Spring Term 2 - Week 3

Spring Term 2 - Week 2

Spring Term 2 - Week 1 

Welcome back after half term! It’s been great to see the children return full of energy and enthusiasm for learning. We’ve had a busy week filled with exciting new topics and activities, and it’s wonderful to see how the children are already diving into our new learning challenges. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Phonics:
This week, we’ve introduced two new sounds: igh and oa. The children have been practicing blending these sounds into words and are already becoming more confident in applying them in their reading and writing. They’ve done a fantastic job with segmenting and sounding out new words, and we’ve seen lots of progress in their ability to tackle more complex words. Keep practicing at home—it’s making a huge difference!

Maths:
In Maths, we’ve been exploring length and height. The children have been using non-standard units of measurement to compare the length and height of different objects around the classroom. They’ve also been practicing using terms like “longer,” “shorter,” “taller,” and “smaller” to describe what they see. It’s been fantastic to see how the children are applying their knowledge in real-world contexts through hands-on activities and discussions!

Literacy:
In Literacy, we’ve started our exploration of the classic story Jack and the Beanstalk. The children have been retelling key events from the story, using both their words and pictures. They’ve also been labeling illustrations with key elements from the story, like the beanstalk, Jack, the giant, and the golden egg. It’s wonderful to see the children engaging with the story and developing their comprehension skills through both creative and written activities.

Continuous Provision:
In continuous provision, we’ve introduced two exciting new setups. The children have been exploring our new farm shop role play area, where they’ve been practicing their social and communication skills as they take on the roles of shopkeepers and customers. They’ve also been engaging with our Jack and the Beanstalk small world set-up, where they’ve been recreating scenes from the story with figurines and using their imagination to develop new adventures.

Outdoor Learning:
Outside, the children have been busy planting daffodils and wildflowers in the garden. It’s been a great opportunity for the children to explore the natural world, learn about how plants grow, and develop an understanding of the seasons. They’ve been excited to watch their plants grow and can’t wait to see how they bloom!

Special Visitors:
This week, we were thrilled to have a poet visit Reception! The poet led us in an action poem that had everyone moving and laughing. It was a fun and engaging way to explore rhythm and language, and the children loved participating in the actions and sharing during our whole school assembly.

It’s been a fantastic start to the new term, and we can’t wait to see what next week brings!

Spring Term 1 - Week 6

This week in Reception, the children have continued to impress us with their dedication and enthusiasm for learning. It’s been another exciting week filled with new challenges and opportunities to grow. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to:  

Phonics:
This week, we introduced a new set of sounds, building on the strong foundation the children have developed over the past few weeks. The class has been working hard on blending and segmenting more complex words, and it’s been amazing to see their confidence grow. Many children are now applying their phonics knowledge independently, not just in phonics lessons but across all areas of the classroom. Keep encouraging them to sound out words at home—it’s making a huge difference!  

Literacy:
Our literacy focus this week has continued with The Jungle Book. The children have been retelling the key events of the story, sequencing the plot and writing sentences to describe what happens at the beginning, middle, and end. They’ve also been practicing their storytelling skills by acting out scenes from the book and using puppets to bring the characters to life. It’s been wonderful to see their creativity and comprehension skills develop as they engage with the story in such a hands-on way.  

Maths:
In Maths, we’ve moved on to exploring subtraction. The children have been learning how to take away objects from a group and write number sentences to show their work. Using practical resources like counters and number lines, they’ve been developing a solid understanding of this new concept. It’s been great to see them apply their addition skills from last week to help them with subtraction—they’re making such strong connections in their learning!  

Gymnastics:
As a treat the children explored their gymnastics movements in games and moving to music this week. They’ve worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks to perfect their movements, and it was fantastic to see the progress they have made with their balance, strength, and coordination. 

French:
In French, we’ve continued our exploration of fruit names. The children have been practicing their pronunciation and playing games like “hidden pairs” to match the French words with pictures of the fruits. It’s been a fun and engaging way to reinforce their vocabulary, and they’ve loved the challenge of remembering the French names for their favourite fruits!  

