Key Stage 1 online: Years 1 and 2
Facts and prices checked on 26 September 2026.
Key Stage 1 covers Year 1 and Year 2, when children are aged 5 to 7. It is where reading, writing and number become secure. This page shows what is taught in each subject, the checks children take, and how WonderPath fits alongside school.
What children learn in Years 1 and 2
Year 1 (ages 5 to 6)
- Maths: Year 1 maths builds confident number sense.
- English: In Year 1, children move from early writing to composing simple sentences with basic punctuation.
- Reading: Year 1 reading develops fluency and comprehension.
- Science: Year 1 science introduces structured observation and classification.
- Phonics: Year 1 phonics practises the National Curriculum expectations for Year 1: the correct sound for graphemes for all 40+ phonemes, including alternative sounds, blending to read unfamiliar words, reading words of more than one syllable, and spelling with the sounds taught.
- Computing: In Year 1, children are introduced to computational thinking.
Year 2 (ages 6 to 7)
- Maths: Year 2 maths consolidates place value understanding and develops mental arithmetic.
- English: Year 2 English develops more varied and detailed writing.
- Reading: Year 2 reading focuses on fluency, comprehension, and response.
- Science: Year 2 science develops investigative skills.
- Phonics: Year 2 phonics practises the National Curriculum expectations for Year 2: decoding until it is automatic and reading is fluent, recognising alternative sounds for graphemes, reading words with common suffixes, and learning new ways of spelling sounds already known.
- Computing: In Year 2, children build on their algorithm knowledge to create and debug more complex sequences.
Children in Reception, aged 4 to 5, follow the Early Years framework instead. See Reception for those pages.
The checks children take
- Phonics screening check, Year 1: a short check of decoding, taken in June. In 2026 to 2027 schools run it in the week from 14 June 2027.
- Key Stage 1 tests, Year 2: optional for schools rather than statutory. Teacher assessment continues.
- Reception baseline assessment and the EYFS profile apply to Reception.
Dates change each year, so check the government's future dates page for the current ones.
How WonderPath fits
- Short lessons and practice, mapped to the National Curriculum for England, that reinforce what school is teaching.
- Quizzes that give a hint and another go instead of the answer.
- A free plan for one child.
- Lessons are written by AI and teacher review is being set up, so please use them alongside school and tell us about anything wrong.
Helping at home
- Read together every day, even after your child can read alone.
- Practise number bonds and counting in small, playful bursts.
- Keep sessions short. Ten focused minutes beats thirty tired ones.
Common questions
What is Key Stage 1?
Key Stage 1 is Year 1 and Year 2 in England, when children are aged 5 to 7.
When is the phonics screening check?
It is taken in Year 1, in June. The window for 2026 to 2027 is the week from 14 June 2027, according to the government's published dates.
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Sources
How this page was made: written by the WonderPath team with AI assistance and checked against the sources named above on 26 September 2026. Prices and features change; if anything is out of date, tell us at info@wonderpath.co.uk. WonderPath is a competitor of some products named here, and we have tried to describe them fairly.