What can I do to help everyone feel like they belong?
CST: Family & Community
Gospel Virtues: Faith-Filled & Hopeful
British Values: Democracy

This half-term in Year 1, our learning is rooted in the Catholic Social Teaching theme of Family and Community, guided by the question: “What can I do to help everyone feel like they belong?” Throughout the term, we will reflect on what it means to be part of a family, a class, and a wider community. Through shared stories, discussions, and classroom experiences, we will explore how kindness, respect, and inclusion help everyone feel valued and connected.

As geographers, the children will explore the unit ‘What is it like here?’ They will develop their understanding of the school and its surroundings by identifying key features on aerial photographs and maps, learning the name of the country and the village, town or city in which they live. They will create a simple map of their classroom, using objects to represent key features and explore their position, distance and direction. The children will also use maps to identify features within the school grounds and discuss how different areas of the playground make them feel.

To conclude the unit, the children will carry out a survey to discover how others feel about different areas of the playground. Using their findings, they will design improvements to three areas of the playground, considering how these spaces can better meet the needs of the school community. This learning journey will encourage the children to develop their geographical skills, appreciate their local environment and recognise how they can contribute to making their school a welcoming place where everyone feels that they belong.