Welcome to Reception!

Our class teacher for the 2023-24 academic year is Mrs Angela Mitchell. Our teaching assistant is Miss Chloe Firby.

Autumn Term

Welcome to Reception! This first term is exciting and the children will be introduced to lots of new people, activities and routines. Our first topic is ‘Marvellous Me’ and our aim is to get to know your children really well.

We will be exploring different feelings and emotions, based around the story ‘Colour Monster’. We will be talking about the people who are important to your child, learning about how your child is growing, the new things they can do and the challenges they may face when learning new things. We will be reading lots of stories based around these themes, including ‘Once there were Giants’ and ‘Giraffes Can’t Dance’.

The children will be introduced to St. Anne’s ‘Golden Promises’. These are the 5 rules which we expect all children to follow. There is a ‘Golden Promises’ display in the classroom on which all children’s photos are on our ‘Rainbow Flower’. All children will remain on the flower unless they break a Golden Promise, in which case their photos will move off the flower. Children then need to show that they are able to follow the Golden Promises to move their photo back.

Over the first few weeks, the children will be assessed using the statutory Reception Baseline Assessment, this is an activity-based assessment of pupils’ starting points in language, communication and literacy and mathematics.

We will begin daily phonics and maths lessons in week 2. In phonics, we follow the Little Wandle phonics scheme, and in maths we use ‘White Rose Maths’ to support the children. Each week we will send home video clips and photos of our learning in class, so that you can support your child at home. These will be sent through ‘Tapestry’, our online learning journal, so please ensure you are logging in every week.

Children will take part in whole school assemblies in the hall. We will also begin weekly SPLAY (Sport through Play/PE) sessions which are run by a Sports Development Lead. These are on a Thursday afternoon; children do not need a PE kit yet. Mrs Emmot, a specialist music teacher, will also visit on a Thursday afternoon to involve the children in singing, dancing and creative activities. The children will also take part in Forest School Activities on a Friday afternoon, we will visit the school field and take part in a range of activities which promote good social and communication skills.

Outdoor learning is a huge part of the Early Years curriculum and the children will have plenty of opportunities to work in our outdoor area. Children will need to have a pair of wellies in school and wear a good, waterproof coat.

After the first half term (in Autumn 2), our topic is ‘Fantastic Fairytales’, we will be reading a range of traditional tales, retelling stories and acting them out. We will then, of course, be getting ready for Christmas! We will be performing a Christmas show and having a class Christmas party, more details will follow on Tapestry.

Lots of exciting things for our children in this first term! Please remember to check Tapestry for weekly updates. If you have any questions, please see a member of the Reception team.