Mrs Thorogood Mrs Morgan Mrs McCabe Mrs Green

Following Fascinations… We are always privileged to have fantastic children in our classes with excellent ideas… We use the school garden as much as we can and use donated goodies and natural resources… We have to work together to get along and often one great idea leads to another… We are always privileged to have fantastic children in our classes with excellent ideas… We use the school garden as much as we can and use donated goodies and natural resources… We have to work together to get along and often one great idea leads to another…

What goes on inside and out?

A mixture of exploring and playing with open-ended resources, investigating and meeting challenges…

Just so that you know… We’re Going On A Bear Hunt…

By following the children’s fascinations we are amazed at how much they teach US every day and how much fun we all have learning together The context for children’s learning is often initiated by the children themselves. This ensures their engagement and motivation and facilitates good opportunities to maximise their achievement. Ofsted Report. May 2015 The context for children’s learning is often initiated by the children themselves. This ensures their engagement and motivation and facilitates good opportunities to maximise their achievement. Ofsted Report. May 2015 Boys and girls make equally fast progress… All learning is set into meaningful contexts for them. Ofsted Report. May 2015 Boys and girls make equally fast progress… All learning is set into meaningful contexts for them. Ofsted Report. May 2015

Throughout the year… We have a rolling cycle of Focus Children, with Parent Feedback sessions following each individual child’s Focus Week Each week’s Retrospective Planning Sheet will be placed in the window, for viewing from the Outside Area, informing you of all of the lovely activities that we have taken part in We will also invite you in to class to share books with your child on a Friday morning, between 8:40-8:50 (once the children are settled), according to a colour group timetable (which will be sent home to you)

Your Child’s Unique Story. We use photos, written observations, shared talk and teaching activities to record and assess the progress your child is making. We aim to focus on 6 children each week so that we can have a rolling program of parent feedback meetings.

Please join in! You will be asked to share in the focus week process through a feedback session – we will discuss your child’s next steps and you can have a look through your child’s Unique Story folder and focus week sheet We hope you will also share your child’s achievements that they make outside of school with us and that we can add them to your child’s unique story Partnerships with parents are good. Parents make a positive contribution to pupil’s achievement, especially in the early years. Ofsted Report. May 2015 Partnerships with parents are good. Parents make a positive contribution to pupil’s achievement, especially in the early years. Ofsted Report. May 2015 Personal learning journals provide an impressive body of evidence of the progress each child makes… Teachers and children alike are extremely proud of these records. Ofsted Report. May 2015 Personal learning journals provide an impressive body of evidence of the progress each child makes… Teachers and children alike are extremely proud of these records. Ofsted Report. May 2015

Transition to Reception. We have been lucky enough to meet many of your lovely children at our local nurseries within the last few weeks, which has been lovely The children are invited into class for a stay and play session on either 23 rd / 24 th June (please see your information pack for your allocated time) – they will spend the time with the other children that will be in their class for the first two weeks of half days in September, so it is very important that they attend the correct session, as they can form friendships before they even start school Please encourage your child to stay in class, independently, whilst you join your future friends in the hall for a cup of coffee, a chat and a browse through our PFA uniform sale! We would also love to see you at our Summer Fete on July 11 th. The home visits in September are a lovely way of reminding the children of who we are before they start school, and for us to alleviate any last minute concerns you may have. The children initially attend for two weeks of half days (with only half of the class), before full time school begins. This time allows us to really get to know the children and for them to settle into the school environment

Transition to Year 1. During the last term in their Reception Year the children spend an afternoon in Year 1, during their Focus Week. They take a bag full of information, photos (anything that interests them), to share with the teachers. We join the rest of KS1 for assemblies, playtime and Sports Day practice. The Year 1 teachers visit the children in Reception and will have transition afternoons with their new classes before the end of term I liked it in Year 1, I even met my friends in Year 1. It was good meeting them, it was good meeting the teachers. It was different, not scary. I liked the teachers, they were lovely. I liked showing the teacher my bag. They have different toys, they have connectors! I liked the teachers, they were lovely. I liked showing the teacher my bag. They have different toys, they have connectors!

Letters and Sounds. We teach reading and writing through the Letters and Sounds literacy scheme. Children will practice using sounds and matching them to letters in order to begin reading quickly and confidently. Building words by sounds, and then sentences, are the essential tools for writing.

Read to your child, as many books as possible; and talk about anything that they question or find interesting. We begin with talking about stories and building pictures in our minds, the first books we send home will not have words. We want the children to develop a wide vocabulary, and a big imagination. Reading is learning for life…

Once the children are settled they will bring home one Reading Book, and one ‘Book Corner’ choice each week. Make some quiet time to share these, read to your child and talk about the pictures, point to the words. What you can do to help

Maths in everyday situations… We encourage the children to think mathematically all of the time through the language we use. Count pieces of fruit into the fruit bowl. Share sweets equally from a packet. Compare height, length, weight. Recognise numbers all around the home. Look for patterns, shapes, similarities. Talk about times of the day, days of the week, seasonal changes…

Daily habits to get into… Children learn best when they are happy, healthy and settled – please send your child to school every day and arrive on time for drop off and home time Your child will be tired- early nights and a good breakfast Bookbags should come to school every day – please leave books in the bookbag but please, please, leave water bottles out! Please check the bookbag every day as letters from the office, or messages about non-serious injuries, will be sent home in these. Please help your child to write their name in lower case letters (not CAPITALS), practice counting, look at numbers and read every day

School dinners and packed lunches. All children are entitled to a free school dinner whilst in KS1 Staff stay with the Reception children whilst they eat their lunch, helping them when necessary. If you opt for sending a packed lunch for your child, then please consider healthy choices…

Clothing at school… Please put the name that your child can read in shirts, jumpers, trousers and skirts, and all PE kit items. Please name lunch boxes (including the pots within the lunchbox), coats, shoes, scarves, hats and gloves… If it comes to school then please put your child’s name on it! PLEASE personalise your child’s fleece

Terms 1 & 2 September – Home visits and Meet & Greet evening. October –During the last week of term, parents will be invited to come for an informal visit to their child’s class between 2.30pm and 3.00pm. The children will share their Unique Story Folders, the display boards, and show their parents around the class. December – The Unique Story Folders will go home in the last week of term, with a summary of how your child has settled into school in the Teacher Voice section, there will also be a Child’s Voice section and a Parent’s Voice section

Terms 3 & 4 February –During the last week of term, parents will be invited to come for an informal visit to their child’s class between 2.30pm and 3.00pm. The children will share their Unique Story Folders, the display boards, and show their parents around the class. March – The Unique Story Folders will go home in the last week of term, with a summary of your child’s development in the Teacher Voice section, there will also be a Child’s Voice section and a Parent’s Voice section

Terms 5 & 6 May - During the last week of term, parents will be invited to come for an informal visit to their child’s class between 2.30pm and 3.00pm. The children will share their Unique Story Folders, the display boards, and show their parents around the class. July – You will receive your child’s end of year report and the judgement of whether your child has reached Emerging, Expected or Exceeding level, against the Early Learning Goals. The Unique Story Folders will go home in the last week of term. This time you get to keep the folders! End of Year Open Evening to visit old & new classes.