Welcome to Reception

Miss Duggan’s & Mrs Wainwright’s Classes

Curriculum Coverage The Foundation Stage consists of seven

areas of learning. These are: Personal, Social and Emotional DevelopmentCommunication & LanguagePhysical DevelopmentLiteracyMathematicsUnderstanding of the worldExpressive arts & design The curriculum requires more emphasis on

the first three areas.

TopicsWe have an interesting and

exciting curriculum consisting of the following topics:

Autumn 1: Ourselves and our families

Autumn 2: People who help usSpring 1: Books/stories & rhymes

(traditional)Spring 2: Books/ stories & rhymes

(modern)Summer 1: Plants & growing thingsSummer 2: Animals & mini beasts

Topics

Each half term also includes mini topics which are seasonal.

Some of the topics may include topic/theme days which have in the past involved the children coming to school dressed up and participating in cross-curricular enriched activities or visitors coming into school to speak to us.

Reading

During the first half term of the school year reception children will be introduced to the school reading scheme.

They will be given resources to help them to identify and remember the main characters from the Oxford Reading Scheme books.

Your child will be either introduced to non-text books to encourage and develop their language and story telling skills or phonics based books with words that the children will be able to read by sounding out.

Reading

Some books that are sent home will focus on high frequency words that the children will need to be able to read from sight memory. We refer to these words as tricky words in school.

Read Write Inc..

Read Write Inc. (RWI) is a phonics scheme that the school follows. It teaches children to recognise the sound associated with each letter. Emphasis is placed on teaching children to recognise the ‘pure’ sound each letter makes rather than the name of each letter.

This helps children to sound out and blend in the early stages of reading.

To begin with the children will all be taught together in their class. Then they will all be assessed and grouped in accordance to their phonic knowledge.

Homework Reception children will be given

homework on a weekly basis. This will be sent home on a Friday and is

expected to return promptly on a Monday.

Homework will consist of the following: a reading book – the children will be

given a reading record book which we strongly encourage parents/carers to record their own comments in regarding their child’s reading and comprehension skills.

Homework

Letter formation work for children to practice using the correct sequence of movements taught in Read Write Inc. to write each letter.

Then when the children are ready they will be sent home with a list of words to construct using cut up letters and to read by sounding out and blending.

Target setting

Each child across school is given 3 personal targets – a reading target, a writing target and a mathematics target.

In reception we identify targets that we would like your child to achieve by the end of the academic year to help them to achieve the early learning goals.

Mathletics

Mathletics is an online learning resource. Your child will be given a username and password for them to be able to access it at home and at school.

Mathletics responds to individual children’s strengths and weaknesses in all aspects of mathematics. Step by step animated support is like having a teacher 24 hours a day! Pupils instantly know if they are on the right track and can improve at their own pace.

Reading eggs

Reading eggs is a safe and secure site that children can access that will help them to learn the skills needed to read. Each child will be given a unique login account to access the website at school and at home. It has a quiz at the beginning of each of the activities selected that will identify the reading level your child is working at, ensuring that your child can access the activity at their own individual ability.

Positive behaviour management

Our school has introduced a consistent system throughout school from nursery to year 6 using traffic light signals.

Friday afternoon enrichment activities are the children’s rewards for good behaviour. In reception this begins in the summer term.

In reception the children have a sticker/stamp chart system which rewards children for working hard, using their manners, showing enthusiasm and motivation, helping others etc..

The school also has a house point system in place.

House point system

During the spring term your child will be allocated to a house team. This will either be Highfield, Philadelphia or Troydale.

They will receive house points from adults in school when they have demonstrated good behaviour, manners, consideration for others etc..

Children who have siblings in school will be placed in the same school house.

Merit box Each class has their own merit boxes. Each Friday the class teacher will award the

merit box to one pupil in their class. The chosen child can choose which merit box they would like to take home.

This child will then be able to take the merit box home for the weekend and return to school on a Monday morning.

The merit box is rewarded to children who demonstrate good manners, positive behaviour or try their very best with their learning. It is not intended to be awarded to every child over the academic year so that every child has received it.

Communication between home and School

TelephoneBefore or after schoolPlease come to see me, don’t

brood over potential issues.Reception class blog.Parent mail.

Parental engagement Parental engagement is an important factor in

helping children to learn and to achieve. We endeavor to offer as many opportunities as

we can in school to ensure that parents/carers actively engage in their child’s learning. This takes place in the following formats:

Shared reading sessions – a letter will go home explaining about this.

Termly stay and play sessions The reception class blogs on the school website Profiles will be located in the cloakroom so that

parents can readily access them. Two parents evening sessions and an end of year

report.

School uniform

Please could we ask that all items of your child’s clothing and belongings (pumps, coats, uniforms, packed lunch boxes/bags, hats/gloves/scarves etc.) are clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Could you also make dressing and undressing as easy as possible for your child by ensuring that they have simple clothing with few buttons (and for girls avoiding tights if possible) on PE days.

School clothing

If your child has a toileting incident in school and they do not have any of their own spare clothes with them arrangements will be made in school for them to borrow some school clothing.

Please can these items be returned to school freshly laundered as soon as possible.

Baking

Over the course of the half term each group from both classes will bake. Food will be sent home in a food bag for your child to share with their families. We ask that to help us to fund these activities that parents will occasionally make a small donation to help us to cover the cost of the ingredients (sending it in your child’s book bag).

School trips

In reception we organise one school trip which will strongly link to a topic in our curriculum. When bookings have been made this information will appear on the next set of diary dates given on the school newsletter.

A separate letter will also be sent home regarding further details of the trip giving parents/carers as much notice as possible.

To help fund the cost of these visits we ask for a voluntary contribution to help cover the cost of expenses such as transport hire.

How can I support my child?

Keep informed by reading the school newsletters and any material sent home from the class teacher.

Look out for updates on the class blog of what we have been doing in school and how you can extend this further at home.

Listen to your child read at home. Encourage your child to practice writing

their name at home.

How can I help my child?

Be aware of your child’s targets and support them in working towards them.

Take advantage of using mathematics in real life situations at home.

Encourage your child to dress/undress, fasten their coats and put on their shoes with increasing independence.

If possible use Mathletics & Reading Eggs at home.

Suggestions

We strive to move forwards as a school from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ and are keen for your involvement in helping us in this process.

We welcome any suggestions or feedback that you may have.

Thank you for your support in our three way partnership.