Autumn Term

Celebrations

Week 5

What an exciting week we’ve had in Reception! The children have been busy playing, learning, and growing together. Here are some of our favourite moments.

Phonics

This week in EYFS we have continued to develop our blending, working hard to use our RWI techniques such as Fred Fingers and squeezing the sounds. The children are trying incredibly hard, and some are now beginning to write independently  — great work, everyone!

Maths

In Maths, we have been exploring the part-part-whole model with numbers to five. The children are building a deeper understanding of these numbers and investigating different ways to make a whole.

Understand the World

In Knowledge and Understanding the World, we have been learning about weddings. We looked at different wedding traditions from around the world, shared our own experiences, enjoyed looking at our teachers’ photos, and even held our own class and year-group weddings! 

We are also continuing to learn about keeping our bodies and minds, thinking about the choices we make every day.

Expressive art and design

Rehearsals for our Christmas Nativity are well underway. A huge thank you to all the parents for providing costumes — we really appreciate your support. We are very excited to perform for you next week! We look

Our Reception children have been working so hard, and it really shows. They’re doing an amazing job—well done, everyone!

Week 4

Reception Weekly Update. Here’s a little look at what we’ve been busy learning, exploring, and enjoying together.

Phonics

This week we have been continuing to develop our blending skills, using our Fred fingers to write words and Fred Talk to read them.

Maths

In maths, we have been introduced to the part–part–whole model. We began by identifying whole objects and their parts before moving on to exploring numbers in this structure.

Literacy, language and communication

In Drawing Club, we looked at the book Would You Rather? The children have really enjoyed comparing different settings and choosing which option they prefer. They had lots of fun choosing a teacher to lock in a room with an animal, imagining a scary creature to hold, and inventing something to travel up into the sky with!

Understanding the world, Expressive Art and Design and Physical Development 

For Knowledge and Understanding of the World, we have been learning about birthdays. The children have been busy writing guest lists and birthday cards, making shopping lists, baking cakes, playing party games and even holding their own parties in the home corner. We are also continuing to practise for the Nativity, and the children are very excited to perform for all their parents and loved ones soon.

What a wonderful week we’ve had in EYFS! 

Week 3

Phonics

This week in Phonics, we have continued to develop our blending skills. The children are working very hard and becoming increasingly independent in their learning.

Maths

We have been exploring the concept of one less with numbers to five. The children have been using a five frame and creating number stories to help deepen their understanding.

Literacy, Language and Communication

We have been looking at the past. The children enjoyed watching Wacky Races, a cartoon first aired in 1969, and loved comparing it to the cartoons they know today. They have been wonderfully creative—designing their own “baddie,” building a petrol station, and inventing their own vehicle!

Knowledge and Understanding the World

This links beautifully with our Knowledge and Understanding of the World focus for this week, where we have been learning about road safety.

Expressive arts and design

We have also been practising our Christmas nativity, and the children are working very hard. They are learning to speak slowly, clearly, and loudly, and their singing is sounding wonderful. Everyone is trying their best to remember their cues and lines, and we are very proud of their efforts. We can’t wait to share their performance with you!

We also watched a wonderful story teller retell a version of the Chinye story we have been looking at. We discussed the similarities and differences. 

The children have had a fantastic week full of creativity, curiosity and developing independence. Well done, Reception!

Week 2 

Reception weekly update!

Phonics

This week in Reception, we have continued to develop our blending skills in phonics — the children are becoming much more confident at putting sounds together to read simple words.

Maths

In maths, we have been learning about one more with numbers up to 5. The children have enjoyed creating their own number stories using a five frame, showing great understanding through practical activities.

Literacy, language communication and PSHCE

It has also been Anti-Bullying Week. On Monday, we wore odd socks to celebrate our differences and to raise awareness of the importance of kindness and respect. To link with this, our focus story has been The Rainbow Fish. The children have been thinking about what it means to be a good friend and how we can make others happy. They have also been wonderfully creative, designing their own stunning fish and even inventing some scary sea creatures!

Understanding the world

This week also included Remembrance Day. The children showed great understanding and respect as they observed the silence and reflected on its meaning.

Expressive art and design

Finally, we have started practising for our Christmas nativity! The children are already learning the songs and beginning to rehearse their parts — you may even hear some of the performances at home! Parts for the play have be assigned, and we can’t wait to see our budding singers, actors, and dancers shining on stage.

 It has been another busy and thoughtful week in Reception — well done, everyone!

Week 1

This week in Reception, we’ve had a fantastic time exploring new learning across all areas of the curriculum!

Phonics

We’ve been continuing to develop our blending skills. The children are doing brilliantly at sounding out individual phonemes, and we’re now working on blending them together to read whole words. This can be a little tricky at first, so we encourage you to keep practising at home — every little bit helps!

Maths

In Maths, we’ve been learning all about 2D shapes and their properties. The children have loved becoming shape detectives, hunting for circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles around the classroom and throughout the school.

Literacy, language and communication

Our story of the week has been Little Rabbit Foo Foo. The children have been incredibly imaginative, coming up with creative ways to turn the Goonie back into a rabbit! It’s been especially exciting to learn that this was one of the teachers’ favourite books when they were little — a lovely connection across generations.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Expressive Arts and Design

 We learned about Guru Nanak’s birthday and explored some key aspects of the Sikh faith. The children showed great curiosity and respect as they discovered more about this special celebration.

