Our Curriculum in Action in 2025/26!

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  In Reception our big question is ‘What happens in Autumn?’ and we have discovered that leaves change colours and fall from the trees in Autumn. To celebrate the beautiful Autumn colours we have made our Autumn wreaths using tissue paper to decorate them. This activity also supports children’s fine motor skill development as they master using glue sticks and scrunching tissue!     

 Conker Class have been reading 'Stick Man' this week. We went onto the field to collect sticks to make our own stick people. The children loved finding different sticks and discussed how they had managed to fall on the floor. They took the sticks back to class and made some stick people using glue, paint and string. The children then painted their stick man family and talked about the different people in their pictures. One child said 'we have a lot of people living in our family tree.' They counted 7 members of their family! We have asked the children to bring in their own family tree to share in class. Who lives in your family tree?   

 In Reception, the children have been exploring making mixed media art.  The children experimented with spooning different coloured paints and glitter onto some paper in a salad spinner. After giving a very energetic spin, they created some amazing pictures!    

 The children in Conker Class have had a very busy week. They have been learning about Guy Fawkes and bonfire night. We discussed how to keep safe around fireworks and what to do if we got scared of the noise. One of the children said 'you don't need to be scared of bangs, just put your hands over your ears.' We watched a video of some fireworks and discussed all the lovely bright colours and sounds. We used the musical instruments to make firework noises and the children then made their own fireworks pictures using cardboard tubes and cotton buds.    

  Conker class have been reading 'The Little Red Hen' this week. We have had lots of conversations about sharing and helping each other. The children made the rule that they could only eat what we made if they helped to make it. Everyone was suddenly very keen to help! We decided to make something from flour like the little red hen did in the story. One of the children said 'pasta is made from flour' so we found a recipe to follow. They measured the flour, added eggs, oil and salt and made it into a dough. The children rolled the pasta out and cut it into shapes. After the pasta was cooked we added a simple tomato sauce and some parmigiana. The children all had a taste and said it tasted delicious!   

 In Reception we have been retelling the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff and have made some puppets of the different characters! We found a funny song to help us act out the story with our puppets and we all enjoyed the ending when the troll is defeated. We have also been discussing the clever plan that the goats made in order to get over the bridge safely. What is your favourite part of the story 

 The children in Conker class have been reading the story 'The 3 Little Pigs' this week. We began the week by learning a song about the story. The children then made pig and wolf masks and we used them to re-enact the story in the Nursery garden. The children really enjoyed pretending to be the different characters, especially the big bad wolf! We also made three houses for the pigs. One made of straw, one made from sticks and one made out of bricks. The children used a fan to see what house would blow down first. We were all surprised that our house made from sticks was the first to fall down! Don't worry though, the house made from bricks was very sturdy and kept all of the pigs safe. 

 The children in Beech class have been looking at themselves carefully in the mirror and then choosing the paint stick colours to match their skin tone, eye colour and hair colour in order to create their very own self portrait. We have displayed these in our classroom and have been learning about how unique and precious we are even though we are all different.  

 The children in Conker class have been looking for signs of Autumn this week. They went on the field to look for leaves, sticks and acorns. The children were very excited to see lots of squirrels and birds as well. We saw lots of different coloured leaved and one child told us 'leaves go very yellow and fall to the ground in the Autumn.' I asked the children what sound the leaves made when they stepped on them and the children came up with the words scrunchy, crispy and loud. We managed to collect a lot of acorns but decided to make sure there were enough left for the squirrels to eat.    

 In Reception the children have been settling in really well and each child has drawn their face and had a go at writing their name. Their wonderful work has been displayed on our Star Writing wall so that we can celebrate their fantastic efforts! .  

It's been another busy week in Year 1!  

This week for English, we have continued rewriting the story of Rapunzel by Bethan Woolvin. Our writing is getting better and better! 

In PSHE, we have been looking at positive friendships and how good friendships make us feel. Good friendships are really important! 

In Geography, we learnt how to locate Underhill School on an aerial photograph. We thought everything looked funny from up in the sky!

 This week Year 2 have been working really hard learning their lines and songs for their Nativity Christmas Show - Bethlehem Ballroom. We are very excited to perform to everyone on the 12th December! 

In English we have been writing our setting narratives about the magical and amazing creations of The Night Gardener. We are really enjoying this wonderful book!

