Reception
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Welcome to Reception!
Please read the sections of the website below for details about what we are learning about in the different areas of the curriculum this half term. We hope you enjoy reading our class page, where topic, literacy and mathematics information will be updated ready for the start of each half-term and the Reception blog will be updated fortnightly on a Friday. As always, there will be lots of photographs uploaded after all the exciting activities and events we get up to!
The Reception team for this year will be:
Mrs Swift (Early Years Leader and SLT) - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
Miss Duggleby- Letheren- Alternate Wednesday afternoons, Thursday and Friday
Mrs Wilson (Teaching assistant) - Monday all day, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings
Mrs Bolton (Teaching assistant) - Monday- Friday mornings and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday all day
Mrs Wilson (Learning support assistant)- Monday to Friday
Mrs Meek- (HLTA)- Monday afternoon (covering Mrs Swift's leadership time
Mrs Swift is the Early Years Leader and will be teaching on Monday and Tuesday all day and Wednesday morning and every other Wednesday afternoon. Miss Duggleby- Letheren teaches every other Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday. Mrs Wilson is the teaching assistant every morning and Monday afternoon. Mrs Bolton is the teaching assistant in our class every morning and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, her focus will be on developing language and communication with the children in the different areas of learning, doing focused learning with the children and small group interventions. On Monday afternoons Mrs Swift is out of class doing lots of exciting leadership jobs for Reception and the whole school and so Mrs Meek will be teaching Music on this afternoon. This may seem a complicated schedule at first with lots of new names, but the children soon know who is teaching them and on which days. Sometimes there may be reasons that Mrs Swift and Miss Duggleby - Letheren need to be out of class for some extra time due to training or carrying out different roles across school, so we may change days occasionally or there may be another member of staff teaching the children. If this is the case, we will always talk to the children about it so they know who will be teaching them.
Welcome to Autumn 1
Happy September! We are so excited to start the new school year and get to know you and your children! We had such a lovely week in July when the children came in for their transition days, the children amazed us with their maturity and independence and how well they played with the resources in the classroom, we can't wait to build on these skills over the course of this year. Please don't worry if your child did not attend transition week, the children will have plenty of chance to get to know the classroom and school over the next few weeks, and we will also get to know you and your children better at the home visits.
Home Visits
During the first week of school (Tuesday 3rd September- Friday 6th September) we will be doing our home visits, I know many of you will be eager for your children to start school as soon as possible, however we believe that the home visits are really valuable and help with transition to school. The home visits will last about twenty minutes, during this time, we will talk to you and your child, and with your permission we might take some photos for the children's learning journey books. Some children like to show us their toys or their new school shoes/ uniform, or some children like to play a game with us or draw/ make pictures or use stickers etc. Children have lots of different reactions when we come to visit so please don't feel anxious, some children are happy to talk to us straight away, other children take some time to warm up! We have seen it all! The home visit is also a time for you to talk to us about your child's development, particularly in the prime areas of Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional development and Physical development. If you cannot make a home visit date and have any questions that you would like to ask please don't hesitate to ring or email the school office and either myself or Miss Duggleby - Letheren can arrange a time to speak to you.
Second Week
During the second week of the school term ( Monday 9th September- Friday 13th September) the children will be coming into school for half days and will need to be collected after their lunch at 1pm. The children will start school on different days, (please see letters from school for your child's start date) by staggering the children's start date it means that the children can come into school in smaller groups, this will enable us to really get to know your children, it will also mean that it is less overwhelming for the children on their first day and there will be room for you to bring your child into school and get them settled. If it is your child's first day at school then please arrive at 9.15am and come into the classroom with your child. After this you should arrive at school for 8.50am, the bell will ring in the playground and the children should line up outside Reception and come into school independently. The doors to Reception will close at 8.55am, so if you arrive after this time then you need to enter school via the school office.
Over the course of the second week of term when the children are in half days we will be carrying out lots of observations on the children playing. Observations of play are the primary method of assessment in Early Years, these observations will enable us to make baseline assessments on the children. We use these observations and assessments to plan learning that suits the needs of your child and helps them to make progress. We will also be teaching your children about routines of the school day. We will be focusing on organising and putting on our belongings independently, tidying up our learning resources, lining up at playtimes and how to take it in turns to speak when we are having whole class discussions. The children will also be learning to recognise their own names during our self registration. They will be learning how to choose their own lunch. We will also be reading 'The Colour Monster' and thinking about feelings and emotions.
Third Week
The children start school full time during the third week of term ( Monday 16th September) During this week we will continue to observe the children playing and will also do some very short 1:1 assessments with the children to inform our observations and help build up a full picture of your child's development, we will also teach the children about the RESPECT code through the use of stories. Mrs Swift will also be completing the Reception Baseline Assessment. The RBA became statutory in schools in September 2021. It is an activity-based assessment of pupils’ starting points in:
- language, communication and literacy
- mathematics
The RBA is a short task-based assessment. Children use practical resources to complete these tasks and teachers record the results on a laptop, computer or tablet. It is not used to label or track individual pupils. Schools are required to carry out the assessment within the first 6 weeks of pupils starting reception. More information will be sent out once the children have started school.
