Welcome to Reception

We hope you have all had a fabulous summer and are as excited as we are about starting this new Autumn Term. We are thrilled to see so many familiar faces and we extend a very warm welcome to those parents and children joining us for the first time this September.
One of our main aims is for children to settle in quickly and happily, to develop their personal and social skills encouraging independence and responsibility. Throughout the school year we will cover a broad spectrum of topics, incorporating all areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage, to provide a cultural capital and help the children on the journey of acquiring skills that they will need throughout their life. All topics involve learning about themselves and the environment in which they live.

Phonics

In EYFS, as with throughout the school, the children learn phonics through ‘Sounds Write.’ They are introduced to different letters of the alphabet daily and they are encouraged to learn the letter sound and name which they then begin to blend together. Once children have a good understanding of letters and their use, we then provide opportunities to practice the formation and orientation of specific letters. At St Andrew’s we learn to write in many fun ways;

• We finger paint
• We chalk on the floor outside
• We write in sand
• We make letters out of play dough
• We draw letters in the air.
• Finally, once we have acquired the appropriate fine motor control and are able to hold a pencil correctly we learn how to write on paper.

There will be opportunities throughout the year to come to Phonics Workshops where you can learn more about how you can support your child’s learning in this area.

Reading

From the very first day the children will be encouraged to read daily. They will start the year with a picture book to help them to discuss and use story language. They will then bring home books to reinforce letter sounds, vocabulary and an understanding of books. Any reading will be recorded in a reading diary. This diary reinforces home/school relationships, as parents are encouraged to write their personal comments in this book, regarding the child’s reading. There is an expectation that the children will read 5 times a week alongside daily practice of their phonic sounds.

Maths

We start the year with ‘Number Sense’ - an understanding of number. Young children frequently learn to count by rote but do not really understand the meaning behind what they are doing. In EYFS we look at groups of items, to develop an understanding of how a number is made up: for example, seven dots could be a set of three dots and a set of four dots, or a set of six dots and one dot. This understanding of part-part-whole relationships helps children to separate and combine numbers and accelerates understanding of addition and subtraction. ‘Maths Mastery’ is used within our maths sessions and then applied to everyday life in the class.

Daily Life

A major aspect of EYFS curriculum is the emphasis on outdoor play. We do this in ALL weathers! We all go outside on a daily basis even if it is raining, snowing, windy, sunny etc. Please always ensure your child brings appropriate clothing into school (this may include wellingtons, waterproofs or sun hats in the summer).  We strive to keep all children as clean as possible but there will be circumstances where your child will get dirty (this is the fun part of being a child!)

PE

PE takes place on a Wednesday. Please ensure your child has their PE kit in school, this will be kept on their peg for the term. It is essential that all clothes are named as you can imagine how easy it is for the children to mix their belongings up. Please also ensure that earrings are removed for PE. We cannot remove or cover earrings at school so your child will be unable to take part in PE on that day. A reminder that only stud earrings are allowed in general.

Tapestry

This year we are going to use an app called Tapestry as a way to communicate any achievements during the day or activities we have been doing. These will be to linked to the Early Learning Goals. This is also a way for you to show us what you have been doing at home and to share photos of experiences over the weekend. We will send home details about Tapestry towards the end of September, with your login details and information about how to use it.