Year 1 have been showing off their writing skills this week in English by writing sentences about Rapunzel. 

In maths we have been exploring 2-D and 3-D Shapes by naming and sorting them in different ways. 

We really enjoyed or Geography lesson this week because we got to draw an aerial map of our classrooms. 

 This week in Year 2 we started our new Science topic ‘Materials and their Properties ‘. First, we talked about the different types of materials that everyday objects are made of. Then, we looked at their properties (strong, flexible, hard, soft) and why they were suitable for their uses. Finally, we looked at a variety of objects and identified what materials they were made of. 

Year 1 had an exiting afternoon learning about the different habitats that we have at school and thinking about the habitat we are going to increase to support more pollinator at school. They learned about why pollinators are so important and why we are making a Pollinator Power garden! 

  Year 2 have had a very busy week! In Art,  the children have been  investigating what texture is.  The children went on scavenger hunt to find things that feel different and then created rubbings. They really enjoyed exploring which materials make good rubbings and organised these in their sketch books for later use.  

2 Chestnut were also busy writing their circular narrative about a river - we were impressed with all the expanded noun phrases they were using!  

 We have had such a fantastic week of learning in Year 1. In English we have been looking at our sentence structure and rewriting the story of Bramwell Brown and his pals saving Old Bear from the attic. In maths we have been looking at comparing numbers and using key vocabulary such as less than, greater than and equal to. In history, we have been looking at our own personal time lines and this week we looked at how people from the past celebrated their birthdays.    

Year 1 and year 2 and a wonderful time at the Little Angel Puppet Theatre on Friday. They watched a production of We're Going on a Bear Hunt and were amazed by the creativity and the wonderful way that the puppets were used to tell the story. Well done to all the children for their excellent behaviour and thank you so much to all our parents and carers who came and helped! 

Year 1 have settled in really well to their new classes. This week, children took on the role of their favourite toy and wrote sentences in character - just like Old Bear. We are so impressed with their independent writing! We also had an exciting start to our Spanish lessons. The children have loved learning simple greetings and introductions and have enthusiastically been practising with staff and friends.  Gran trabajo, ninos!  Well done, Year 1, for a brilliant week of curiosity and hard work!  

    This week Year 6 have had a culinary challenge! Each group of children was challenged to plan, design and then create a three-course meal to share with their friends! Over the last few weeks in Design and Technology lessons, the children have been researching ingredients and creating recipes. This week it all came together! 6 Elm cooked on Wednesday and 6 Hawthorn took on the challenge on Friday. Both classes showed exceptional skill in creating their menus. Each menu was carefully created to not only be flavoursome, but several groups had to create their menus to be allergen free. They certainly all rose to the challenge. The children showed great confidence in the kitchen and the menus were a great success. Mr Dale "just happened" to pass by as a cheesecake was being offered to staff and said it was the best cheesecake he had ever tasted! Again, their behaviour and hard work showed what an amazing group of children they are. Keep it up Year 6! 

   This week, Year 5 has been discussing how we can keep ourselves safe especially at this time of year when it gets dark much earlier. The children shared ideas about how to stay visible, make sensible choices, and designed bags that are visible so they can be seen.

We also enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Barbican Conservatory, where the children explored an incredible variety of plants from all around the world. They were fascinated by everything from cacti of all shapes and sizes, to the vibrant Koi pond and even the uniquely named beard man’s plant. The children showed great curiosity as they observed the different environments these plants grow in.

It was a lovely day out, including a walk through the busy streets of London and a peaceful snack by the duck pond. For families interested in visiting the conservatory themselves, you can find more information on the Barbican website. Visits for families are free of charge on Sundays.

  At Underhill we have been using a new scheme for reading in lessons called 'Read, Steady, Read Together'. This week Year 6 have been reading extracts from "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" which is a story set in a version of England in 1832 with a channel tunnel and ferocious wolf packs prowling the land! The children were really interested in how the writer used contrast to describe the external scenes which were dark and icy with the scenes set in the house which was full of light and warmth. We also met some interesting characters and role played them. Some children were terrifying as the haughty and disdainful Miss Diana! 

We have now started reading about Marie Curie (and other great women of science). Did you know Marie Curie not only discovered Polonium and Radon but also was the person to come up with the word "radioactivity"? She is also the only person to ever win a Nobel Prize in two different disciplines - physics and chemistry! We can't wait to read about other great scientists. 

