South Farnborough Infant School Living and Learning in Harmony
School News
AUTUMN 2 2025
Whole School News
Your Time to Shine Day
Today we celebrated 'Your Time to Shine Day' by flooding the school with a vibrant array of bright colours. This special day serves as a crucial reminder, especially now that the clocks have gone back and evenings grow darker much earlier, that you are visible and easily seen when you are out and about, particularly near roads, to stay safe. Remember, in these darker months, 'Be Bright, Be Seen'!
Ballroom Dancing
What a fantastic morning we had at our parent Strictly Ballroom session! A huge thank you to every parent who joined in, put on their dancing shoes, and embraced the fun. The energy in the room was wonderful.
Thank you to the incredible Mrs Parkes for being our teacher. She was brilliant. While we certainly learnt a lot, the main goal was to have fun, and we certainly achieved that!
Reception News
PSHE
This half-term in PSHE we have been learning that everyone is unique and special, while also discovering all the wonderful things we have in common.
We met Harold the Giraffe, our friendly mascot who is almost five and very excited about starting school! Harold taught us his cheerful song “I’m special, you’re special – there’s no-one quite like me!” The children loved singing and clapping along.
Together we explored:
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How we all have the same facial features but look different and unique.
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Using mirrors, the children looked at their own faces and proudly told their reflection “I am special!” before turning to a friend and saying “You’re special!”
We read stories with Harold about kindness, sharing, and why it’s brilliant that we are all different. The children talked about things they love doing and were amazed at how many different answers there were – even though we all enjoy playing and having fun!
We also celebrated the many ways families and homes can be:
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Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some families have lots of children, some have none, and our class is a kind of family too!
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Homes can be flats, houses, bungalows, caravans, houseboats… and they can look very different, but they all keep us safe and warm and are filled with love.
Through stories, songs, circle-time chats and lots of smiles, the children have learnt to feel proud of who they are, to value differences in others, and to understand that being unique makes our class (and the world!) a happier place.
To explore this topic further with your child and discover more about our PSHE curriculum click here.
Maths
This week in Year R we have been reading the book ‘We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt.’ The children loved going on a leaf hunt around their school and collecting leaves of different shapes and colours, along with conkers and acorns. From this, the children created journey sticks of their adventures. We used photos taken on the walk to sequence our adventure. In maths, we have been exploring 2D and 3D shapes. We have been finding these shapes in the environment and relating them to real objects. On our creative table, the children have been printing with shapes and making shape pictures.
To learn more about shapes and test your knowledge, click here.
Year 1 News
Oscar's Adventures in Science
Oscar the bear has been having so many adventures in science with Y1 at South Farnborough Infant School. The children can’t wait to take him home! He has been so busy learning about science with the children, from making rainbow volcano lava to investigating what happens to marshmallows when you heat them.
Transport
This week in school, the children have been busy learning about the history of transport, comparing vehicles from the past and present. They were especially fascinated to discover the work of the famous train inventor, George Stephenson, and how his designs changed travel forever. In maths, the children practised simple addition using the part-part-whole model, building their confidence with numbers.
In English, our focus book has been Funnybones, where we explored new vocabulary such as cellar and skeleton. The children even made their own skeletons and learnt the names of some of the bones in their bodies. In science, we began our exciting longitudinal study about the seasons, where we met Billy the Water Boatman! Billy is thinking about moving to our school pond but isn’t sure when the best time of year would be. The children observed the pond carefully and recorded their findings using key criteria — food, shelter, warmth, and friends. We’ll continue to check on the pond throughout the year to help Billy decide when to move in!
To learn more about the history of transport and test your knowledge CLICK HERE.
Year 2 News
Rainforest Assembly
This week, Year 2 showed fantastic enthusiasm in their Rainforest class assemblies.
Within this topic, a key focus of their learning has been understanding the distinct structure of this habitat. The children have been learning new vocabulary, such as; emergent layer, canopy and forest floor.
To help reinforce this new vocabulary and continue building upon their knowledge base, we encourage you to explore this fascinating topic further with your child at home. Please click on the link below to discover more and continue the rainforest adventure: Rainforest
Maths
In Maths, we will be focusing on money and multiplication and division. You can support your child with maths at home by practising number bonds to 10 and 20, doubling to 20, involving your children in real life maths problems, such as counting money and giving/ working out change, counting in 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s and discussing how many more/fewer when discussing amounts.
To learn more about number bonds and to test your knowledge, click here.
