Year 1

Our Year 1 class is named after Isaac Newton, a British mathematician and philosopher who was born in 1642. Isaac Newton is most famous for developing the theory of gravity. He also developed the theory of Calculus, used in mathematics; the laws around motion; and a new telescope in 1671, which used mirrors instead of lenses. Isaac Newton was constantly curious and asking questions about things he did not understand. He had a strong Christian faith but did not see maths and science as contradicting his faith; instead, that his thirst for knowledge would better help him understand the world God had made. We hope to inspire children in Newton class to be curious about the world around them and to have the courage to ask Big Questions, just like Isaac Newton!

Our Year 1 class is named after Florence Nightingale, who is famous for her work as a nurse during the Crimean War. She also made fantastic contributions to the world of maths. During her time as a nurse, Florence was appalled at the conditions facing soldiers in military hospitals and set about trying to push for reforms to improve sanitation, food and record keeping. She invented polar area graphs as a way to show how improving all of these areas could save lives. As a statistician, she had the honour of being the first woman elected as a fellow of the Statistical Society of London. Today, modern nursing relies on her methods in order to keep data and records that improve medicine for all. We hope that the children will be inspired to think about how we can all work together to make our world a better place!