 This week we have had a busy week of learning. Now the clocks have gone back and it is darker in the evenings, we have been learning about travelling safely and being seen on the roads.  We all enjoyed celebrating Be Bright Be Seen Day on Friday! 

In geography, we have been learning about the Alps, and looking at the mountain ranges in Europe. In Science, we have been learning about mixtures and what they are made up of. In RE, we have also explored the question ‘Where do we come from’ by looking at different views of how the world began.  

 This week Y6 continued with Black History Month and looked at the life of Walter Tull. He was a professional footballer for Spurs and then Northampton Town. In 1917, he was the first person of African descent to sign for Rangers! Sadly, he never got to play for them. World War 1 interfered. In 1914, Tull became one of the first professional footballers to "sign up" for the war and he joined the Middlesex Regiment. His leadership skills became clear early on and he was made an officer, becoming one of the very first non-white officers in the British Army. Sadly, on 25th March, Tull was killed in action in France. Like so many of his generation, he never got to return home. However, he has left a legacy as a pioneer in football and the armed services. On Friday, we also looked at the contribution of people from the Caribbean during and after World War 2. Our history work this term showed us how devastating the war was for Britain. We learnt how people from the Caribbean responded to the British call for help and not only served in the armed forces during the war, but also helped with the essential recovery after the war. Without the "Windrush Generation" Britain would not be what it is today! As Black History Month draws to a close, we remember and celebrate the heroes who shaped this country and who helped create a world where we stand together in pride.  

 This week, we celebrated National day of Spain, where we learnt a bit more about Spanish cuisine, landmarks and its geography. We also learnt about Salvador Dali and created some of our own surrealist work. 

We celebrated Black History Month - Standing Firm in Power and Pride where we wrote diaries from Walter Tull's perspective about being a commander in the army or being a Tottenham Hotspurs footballer. We also published our literacy work of a Mission Log to Mars, we drew pictures to accompany our fantastic writing!    

 It has been a fortnight of assemblies for Year 6! Last week, 6 Elm kicked off with their Battle of Britain assembly and today 6 Hawthorn did their assembly about children and evacuation during World War Two. This is all based on our History topic, which has been learning about what the war was like for the people of Britain. Our visit to the RAF Museum also helped us understand the role of the RAF and also the contributions made by those from the Commonwealth and, as we have entered Black History Month, we will be looking at the contributions made by people from the Caribbean. We will also learn about scientists from Black and African-heritage backgrounds in our Science lessons. In History, we have already heard the story of Neil Flanigan who worked in avionics during the war (and we will look at other veterans of the war from Black backgrounds) and in Science we have also learnt about scientists Dr Alan Powell Goffe and Kayisha Payne who are specialists in microbiology and have developed vaccines to help fight disease. Kayisha Payne is also the founder of BBSTEM which is a network supporting Black students in STEM subjects. 

Year 5 had a very exciting visit from the London Fire Brigade. The children learnt all about how to keep themselves safe at home, including the importance of working smoke alarms, keeping cooking areas clear, and avoiding overloaded plug sockets.

They also became ‘fire investigators’, exploring everyday household scenarios and identifying potential fire hazards. The children loved putting on their detective hats and showed great awareness when discussing how to prevent accidents.

We were really impressed by their thoughtful questions and enthusiasm during the session. We hope they have already shared some of their new safety tips with you at home!  

 Last week, Year 6 went on their first trip of the new school year. We went to the RAF Museum near Colindale to gain a better understanding of The Battle of Britain and the part that the RAF played during World War Two. This was to complement work on WW2 in History. Everyone was very excited to see the planes and imagine them soaring through the skies. We saw so many planes including the legendary Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster Bomber! It certainly gave us a better understanding of how the Battle of Britain was won.  

 Year 5 have been busy launching themselves into space in science, literacy and  computing. We have begun to write some amazing narratives about landing on the moon inspired by our book 'When we Walked on the Moon'. In science we have been developing our understanding of our solar system. This included how the moon orbits our home, how many moons other planets have and as well as previous theories of our solar system. In computing we discussed transmission of information from the Mars Rover using binary code. In art we have begun to draw to represent movement and we hope to share some of our developing artwork in the coming weeks.