Continuous Provision:
In continuous provision, the children have been tackling new challenges in both maths and writing. They’ve been particularly motivated by our “Super Sentence Challenge,” where they’ve been writing sentences using their phonics knowledge and new vocabulary from The Jungle Book. The children have also been exploring subtraction in their independent play, using toys and counters to solve problems.  

This week, we also had some special Valentine’s Day activities out in the provision. The children enjoyed creating cards, writing kind messages, and making heart-themed crafts. It was a lovely way to celebrate kindness and friendship in our classroom community!  

Behaviour Treat – Nerf Wars!
As a special reward for their fantastic behaviour and hard work, we had a visit from a company called Nerf Wars this week! The children had an absolute blast playing with Nerf guns in the hall, working on their aim, teamwork, and coordination. It was such a fun and energetic way to celebrate their efforts, and the smiles on their faces said it all!  
 

As always, thank you for your continued support at home. The children are making incredible progress, and it’s a joy to see their love for learning grow every day. We’re looking forward to another fantastic term ahead!  

Spring Term 1 - Week 5 

This week in Reception, we've had an exciting and productive week of learning! The children continue to amaze us with their enthusiasm and progress, and it’s been a joy to watch them rise to new challenges. Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to:

Phonics:
We’ve spent this week recapping all the sounds we've learned this half term. The children have been practicing their blending and segmenting skills with great focus, and it’s been fantastic to see how much they’ve absorbed. The class is becoming more confident with their reading and writing, using the sounds they’ve learned to decode and spell words! The classroom is filled with independent application of phonics, with the children using their knowledge in all areas of their learning.

Literacy:
Our new text focus this week has been The Jungle Book. The children have been loving the story and have enjoyed writing detailed descriptions of the animals in the book and the jungle setting. It’s been wonderful to see their creativity shine through as they use their knowledge of the text to bring the jungle and its characters to life in their writing.

Maths:
In Maths, we’ve been learning about combining two groups and writing number sentences. The children have enjoyed using objects and pictures to help them understand how to add two groups together, and many are now confidently writing number sentences to show their work. It’s exciting to see them developing such a strong understanding of early addition!

Gymnastics:
This week in gymnastics, the children have been practicing their routine. They’ve been working hard on refining their movements and remembering the sequence of actions. It’s been great to see them focus on improving their balance, strength, and coordination as they work together to perfect their routine.

French:
In French, we continued our exploration of fruit names. The children had lots of fun practicing how to say their favourite fruits in French, and it was a fantastic opportunity to expand their vocabulary and pronunciation.

Continuous Provision:
In continuous provision, the children have been enjoying their maths and writing challenges, all for the chance to earn dojo points! It’s wonderful to see them so motivated and engaged in these challenges. Whether they’re solving number problems or writing creatively, the children are demonstrating great independence and a love for learning. It’s fantastic to see them applying the phonics skills they’ve been learning across all areas of the classroom.

Celebrating Mental Health Week:
This week, we also joined in with EYFS to celebrate Mental Health Week, which focused on promoting well-being and understanding emotions. On Friday, we took part in Wear a Scarf Day, where everyone wore their favourite scarves to show support for mental health awareness. It was a lovely, cosy way to help the children reflect on the importance of looking after their mental health and being kind to others.

Another fantastic week in Reception, full of learning, fun, and important moments of reflection! We can’t wait for more adventures next week! 🌟

Spring Term 1 - Week 4

This week in Reception, we've had another action-packed week of learning! The children continue to impress us with their enthusiasm and progress, and it’s been wonderful to see them embracing new challenges. Here's a recap of what we’ve been up to:

In Phonics, we’ve been recapping the sounds ch and sh to reinforce their understanding. We also introduced the new sounds th/th and ng, and the children have been practicing these with lots of enthusiasm. It’s fantastic to see how well they’re blending these sounds into words and starting to use them in their writing!

In Literacy, we’ve been busy retelling key parts of the story Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. The children really enjoyed recounting the adventures of the boy and the penguin and used their knowledge of the story to write their own versions of key events. We also spent time writing about our outdoor learning experience on Wednesday. The children had so much fun exploring the outdoors, and they did a great job of describing what they saw and did!

