. Marie-Therese said her nickname is 'Quick Draw' as she gets people to sketch quickly. This speed made us leave our inhibitions and doubts behind us so we could focus on creating the art.
After lunch in one of the school rooms, we had some time to look around the armoury where we looked at some amazing armour and weaponry. We saw an elaborate suit of armour made in Greenwich and a rare set of horse armour. We also looked at non-European armour and weaponry, including seeing the official regalia of the Asante people (in what is now Ghana).
We had a lovely day, but it was impossible to see everything in the collection in just one visit. We highly recommend you visit (it's an easy walk from Bond Street tube) to see The Laughing Cavalier, Canalettos and many, many more amazing works of art.
7.3.25 GROW in Year 5
28/2/25 - Writing in Year 6
28/2/25 - Writing in Year 6
This week, the GROW project returned to work with our Year 5 children, bringing a burst of energy and enthusiasm to our outdoor space. Together, they helped tidy up the garden beds outside, making sure everything looked neat and cared for. The team also moved two of the beds, which are now dedicated to growing herbs for the canteen, adding a special touch to our school meals. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially as they got to plant wildflower seeds along the banks and do a general tidy-up of the area. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to connect with nature and contribute to making our outdoor space more vibrant and productive.
28/2/25 - Writing in Year 6
28/2/25 - Writing in Year 6
28/2/25 - Writing in Year 6
This week in Year 6 we began looking at our new book in English: The Ways of the Wolf.
We have immersed ourselves in the text and learnt some new vocabulary. Do you know what 'outcrop', 'imminent' and 'heartrending' mean? We do! Next week we are going to begin planning our larger piece of writing which will be a documentary narrative (like a David Attenborough narrated documentary). To practise our skills, we wrote a short piece of text describing a hungry wolf pack attacking a hare. We made sure to use all the grammar we had rehearsed over the week including: expanded noun phrases (often with a prepositional phrase), dashes, semicolons and colons. Our teachers were very impressed with our writing - have a read for yourself!
27.2.25 - Space in Year 5
28/2/25 - Writing in Year 6
27.2.25 - Space in Year 5
On Tuesday 25th February, Year 5 had an incredible chance to participate in a live Zoom session with NASA engineer Branelle Rodriguez! She took them on an inspiring journey through the Artemis program, which is gearing up to send astronauts back to the Moon by 2027. Even more exciting, this groundbreaking mission will make history by landing the first woman and the first person of colour on the lunar surface—what an amazing future to look forward to! As part of the Zoom, the children were tasked with designing their own spacecraft for the mission, incorporating the latest technologies and innovations to ensure a successful journey to the Moon. 🚀🌕
Home Learning
FRED - Families Reading Every day
We want all children to be confident, fluent readers so reading everyday is a must. Our aim is for all our children to be reading for at least 15 minutes everyday.
When children are developing their reading skills and fluency, we ask them to read the book assigned to them by their teacher and as they develop their fluency, they can choose the books they want to read for pleasure. When your child has completed their reading each day, they tick their Fred Book mark and bring it to school each day to show their teacher.
Homework
Each week, your child will be assigned homework on a Friday to completed in their homework book and brought back to school on a Wednesday for the teacher to acknowledge. The homework tasks will be shared with you on either Seesaw (EYFS and KS1) or Google Classroom (KS2)
The homework will include weekly spellings, phonics, maths, reading comprehension and grammar, and are based on what your child has been learning in school that week.
Support Home Learning - ATOM Learning
Underhill School has been offered free KS2 learning and 11+ support to primary school children who are eligible for Pupil Premium. Eligible students will receive access to Atom Home for free (normally £575.90 a year).
What is Atom Home?
Atom Home is an online learning and exam preparation platform for ages 7-11.Covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, children can practise 11+ questions and explore learning resources, mock tests, video tutorials, and exam preparation materials.It is a viable, more child-centric alternative to private tuition that we believe is a non-stressful and enjoyable way of making progress at KS2 and, when relevant, preparing for exams.
Pupil Premium Eligibility: You can sign up for your free Atom account by clicking on the ATOM Learning image.
After completing the form on the website, the school will receive a notification to verify your pupil premium eligibility and once that is confirmed, your Atom Home account will be created.
Non- Pupil Premium: In addition, there is a 5-day free trial of Atom available for non-PP families and you can also use the discount code: Underhill20 to receive 20% off your first month’s payment.
Do you know someone who is eligible?
If you know someone whose child is preparing for the 11+, or is in need of extra Key Stage 2 learning support (they do not need to be attending Underhill), please do share the above link with them:
If you would like to find out more about Atom Learning or have any questions, please email pupilpremium@atomlearning.com and they will be happy to help you.