Learning this half term
This half term the children will be looking at what we need to become a superhero learner. Their learning will be based on the RESPECT code and our Christian Values. The Early Years Foundation Stage also has ' Characteristics of Effective learning' which are central to all learning in Reception. These Characteristics of Effective learning will be reported on at the end of the year. As a school we believe that these characteristics underpin all learning and it is extremely important that children learn and develop these skills to create a life long love of learning. At the bottom of this page are links to all three documents, please take the time during your child's first few weeks at school to familiarise yourself with the language we use as a school when talking about the skills we need to learn as the children will be using lots of words from these documents in everyday life!
We understand that your child starting school for the first time can be overwhelming and that there is a lot of information to take in! We will be bringing a letter to the home visits with us that contains all the information that you need and also has your child's start date on it. If you have any questions in the meantime please email or ring the school office and myself or Mrs Letheren can arrange a time to ring you back. Myself and Miss Duggleby-Letheren have both had children that have started school so we know what it is like!
We absolutely love what we do and we cannot wait to begin the year with your children and help them develop a life long love of learning.
Our PE day for this half term will be Friday - so please come in PE kit on this day.
Our PE lessons will start on Friday 20th September, once the children are all in full time. There is no need to come in PE kit before this date.
Show and Tell will be on a Monday, Show and Tell will be in house groups and we will take it in turns each week. During these sessions we will be focusing on developing children's listening and attention skills and also their speaking skills. This will start once the children have settled into school
The team in Reception believe that the classroom is the third teacher and so we spend lots of time setting out the areas of provision and we can't wait for you to start exploring them! We believe that the there should be the same types of provision both indoors and outdoors so that your child can learn in the environment that suits them best. Our provision promotes choice, independence and cooperation it is organised in a way that enables children to develop key communication, language, literacy and mathematical skills at every opportunity, whether this be independently or with scaffolding from an adult.
We believe that learning in Early Years is a partnership between home and school. We really value your input into your children's learning and see parents as partners in this. You know your children the best and you will be able to tell us lots about their learning and development outside of school, which really helps us to build up a full and rounded picture of the children. With this in mind, our classroom door is always open. Any queries that you may have are hugely valued, so please do not hesitate to contact any member of the school team and we will be happy to arrange a meeting. We use tapestry all the time to update you with your child's learning and you can also update us with any exciting things you have been doing or key milestones in your child's development that you would like us to be aware of. We also use Tapestry to send out reminders and information, so it is useful to download the app on your phone or check the website regularly.
Please see the different sections of the web page below for more details of our learning this half term
Upcoming events
Wednesday 11th September- Behaviour, Language and Communication Workshop
Wednesday 25th September- RWI phonics meeting- 6pm
Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd October- Dside- Medicine and Drug Awareness sessions
Friday 4th October- Flu immunisations
Tuesday 8th October- Harvest Festival
Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th- Come Read with me event
Friday 25th October- Training day (Children not in school)
Friday 19th July- Last day of term
Reception blog
This section will be updated fortnightly on a Friday so please keep checking back for updates.
Rhyme of the Week
Our Rhyme of the Week will be added every Friday for you to enjoy with your child :o)
Show and Tell
Show and Tell will be on a Monday. This is an opportunity for children to talk to, and/or show the whole class about something important to them. This may be something they did or created at the weekend or out of school, or it could be something from home that is special to them. Show and Tell helps us to get to know the children and their achievements and interests outside of school - it is also a fantastic opportunity to practise their speaking, listening and questioning skills. Show and Tell will take place in children's house groups.
Collective & Class Worship
As a Church of England school, staff and children take part in daily worship. We find this coming together, whether as a class or whole school, invaluable in their spiritual and philosophical development. It's incredible how such young children regularly astound us with their deep thinking and thought-provoking questions about themselves, life, the world, religions, the universe and beyond!
Once we settle into the school routine, the weekly worship timetable will be as follows:
Monday: Whole School Worship - Sets the theme for the week from our school RESPECT Code and challenges the children with a 'call to action' to live out that aspect throughout the week.
Tuesday: Class Worship 'Newsday Tuesday' - Keeping up with important and child-relevant current affairs, making links with our school Christian values and Global Christianity.
Wednesday: Whole School Worship – Explores our Christian values using stories, drama or poetry - Led alternate weeks by teaching staff and Reverend Carolyn.
Thursday: Class Worship 'BIG Questions Thursday' – Think about and discuss possible answers to a wide range of thought-provoking questions such as: Why should we look after the world? What do you see and how do you feel when you look at the sky? Are toys or friends more important and why? Make links to our school Christian values and RESPECT Code.
Friday: Whole School Worship - Celebrating the successes of the week, including certificates linked to our school Christian values and RESPECT Code.
We will regularly post details about the content of Class Worship on Tapestry.