In Maths, we’ve been focusing on doubling numbers up to 8. The children enjoyed using objects and pictures to help visualize doubling, and they’ve been writing number sentences to show their understanding. It’s been exciting to see them develop their confidence with number work, and many children are starting to use their knowledge of doubling in problem-solving!

In Gymnastics, we were all incredibly impressed by the children’s efforts! After practicing some bench work, we revisited our backward rolls—this time without the help of an incline! The children worked so hard and showed great determination, and many of them were nearly able to do the rolls all by themselves. Well done Reception Class! Mrs. Winward was so proud of how everyone gave it their best effort.

In French, we spent the morning recapping the names of different fruits. The children enjoyed learning how to say the names of their favorite fruits in French, and it was a fun way to practice language skills while expanding their vocabulary. 

It’s been another fantastic week in Reception, and we’re all looking forward to more fun and learning next week. Well done, everyone—keep up the amazing work!

What an amazing morning we had during our outdoor learning session, all inspired by our core text, The Jungle Book! 📚🐾 Our students took on a jungle assault course 🧗‍♀️💪, working together just like Mowgli and his animal friends in the wild jungle!
Next, we practiced our compass skills in an exciting North, South, East, West game 🧭, navigating the landscape like true explorers of the jungle!
The adventure continued as we crossed a stream and encountered a snake 🐍, who gave us a clue to track down the mighty tiger 🐅—just like Mowgli’s journey through the jungle!
We wrapped up the morning by gathering around the firepit, warming up with juice and toasting marshmallows 🔥🍢—a perfect way to end our adventure with a taste of the jungle life!
A huge thank you to Louise from Wild One Adventures for providing us with such a fantastic adventure and memories to last a lifetime!

Spring Term 1 - Week 3

We’ve had another wonderful week in Reception, full of exciting learning and adventures. The children continue to grow in confidence, and it’s amazing to see their enthusiasm for the new topics we’re exploring. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to this week:

This week, we continued our learning about hot and cold climates, with the children showing great interest in the different environments we’ve been discussing. They’ve been asking fantastic questions about the animals and weather in these climates, and it’s been wonderful to see their curiosity grow!

In Literacy, we focused on setting descriptions from Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. After reading the story, the children worked on describing the different settings in the book, such as the boy’s home, the cold, snowy landscape, and the penguin’s icy environment. It was fantastic to see how the children used their imagination and vocabulary to bring the settings to life in their writing!

In Phonics, we introduced the sounds zz, qu, ch, and sh. The children have been practicing these new sounds and blending them into words. They’ve been really engaged in our phonics activities and are starting to feel more confident in their reading and writing abilities!

In Maths, we focused on comparing mass and capacity, helping the children explore the concepts of heavier and lighter, full and empty, and more and less. The children enjoyed using a variety of objects and containers to measure and compare different amounts of water, sand, and other materials. It was a great hands-on way to develop their understanding of these key concepts.

Our continuous provision was filled with fun and creative activities. The children loved making their own snowy scenes with cotton wool and paint, and some even created penguin pictures to accompany their setting descriptions from the story. They’ve also continued earning dojo points by completing writing challenges, showing their enthusiasm for learning!

In gymnastics, we concentrated on practicing the sequence we’ve been learning. The children worked hard to remember and perform the moves in the correct order, and their focus was impressive. We also used skipping ropes to practice jumping and worked on our forward rolls. The children’s determination and improvement have been amazing to see!

We’re looking forward to another week of learning and fun ahead, and we can’t wait to see what new things the children will discover next!

Spring Term 1 - Week 2

We’ve had a fantastic week back at school in Reception, and the excitement has been contagious! The children are diving into their new learning, and it’s been wonderful to see how eager they are to explore and discover new things. Here’s a recap of all the fun and learning we’ve been up to:

This term, our main focus in Reception is learning about hot and cold climates. The children have been really interested in comparing the different weather, animals, and environments found in these climates. It’s sparking lots of great conversations and questions as we dive deeper into our topic!

