A very warm welcome to our Reception class and to all our new children and families.

In Reception, children learn through a play-based approach that encourages curiosity, independence, and a love of learning. Our classroom provides rich, hands-on experiences where children explore, investigate, and learn at their own pace, supported by caring adults who guide and extend their thinking through purposeful interaction.

Alongside play, children take part in daily opportunities to develop early reading, writing, maths, communication skills, and personal development in a calm, nurturing environment.

We value strong partnerships with parents and carers and believe that working closely together helps every child to settle confidently and thrive throughout their Reception year.

We look forward to sharing this exciting journey with you.

The Reception Team 💛

Our Curriculum

Long term curriculum map 

Autumn 1

Autumn 1: Who am I?

This half term, children will explore who they are through our enquiry into identity, family and belonging. We will learn about names, emotions, friendships and what makes each of us unique. Children will begin to understand their place within their family and community, exploring family trees and learning about the people who help us both at home and in school. A strong focus will be placed on establishing classroom rules, routines and positive relationships.

Through a range of activities, children will explore their senses and learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others. In art, they will create self-portraits inspired by Frida Kahlo, using shapes, lines and colour to represent their features. In Design and Technology, children will take part in junk modelling, designing and building their own creations using a variety of materials.

In literacy, we will enjoy stories such as The Family Book, We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt and Meesha Makes Friends, using them to support speaking, listening and early writing. Drawing Club sessions will focus on mark making and recognising letters from phonics. Children will begin their phonics journey, learning Set 1 sounds and starting to orally blend simple words.

In Maths, children will explore early number through matching, sorting and comparing, as well as beginning to recognise patterns and talk about measures.

We will enrich our learning through an autumn walk and a school walk to meet different members of staff, helping children to feel confident and familiar within their new environment.

We would like to thank parents for their support in helping children settle into school life. It has been lovely to welcome families to our EYFS meeting and coffee morning, and we look forward to continuing to build strong partnerships throughout the year.

Autumn 2

Autumn 2: How do we celebrate?

This half term, children will explore celebrations through our enquiry into light, culture and traditions. We will learn about a range of cultural and religious celebrations, including Christmas, Diwali and Hanukkah, and explore how light plays an important role in many of these events. Children will have opportunities to share their own family traditions and learn about those of others, developing an understanding of similarities and differences between cultures.

Through hands-on experiences, children will explore light and shadows, investigating light sources and how shadows are formed. In art, they will experiment with colour and pattern inspired by Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian, creating their own vibrant artwork using shape and colour. In Design and Technology, children will create simple moving pictures using sliders and levers.

In literacy, we will enjoy a range of stories such as The Best Diwali Ever, The Christmas Pine and Stick Man. Drawing Club sessions will focus on identifying sounds and forming CVC words. Children will continue to develop their phonics knowledge, practising Set 1 sounds and beginning to blend and spell simple words. We will continue developing a comfortable pencil grip, working towards a dynamic tripod grasp.

In Maths, children will explore numbers to 5, shapes including circles, triangles and shapes with four sides, and begin to recognise and describe patterns.

We will enrich our learning through a range of seasonal experiences, including a trip to the Science Museum and a Christmas fun day. Parents are warmly invited to take part in our celebrations through Stay and Make sessions, as well as sharing their own traditions, food, clothing and stories with the class.

We appreciate your support during this busy and exciting term. It has been wonderful to see the children engaging in celebrations, sharing their experiences and developing confidence as part of our school community.

Spring 1

Spring 1: How do we go?

This half term, children will explore how we travel through our enquiry into journeys, transport and movement. We will learn about different types of transport, both past and present, and begin to understand how people and goods move around the world. Children will develop their mapping skills, using simple maps and directional language to describe routes and journeys.

Through hands-on learning, children will explore forces such as pushes and pulls, investigating how objects move on different surfaces and how ramps and slopes can change speed. We will also focus on road safety, helping children understand how to stay safe when travelling in our local area.

In literacy, we will enjoy a range of stories such as Emma Jane’s Aeroplane and Whatever Next!. Drawing Club sessions will focus on developing short phrases and captions, whilst learning to add more care and detail to our drawings. Children will continue to develop their phonics knowledge, focusing on Set 1 sounds and blending to read and spell simple words.

In Maths, children will explore numbers to 8, mass and capacity, and concepts such as length, height and time. In Computing, children will begin programming using Bee-Bots, creating and following simple routes while using positional language.

In Art, children will create sculptures inspired by Barbara Hepworth, exploring shape, form and texture using clay. In Design and Technology, they will develop food preparation skills, learning how to safely cut, mix and combine ingredients while making healthy choices.

We will enrich our learning through a transport experience day, where children are invited to come dressed as someone who works in transport, such as a pilot, astronaut or paramedic. During the day, we will take part in a local walk to observe and collect data about different types of transport in our area, and children will have the opportunity to design and build their own vehicles outdoors using loose parts. There will be more fun surprises on the day!

We appreciate your continued support this half term. It has been wonderful to see children growing in confidence as they share their ideas, work together and explore the world around them.

Spring 2

Spring 2: Where do we live?

This half term, children will explore where we live through our enquiry into homes, communities and the world around us. We will learn about different types of homes, both past and present, and compare how people live in different places around the world. Children will develop their understanding of maps and directions, explore our local area, and learn about the important roles people play in our community.

Through hands-on learning, children will investigate materials and their properties, discovering what makes structures strong and suitable for building. In Design and Technology, they will design and build their own structures, testing and improving them. In Art, children will explore collage inspired by Henri Matisse, using colour, shape and texture to create their own artwork.

In Literacy, we will enjoy a range of stories such as The Three Little Pigs and Iggy Peck Architect, using them to inspire storytelling, captions and short phrases. Alongside this, children will take part in Drawing Club sessions to support their imagination, vocabulary and caption writing. Children will continue developing their phonics knowledge in their RWI groups, reading longer words and building confidence in writing.

In Maths, we will explore numbers to 10, 3D shapes, and concepts such as length, height and time. In Computing, children will begin to explore animation by creating simple stop-motion sequences, helping them understand how images can be used to tell a story.

To enrich our learning, we will take part in local walks to explore different types of buildings and homes in our community, helping children make real-life connections to their learning.

Summer 1

Summer 1: How do things change?

This half term, children will explore how the world changes through our enquiry on plants, growth and the natural world. We will plant seeds and bulbs, observe how they grow, learn what plants need to stay healthy, and record changes through drawings, labels and simple writing.

Children will explore patterns inspired by nature through William Morris printing, refine sewing skills and use digital tools to create art. In Literacy, we will enjoy key texts such as Oliver’s Vegetables and A Seed is Sleepy, while developing sentence writing and vocabulary through Drawing Club. We will continue building confidence in explaining our ideas.

In Maths, children will explore numbers beyond 20, sharing, grouping and composing shapes and quantities. Across the curriculum, they will ask questions, make predictions and talk about what they notice as they learn how people, plants, places and materials change over time.

We are also looking forward to our exciting trip to Kew Gardens, where children will experience plant life and environments first-hand.

It has been wonderful to see so many families joining our weekly Stay and Play sessions on Thursdays, taking part in our Friday community walks, and volunteering as Mystery Readers. We really value this strong partnership and the positive impact it has on the children’s learning and experiences!

 

Reception summer 1

Summer 2

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Our Learning Journey