Reception
Welcome to Reception!
In Reception, the teacher is Mrs Khan and the teaching assistants are, Mrs Harker, Mrs Hall and Miss Ryder. Please find below a brief outline of the topics to be covered this year and our daily/weekly routines. We follow a two-year rolling programme of topics in the Foundation Stage and we plan our adult led learning around our current topics. We also respond to the interests of the children which means we may divert from our planned topics. The provision of activities in the areas of our Reception classroom aim to support the development of all areas of the Early Years curriculum and the specific needs of the children. We access learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors throughout the school year. Here is an overview of the topics to be covered over the coming year in Reception:
| Term | Topics Covered | Brief Outline |
| Autumn 1 | It’s Good to be Me! | We start the year by settling our children into Reception, making friends, learning about routines and establishing our Reception rules. In this topic, we focus on ourselves and our families. We learn about our bodies, naming the parts and their uses. We make a collage of our body and look closely at our features. We also look at the five senses and investigate how these are used on a daily basis. We talk about our different families and who lives in our homes. We learn about where we live and look at different styles of homes. The different stages of life are looked at and sequenced. The change of season is observed and we talk about and celebrate Harvest. Our children make music, dance and move to express their ideas and feelings. |
| Autumn 2 | Celebrations | In Autumn 2, we learn about different celebrations, their meaning and what people do to celebrate. Through creative activities and role play, we will learn about the special times of Diwali, Bonfire Night, Remembrance, Eid, Hanukka and Christmas. We talk about and experience, the significance of lights, food, clothing, gifts and ceremony in celebrations. Children are given opportunities to discuss the similarities and differences. We also learn, and use, appropriate vocabulary linked to our topic and role-play our own celebrations. Our mark making and writing, is based on recounts, cards, lists, invitations and letters. |
| Spring 1 | Heroes and Heroines | Our topic in Spring 1, is “Heroes and Heroines”. During this topic we will focus on people who help us at school and in the wider community. We will look at different job roles and think about how these people help us. Opportunities will be provided for parents and community members to come into school and share their job roles and encourage children to ask and answer questions. We will observe and record the seasonal changes at this time of the year and work on scientific experiments linked to these changes. |
| Spring 2 | Dinosaurs | Dinosaurs are an exciting focus for Spring 2! This is a topic that benefits from lots of work outdoors as we learn that there were different kinds of dinosaurs. We think of different ways to sort dinosaurs based on their characteristics such as their physical appearance, what they ate and how they moved. This topic also affords lots of opportunities to explore size; making comparisons of size, simple measuring and using size vocabulary. We talk about the past and how things were different in the past. We also learn that dinosaurs are now extinct and that we know about them because of fossils left behind. We talk about how different dinosaurs move and make up our own dinosaur dances and put a sequence of movements together to music. In science, we investigate fast and slow. Our children also learn about, and observe, the change of season from Winter to Spring. We reflect on how, and if, we celebrate Easter, noticing that we celebrate in different ways. |
| Summer 1 | Traditional Tales | Summer 1 is ‘Traditional tales’. This topic is Literacy based with a particular focus on Creative and Personal development. A selection of classic stories are a focus, including; The Enormous Turnip, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretal, Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Princess and the Pea. We read the stories and retell them through role-play, dance, songs and rhymes. Story structure, characters, settings and language are looked at. We learn a variety of traditional songs and rhymes. In literacy we work on a range of genres with a focus on story language. |
| Summer 2 | Holidays | Holidays will be the topic for Summer 2. Children will have the opportunity to share their experiences of a holiday here in England and abroad. We will look at a world map and find the different locations we have visited, looking at how we travel and means of transport. Children will focus on four countries of interest, looking at food, language, music and traditional dress. During literacy sessions children will have the opportunity to write about their holiday experiences and write a postcard from a country of their choice. A range of fiction and non-fiction books will be explored. |
Home Learning:
Children will receive new home learning tasks on Friday and they will have until the following Thursday to complete them. Home learning tasks are often literacy or numeracy based, but will be gaged on children’s needs and next steps. Sometimes, activities will be set on See Saw.
Phonics:
The children will be taught phonics and early reading using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme. Further information can be found on their website.
Reading:
Children will have the opportunity to select four, ‘Read with me’ books to take home weekly and share with parents. They will also take a ‘Guided Reading’ book which will be matched to their phonic ability. These books will be sent home on a Friday and need to be returned the following Thursday. Please read with your child as often as possible at home and log onto ‘Boom Reader’ to record the books you have read together. Encourage your child to talk about the main events in the story, its setting and the main characters.
PE:
Our PE sessions are on Tuesdays and Fridays. Children will need a school PE kit including trainers/plimsolls.
Water bottles and snack:
We encourage all children to bring in a water bottle to use throughout the day, ensuring they have enough to drink and stay hydrated. School provide a piece of fresh fruit and milk, however children are welcome to bring in their own fruit in a labelled container.
Our current Reception cohort photo gallery