In Literacy, we’ve started exploring the beautiful story Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. The children have been enjoying listening to and retelling the story’s events, as well as discussing the characters, particularly the boy and the penguin. We even took this opportunity to practice our writing skills by creating character descriptions, which the children did brilliantly!

This week, we began our Phase 3 phonics learning, introducing the sounds j, v, w, x, y, and z. The children have been working hard on recognizing and blending these sounds into words, and it’s been amazing to see their progress. Phonics has been full of energy and enthusiasm!

In Maths, we’ve been revisiting last week’s learning on representing zero and practicing subitising—recognizing quantities without counting. We’ve been using different objects to explore numbers 0-5, helping the children develop their number sense in a fun and interactive way.

Our continuous provision has been full of exciting activities. The children have thoroughly enjoyed playing in the igloo den, painting penguins, and taking on our writing challenges to earn dojo points! It’s been a great way to foster creativity and independence in the classroom.

We had our very first music session with Mr. Richard, our music teacher, and it was an absolute hit! The children were enthusiastic as they learned the rules of music, different beats, and rhythms. They practiced new songs with actions, and the energy was infectious—everyone had so much fun!

On Thursday, we continued our gymnastics sessions with Mrs. Winward, where the children practiced forward rolls and had the chance to work on their skipping rope skills. Mrs. Winward was really proud of how the children are developing their coordination, enthusiasm, and persistence in mastering new skills.

We’ve had a brilliant start to the term, and we’re excited to continue our journey of learning and discovery. Next week, we’ll keep exploring hot and cold climates, build on our phonics knowledge, and keep moving forward with our gymnastics skills!

Spring Term 1 - Week 1

Due to snow and extremely dangerous conditions on and around the school grounds we have been unable to attend school for most of the week! But we have been busy doing amazing learning at home! Thank you to everyone who has uploaded their superb learning onto Tapestry. Here are some of our pictures…

Our snowy fun on Tuesday in school this week… 

Autumn Term 2 - Week 6

On Friday 13th December we have been lucky enough to have a glimpse into the Swedish tradition of Lucia day. 

A child in our class shared her photos, traditions and brought in some delicious Lussekatter (sweet saffron buns) for everyone to try that she made with her family at home. 
We watched a video of the Lucia procession whilst we ate the Lussekatter and enjoyed looking at the book brought in about Traditions in Sweden. ☺️ 🕯 🌟 

Thank you to this family for sharing their celebration with us today at school! 

Autumn Term 2 - Week 5

What a fantastically festive week we have had in Reception! On Tuesday we went on a school trip to the pantomime at the empire theatre. We loved watching Jack and the Beanstalk and enjoyed getting involved in the crowd! Then on Wednesday and Friday we performed our Christmas Nativity - The Twinkly Nativity to all of our families. We were all amazing on stage; remembering our lines and singing beautifully! All of our EYFS adults are very proud of our performance and the effort we all put into our nativity. 

We have continued our wonderful learning this week; in maths we have been focussed on 1,2,3 with an emphasis on subitising (knowing how many without counting!). In phonics we have been consolidating sounds and have been applying our knowledge whilst reading and writing! 

Autumn Term 2 - Week 4

It has been a exciting frosty week of learning with Reception Class! We have been outdoors lots this week enjoying the wonderful snowy weather in our outdoor area!

This week, during Phonics sessions we have learnt some new phoneme/grapheme's: ss, ll. This week we have recapped all our learnt tricky words.  We have all done fantastic writing, practicing these graphemes in words and sentences too! 
In Literacy we have been focusing on our core text - The Elves and the Shoemakers. We have been listening and learning the story, as well as orally retelling the story and drawing the key events in the story.  In maths we have been practising our 1:1 correspondence and our number formation. 

In Gymnastics, Reception have been very busy practising all the different moves we have been learning over the past few weeks.
Mrs Winward is really impressed with the progress they have made with their backward rolls.

This week in our French lesson we recapped the colours we have already looked at blanc, rouge and bleu. Madam Wardle taught us some new colours, we learnt rose-pink, orange-orange, Marron-brown, Violet-purple, noir-black, Gris-grey, vert-green and Jaune-yellow.

