Our ‘New to’ courses are great for teachers who are starting out in a new year group or returning to teaching after a break.

This course will provide you with everything you need to get started teaching English with your Year 1 class. All our training is based on research-based best practice and utilises stunning picture books to engage pupils with English.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    New to Year 1: Introduction

    • New to Year 1: Course introduction
  • 2

    New to Year 1: Module 1

    • Module 1: Introduction

    • Resources

    • Subject Knowledge Quiz answers

    • Predictions and investigating vocabulary

    • Phonics and tenses

    • Sentences

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Subject knowledge quiz

    • Module 1: Evaluation
  • 3

    New to Year 1: Module 2

    • Module 2: Introduction

    • Resources

    • Writing Expectations

    • Writing Exemplification

    • Planning your English Curriculum

    • Module 2: Evaluation
  • 4

    New to Year 1: Module 3

    • Module 3:Introduction

    • Spelling Quiz

    • Resources

    • Spellings for Year 1

    • Steps in spelling

    • Teaching spelling

    • Using spelling journals

    • Spelling activities

    • Marking and feedback

    • Module 3: Evaluation
  • 5

    New to Year 1: Module 4

    • Module 4: Introduction

    • Resources

    • Reading approaches

    • Reading strategies

    • Content domain

    • Comprehension

    • Shared reading

    • Decoding

    • Making predictions

    • Vocabulary

    • Retrieval

    • Inference

    • Guided reading

    • Models of reading approaches

    • Module 4: Evaluation

What to expect

  • Writing

    Your course instructor will take you through expectations for the writing curriculum for Year 1 and all the relevant grammatical subject knowledge. This part of the course is filled with ideas on how to use an engaging text to teach the grammar and composition aspects of writing to Year 1 pupils and how to put together an effective unit of work. You will also look at end of year expectations so that you are clear on what age-related writing should look like.

  • Reading

    The course focuses on best practice for teaching reading in Year 1 with a focus on developing reading comprehension skills; you will look at the progression of pupils’ reading development. There is clear advice on how to put together an effective whole class shared and grouped reading session for pupils to develop both their word reading and comprehension skills through an engaging text.

  • Spelling

    You will have the opportunity to gain a thorough knowledge of the Year 1 curriculum for spelling and the progression in learning to spell for Year 1 pupils. There are plenty of ideas for developing pupils spelling skills through a wide variety of activities.

Year 1 class teacher

“It was great to gain planning ideas and activities for the children.”

Year 1 class teacher

“Lots of creative ideas for including the key skills for Y1.”

Sample: Module 1 'Sentences'

FAQ

  • Does the course cover phonics?

    The course does not cover phonics as current recommendations from the DfE are that schools purchase an accredited systematic synthetic phonics programme which provides access to training.

  • Are samples of planning provided?

    Yes – you will have access to a medium-term plan for a unit of work for writing and lesson plans for the reading sessions that are exemplified through the course.

  • Do I get a certificate?

    Yes – you will receive a certificate on completion of the training which can be downloaded for your records.

  • How long is the course?

    The running time for the sessions is approximately 1.5 hours but the course will take longer to complete depending on how long you spend on the activities. We would suggest setting aside at least 2 hours to complete the course.

  • Do I have to watch the course all in one go?

    No – the online learning platform will save your progress through the course, so you can split the course into manageable chunks and return to the training as many times as you like at times that suit you best.

  • How long do I have access to the course?

    You will have access to the course for 100 days so you can revisit the training as many times as you like during that period.