Bonfire Night Safety With Bonfire Night approaching, we’ve been learning how to stay safe around fireworks and bonfires. We also explored the history behind this celebration and why it’s remembered each year. We then created some lovely artwork

As poppies went on sale in school, we took time to talk about Remembrance Day — why people wear poppies and the importance of remembering those who have served and sacrificed. The children listened thoughtfully. They then produced some amazing pictures, printing or paintings for a display

Thank you for your continued support at home. We’re so proud of all the children’s enthusiasm and curiosity this week!

Week 8

Reception weekly update

Phonics

This week, we have been continuing to learn new sounds and are working hard to blend letters together to read words. We are proud to say that we have now covered all the phonemes in the Read Write Inc. (RWI) order!

Maths

We had lots of fun investigating 3D shapes — exploring which ones can stack and which ones can roll. The children enjoyed hands-on activities and developed great mathematical thinking as they tested their ideas.

Literacy,  Language and communication

We have also been developing our Drawing Club techniques. The children have been coming up with some really creative ideas and are working hard to develop their individual codes — it’s been wonderful to see their imagination and confidence grow.

Understanding the World, Creative and PSHE

As part of Black History Month, we continued learning about inspiring figures such as Benjamin Zephaniah, exploring his poetry, and reading Floella Benjamin’s Coming to England. We also talked about our own families and experiences of coming to or living in England. The children reflected beautifully on how these stories connect to their own lives. We also looked at the vibrant artwork of Alma Thomas and discussed how these individuals inspire us all through their creativity, courage, and contributions.

Some of the children also shared their exciting Diwali news!

Thank you for all your help and support and we wish you and your children a happy and safe half term!

Week 7

This week in Reception

We’ve had a busy and exciting time full of learning and creativity!

Phonics

We’ve continued learning new sounds and practising our blending skills. The children are becoming more confident at sounding out and reading simple words – well done everyone!

Literacy

We’ve been reading the book Christopher Pumpkin. The children have loved exploring the spooky story and have been incredibly creative! We looked at the story setting, invented our own gruesome guests, and even created our own pumpkin splatters. There has been lots of fantastic storytelling and imagination in our discussions and play.

Maths

Our focus has been on the concepts of more and fewer. We’re beginning to use this language during our play and when comparing quantities. You can support this at home by encouraging your child to use these words – for example, when sharing snacks or toys: “Who has more? Who has fewer?”

Understanding the World

We’ve also started to look ahead to Diwali, learning about how people celebrate and why it’s such a special festival. If your family celebrates Diwali and you have any photos of your celebrations, we would love it if you could upload them to Google Classroom. The children really enjoy sharing and talking about their experiences with the class!

Thank you for your continued support – we’re so proud of how well the children are doing

Week 6

This Week in Reception

We’ve had a busy and exciting week in EYFS!

Phonics:
We have now split into smaller groups for phonics within our classes to support each child at their own level. Please continue to practise the sounds sent home in the envelopes – regular practice really helps!

Literacy:
This week, we have been exploring Rosie’s Walk. The children loved drawing different places for Rosie to hide and coming up with imaginative ideas for how the fox might try to catch her!
We have also continued enjoying The Little Red Hen. The children compared the two stories, looking at similarities and differences between them, and talking about the characters and story events.

Understanding the World:
As part of our harvest learning, we talked about where our food comes from and even made our own bread! The children were fantastic bakers and really enjoyed the process from start to finish.

Maths:
In Maths, we have been focusing on the vocabulary of more and fewer. We’ve been using practical activities to help the children compare amounts and talk confidently about what they see.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to another exciting week of learning!

Week 5

This week in Reception, we have been having lots of fun while learning new things!

Phonics

In Phonics, we have been continuing our exploration of letter sounds. The children are really getting the hang of it and are showing good progress! We've been practising blending sounds together to form simple words, and everyone is getting more confident every day.

Maths

In Maths, we’ve been reviewing numbers 1-5. The children have been using different activities to practice counting, recognizing numbers.

Literacy

We’ve also been reading the story of The Little Red Hen. The children have really enjoyed this classic tale, and we’ve been discussing the key events and characters. It’s been great to see them engaging with the story and learning about teamwork and responsibility.

Expressive Arts 

To finish off the week, the children have been busy getting creative! We've had lots of fun with collaging, cutting, and painting. From colourful collages to exciting paintings, the children have had the chance to express their creativity in so many ways!

We can’t wait to see what next week has in store!

Week 4

We are continuing to settle beautifully into school life and are becoming more confident with our daily routines. The children have been busy developing their phonics skills, and we’ve been working hard on our writing and mark making – it's wonderful to see their creativity and confidence growing!

In Drawing Club, we've been exploring the story Not Now, Bernard by David McKee. The children have loved discussing the characters and using their imaginations to create drawings and stories inspired by the book.

We've also been enjoying painting, expressing ourselves through colour and creativity. We also looked at and celebrated what makes each of us unique – it's been so special to hear the children share their news and talk about the things that make them them.

It’s been a fantastic start to the year and we’re excited for all the learning and adventures still to come!

Autumn Term

Marvellous me 

All the children have settled in really well and have had a busy first full week learning all the school routines, making friends and exploring our learning areas.

We have enjoyed a range of different activities, exploring volume in the water tray and role play in the home corner. We have been very creative exploring using different media for example painting at the easel.