This week we have also had out Outdoor Learning session. During our outdoor adventure, we went for a walk around the woods, we explored the field in the snow and went walking around the reservoir. We had lots of fun!

Autumn Term 2 - Week 3

On Monday, Reception class have walked up to Hoddlesden War Memorial for our school service to pay our respects for Remembrance Day.  We have talked about the importance of ‘Remembrance Day’ and why we do this every year - to remember the fallen soldiers.  We made sure to stay safe on our walk up and talked about road safety.

This week, in phonics our new learning is: l, f, ff.  We have practised the sounds through lots of wonderful games and we have also applied our phonics learning to our mark making and writing activities. In maths this week we have been busy learning about subitising and one more than a number within our ‘Composition of 1, 2, 3’ focus. 

Children in Need 2023
On Friday morning we had an assembly delivered by the schools Values Committee to educate us all on why we do Children in Need. 
We then had lots of fun in Reception class getting creative and doing activities for Children in Need. 
Thankyou to everyone for your kind donations and fantastic efforts. ⭐️😊

Autumn Term 2 - Week 2

It has been another busy week for Reception Class. We have been confidently exploring enhancements of provision, which have included creating poppies for Remembrance Day.

We have continued our phonics development, this week focussed on consolidating our phonics knowledge. We have been practising our letter formation, and some of us have been writing words and short captions on the learning table. 

During our French session this week we have been practising our colours, we did an excellent job remembering the colours that we learnt last week in French and playing games! Madame Wardle was very impressed!

Autumn Term 2 - Week 1

The children have returned to school absolutely brilliantly!
They have shown so much resilience and confidence upon their return to school and in provision.  We have been on an Autumn walk around the local area, around the reservoir and woodland. We spotted many signs of Autumn and talked about road safety, 
 

During phonics we have recapped our previous learning from before the half term and we have also learnt the new GPC’s: h, r, b.  We have been practising writing and reading the sounds we know as well as applying them into CVC words or sentences.  In maths this week we have been busy learning about subitising, one more and one less than a number within our ‘Composition of 1, 2, 3’ focus. 
 

In provision this week we have particularly enjoyed exploring our story shelf around our core text ‘The elves and the shoemaker’, we have been role playing in our shoe shop; and we have been exploring places of significance for people in our community in the construction area.

We ended the week celebrating Diwali, we learnt about the festival of light and joined in expressive arts and design activities focussed on Rangoli patterns. ☺️🪔 

Autumn Term 1 - Core Text Display ‘The Three Little Pigs’. 🐽 🐽 🐽 🐺 

Autumn Term 1 - Week 7

I can’t believe our last week of our first half term has finished! It has been an absolute pleasure to watch the children learn and grow over the last 7 weeks. They have all been wonderful and have thrived in their new environment.
 

In Phonics we have been recapping our sounds from this half term.  We have been applying our phonics learning to read and write words or sentences! In Maths we have been focussed on counting objects and numbers 1, 2 & 3.  In our Literacy sessions this week we have been writing autumn words and sentences- our writing tasks have been focused on hearing initial sounds in words and writing these, some of us have also been writing CVC words and sentences independently! ☺️
We have had our French and Gymnastics curriculum enhancements this week and these will continue next half term. 

Autumn Term 1 - Week 6

Well, another wonderful week has gone by in Reception class! 

In Phonics our new learning is; ck, e & u. We have been applying our phonics learning to read and write words or sentences! 

In Maths we have been focussed on recognising and creating repeating patterns.  In our Literacy sessions this week our writing tasks have been focused on hearing initial sounds in words and writing these, some of us have also been writing CVC words and sentences independently! ☺️
 

In French this week, Madame Wardle recapped the children’s learning of the French Flag.  They learned the name of the flag, ‘Le Tricolore’, and the colours of the flag ‘blue, blanc, rouge’. In Gymnastics everybody joined in and listened wonderfully to Mrs Winward. We warmed up using scarves, stretching and practising our gymnastics poses. We then practiced our sequence that we have been learning this half term. 
 

Next week will be our final week before the October term holiday - we break up on Friday afternoon at our normal time. 

Autumn Term 1 - Week 5

Well, another wonderful week has gone by in Reception class! 
 