AUTUMN 1 2025
Whole School News
Harmony Heroes - School Council
We are delighted to announce our newly elected Year 2 Harmony Heroes team! Being chosen for this important role is a significant recognition of your positive attitudes, dedication, and genuine desire to make our school community a better place. The team has wasted no time getting straight to work, holding a productive initial session with our dedicated Walk 2 School Coordinator.
SEN Parent Coffee Morning
It was wonderful to see so many of you engaging in the valuable discussion led by our SENCO, Mrs Blannin, this morning. We hope the session provided helpful insights and support.
For those who were unable to attend, a copy of the full presentation can be found at the bottom of this page.
Year 2 News
Geography
This term, Year 2 are becoming geographical experts on the rainforest by exploring life in the Amazon! From discovering the many different species of animals, the location of the rainforest, rainforest climate and life in the Amazon. We are also learning all about how deforestation, over farming and climate change can have an impact on our once plentiful rainforests.
To find out more about a rainforest habitat, click here.
School Trip to Wisley
Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed their trip to RHS Wisley Gardens today.
The purpose of this trip was to provide a real-world, immersive introduction to the concepts they will be covering in their next curriculum topic: Rainforests.
The children spent the day exploring the diverse environments at Wisley. They were excited to investigate different types of plants, observe unique habitats, and learn about the conditions required for various plant life to thrive.
This hands-on exploration of diverse ecosystems has provided the classes with a good foundational understanding ready for their next topic.
Science
We wanted to share some exciting news from our Year 2 Science lessons this term!
This term, Year 2 has been delving into the fascinating world of materials and their properties. They have been learning new and important scientific vocabulary, including transparent, translucent, and opaque.
The children have particularly enjoyed conducting various investigations to explore these concepts first hand. From discovering which materials let light shine through to testing objects in different ways, they've had great fun experiencing science in action!
To continue this exciting learning at home, we recommend visiting BBC Bitesize KS1.
Year 1 News
Art
This term, Year 1, have a fantastic new art unit focused on portraits, where they are not only developing artistic skills but also drawing inspiration from the works of famous artists: Andy Warhol and Julian Opie. The children have been learning about Warhol’s iconic use of bright, often unexpected colours, repetition, and the bold, graphic nature of his Pop Art prints. They have also been inspired by Julian Opie’s work, which focuses on simplifying human figures and faces using minimal lines and block shapes.
Have a look at the art produced by our very own Year 1 artists...
Geography
In Year 1, children have been on an adventure with 'The Naughty Bus' and have been learning all about their school and the local environment of North Camp. The children have developed some amazing maps of the school and have learnt all about human and physical features that can be found in and around our school and the local area. The children have also been using their map skills to locate the United Kingdom on the world map.
To find out more about Year 1 map skills and to put your new knowledge and skills to the test, click here.
Science
This term in Science, Year 1 have embarked on a delicious journey exploring the fascinating world of taste. They've had a fantastic time undertaking a taste test where they bravely sampled different flavours and learnt all about our five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savoury.
To delve deeper into what we've been learning and to test your own taste-bud knowledge, we invite you to visit the following link for more information and a fun quiz.
Computing
This term in Year One, our computing lessons have started with the topic 'Technology around us'. In this topic, children develop their understanding of technology and how it can help them in their everyday lives. In addition, children in Year One will start to become familiar with the different components of a computer by developing their keyboard and mouse skills. Children will also consider how to use technology responsibly and who to ask for help if they see anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable. In the second part of the term, we look at 'Digital Painting' where the children develop their understanding of a range of tools used for digital painting. The children use these tools to create their own digital paintings and take inspiration from other artists work.
Click here to learn more about using a keyboard, mouse and touchpad
Year R News
Curriculum evening
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the Year R Curriculum evening. The evening was a wonderful opportunity to share how fundamental skills—specifically reading, writing, and mathematics—are taught during the Early Years Foundation Stage.
As discussed, a key component of our teaching is our systematic synthetic phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. For more detailed information on how Little Wandle is taught in school, and to watch the helpful introductory video for parents, please click on the link below:
Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the Year R Curriculum presentation.
Maths
We are thrilled to share some exciting news regarding our mathematics curriculum for Year Reception this academic year. To ensure consistency and a seamless transition across the school, Year Reception will now be following Power Maths, the same mathematics scheme that is implemented throughout the rest of the school.
We are confident that this adoption will bring significant benefits to our youngest learners.
To provide you with a more comprehensive understanding of the Power Maths scheme and its benefits, please have a look at the presentation at the bottom of the screen.