What children learn in Year 1
Year 1 is the first year of Key Stage 1. Most children start the year aged 5 and turn 6 during it. Here is what the national curriculum sets out for maths and English in Year 1, the national checks that fall this year and simple ways to help at home.
Daily challenges that keep pace with your child's school year
For Years 1 to 6, with an 11+ track when you're ready.
Maths in Year 1
- Number and place valueCounting and reading numbers to 100. One more and one less. Comparing numbers. Tens and ones to 50. Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.
- CalculationNumber bonds within 10 and 20. Adding and taking away within 20. Grouping and sharing. Doubles and halves.
- Fractions, decimals and percentagesHalves and quarters.
- MeasurementComparing length, height and mass. Coins and notes. Telling the time to the hour and half past.
- Shape and positionNaming 2D and 3D shapes. Position and turns.
Many schools teach maths in the order set by White Rose Maths. See the Year 1 blocks term by term.
Source: National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (Department for Education).
English in Year 1
- ReadingPhonics: sounds and letters. Reading common tricky words. Rhyming. Reading and understanding short texts. Word meanings and opposites.
- SpellingSpelling simple words. Plurals with s and es.
- Grammar and punctuationCapital letters and full stops.
Source: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study (Department for Education).
National checks in Year 1
In June, Year 1 children take the phonics screening check. It has 40 words in two sections of 20, a mix of real words and pseudo-words, read aloud one to one with a teacher.
In 2027, schools give it in the week from Monday 14 June.
Source: Phonics screening check: information for parents (Standards and Testing Agency); Primary assessments: future dates (Standards and Testing Agency, updated 12 October 2026).
Ways to help at home
Counting and number bonds
- Count things to 100 together: stairs, grapes, cars on the way home. Then count back.
- Roll two dice and ask how many more makes 10.
Phonics and reading
- Read together every day. When a word is new, sound it out together, then blend the sounds.
- Point out capital letters and full stops in a picture book and ask why they are there.
Shapes and halves
- Cut a sandwich into halves and quarters and name the pieces.
- Spot circles, squares and triangles on a walk.
The CoachKite report shows which Year 1 topics your child has mastered and where they stand against their year. See what's in the report.
Daily challenges that keep pace with your child's school year
For Years 1 to 6, with an 11+ track when you're ready.