In Phonics our new learning is; o, c & k. We have been applying our phonics learning to read and write words or sentences!  In Maths we have been focussed on comparing measure such as height and mass.  In our Literacy sessions this week our writing tasks have been focused on hearing initial sounds in words and writing these, some of us have also been writing CVC words and sentences independently! ☺️

Reception class have had their first Outdoor Adventurous Learning (OAL) session, focusing on our core text 'The Three Little Pigs'. The whole class took part in many OAL activities such as; training as ‘pig protectors' by completing an obstacle course; stream walking to find the three little pigs; rope climbing; den building; and toasting marshmallows on the fire.

in Gymnastics this week the are getting really good at their positions tuck, pike and straddle.
The children really enjoyed having a go on the ropes, some children were very competitive getting to the top of the ropes in little time!

Autumn Term 1 - Week 4

We have had another amazing week in Reception! In phonics our new learning has been; m, d & g - we have been applying our phonics learning to read and write words or sentences! 👏🌟 In Maths we have been developing our knowledge of sorting and grouping objects.
 

In gymnastics, we have took part in lots of different exercises such as spinning, jumping, walking on tiptoes, balancing and stretching. All children followed clear instructions. In our French learning this week, Madame Wardle introduced us to some animals in French and we used our prior learning of French greetings to introduce ourselves to the animals. Half of the class have continued their biking award sessions this week at Junction 4 skatepark, showing developing control on the balance bikes. This week manoeuvring over obstacles, around cones and even on small ramps! 

We have enjoyed lots of activities relating to MacMillan Coffee Morning, the children have enjoyed making cups of tea and coffee, role playing tea parties, cutting and sticking, and making some lovely designs on teapots. Thank you very much for your generous donations of cakes and for those who were able to join us for this morning! 

Autumn Term 1 - Week 3

We have had a very busy week!  In reception this week we have enjoyed exploring the provision with our peers, in particular; building Lego houses for the three little pigs; role playing houses and teacher; and searching for mini beasts outdoors.

This week in phonics we have been learning our phase two sounds; i, n & p.  The children have been fabulous in our phonics sessions, doing great listening and following instructions. We have also been practising forming our new graphemes through; mark making in sand; with paint; using the whiteboards and outdoors with chalk. 

The Reception children who are completing the Youth British Cycling Award at Junction 5 Skatepark this term have had their first session this week.  This session focussed on being safe on a bike and the children's confidence on the balance bikes, pushing with just one leg; manoeuvring around cones; and controlling their bikes. The children were fantastic, showing great listening skills and all tried their very best!  

Autumn Term 1 - Week 2

We have had a brilliant second week in EYFS class. The children have continued to build relationships with peers and have explored the continuous provision with confidence.  The children have been absolutely fantastic in the big hall at lunchtime and have loved exploring the big playground and apparatus outdoors on the yard. 
 

Miss Clayton has been so impressed with the children’s listening and involvement in their carpet and group sessions such as phonics, mark making (pencil control), Maths, PSHE and worship.  During phonics this week our new learning has been: s, a & t. During our focussed provision time the children have had lots of opportunities to develop their fine motor skills, practise letter formation and writing their names. In our Reception outdoor area we have been focussed on developing our gross motor skills; creating obstacle courses with the tyres and planks; water painting using big brushes; and building using the large blocks.
 

Our extra learning experiences have included; a visit from the Life Education bus where we learnt about our bodies, our first gymnastics session with Mrs Winward and French with Madame Wardle. 

Autumn Term 1 - Week 1

Our First Week! 🌟☺️
 

The children have been absolutely amazing this week.  It has been great to observe the children interacting and becoming more familiar with the environment and each other. We can already see some special friendships forming and their great individual characters shining through.  The children have explored the indoor and outdoor provision wonderfully! They have also been superstars at lunch time where they learned how to get their cutlery, cup and tray independently. As well as provision, the children have accessed their first PE lessons and their first French session with Madame Wardle.
 

Miss Clayton is so proud of all the children for their confidence and resilience this week. Well done to all of Reception! We can't wait to see you all again, on Monday. 🌟👏